The Incredible Rise And Fall Of J.Crew

Just a few years ago, J.Crew seemed invincible. Sales were rocketing, as was the clothing retailer’s cultural cachet. Now, the brand is watching its sales plunge, and within the last two months, has announced the departures of the very people who engineered its success. In April, Jenna Lyons, the company’s iconic creative lead, left. Then just yesterday (June 5), CEO Mickey Drexler revealed he would be stepping down. In recent years, Drexler and his team, including the designers Lyons and Frank Muytjens (who also left in April), have frequently missed the mark. This shakeup is arguably overdue. But there’s no denying that together they defined a moment in the way Americans dressed, and that Drexler did what he was hired for, which was restore J.Crew to relevance and make it a financial success. Here’s a look back at the Mickey Drexler era, and a blow-by-blow on the incredible rise and fall of J.Crew. Read more at Quartz.