When New York Fashion Week kicked off last Thursday, J.Crew’s Sunday presentation ushered in a sense of normalcy. Instead of professional models, the brand opted to use company employees and their friends and families to model its spring collection.
A total of 64 models, including J.Crew staff, artists, engineers, athletes and bartenders, walked the runway. Ranging in ages 13 to 72, the models represented diverse sizes and skin tones. One particular model was seven months pregnant, and some of the younger models worked the catwalk with dental braces.
Using everyday citizens rather than perfectly crafted, porcelain-skinned fountains of youth offers a nice break from the unrealistic beauty ideals present in society today.
“We were talking a lot about what inspires us, and it’s people in our office, people whose style and energy we love, people we go out to dinner and hang out with,” said women’s designer Somsack Sikhounmuong, according to Fashionista.
J.Crew styled its models to look natural states, allowing the models to choose their own hair and makeup.
Uconcerned with their heights or figures, J.Crew’s models also left their hair a bit messy, reminiscent of real life. Some of the models even broke character to tend to a child, hug a friend, take a drink of water or mouth “hello.”
As of late, the company’s sales have been slipping. Suffering from fashion missteps, the company has left loyal customers wondering what happened to the old J.Crew — the one they knew and loved.
Last year, Neil Saunders, CEO of the retail research agency and consulting firm Conlumino, wrote that “J.Crew and its management are not sufficiently humble about the brand’s current status and are rather divorced from the realities of the retail marketplace,” according to a December Business Insider article.
Though the company has been straying from its preppy roots, Sunday’s collection reverted to the old brand staples: stripes, khaki and chambray. J.Crew’s transition back to the basics was met with high approval by consumers and critics, alike.
An integral part of this season’s Fashion Week is inclusion, an idea which J.Crew took and ran with. The show notes even included mini-bios of the models to help guests get to know them better.
While some of the women donned mixed-in men’s pieces, the children wore the main collection, rather than pieces specifically for kids. By displaying the versatility of the line and using real people, J.Crew shows how easily its clothes can fit into everyday life.
Sunday’s presentation was a step in the right direction for J.Crew. Not only did it return to what it’s known for, but by featuring real people, J.Crew brought a new perspective to a typically stoic event.