Amid Cuts, J. Crew Replaces ladies’s Design Head With Madewell clothier

J. Crew is struggling. The clothing retailer reported two quarters of losses, and gross sales plummeted 10% ultimate quarter compared with a 12 months in the past. one of the vital issues? unhealthy design. Boxy, unflattering silhouettes and inconsistent sizing have repelled the brand’s once fiercely loyal shoppers.

the logo has announced that it’s replacing head of girls’s design, Tom Mora, with Somsack Sikhounmuong, in the past head of design for J. Crew’s spinoff model Madewell. Joyce Lee, a member of Madewell’s design group who has labored at Marc Jacobs and MIchael Kors, will step as much as lead Madewell. J. Crew may also lay off one hundred seventy five corporate employees.

The alternate in design leadership has a compelling common sense. Madewell, which sells hip, comfy clothes that focus on fit, has been thriving. final quarter, the emblem’s sales jumped 33% over the earlier 12 months. Why would not J. Crew want to siphon off some of Madewell’s mojo? though no longer everyone is definite that smart design at one label can so simply be transferred elsewhere. we’ll just have to attend and see.

[by means of the big apple instances and Bloomberg]