Q&A: 5 minutes with J.Crew

Finally, our fashion prayers have been answered. J.Crew (jcrew.com), the famous American prepster palace, is opening its first Canadian store this month in the newly renovated Yorkdale Shopping Centre. (Can I get an amen?) Here, the ever-stylish Jenna Lyons, a.k.a. J.Crew’s president and executive creative director, talks fall must-haves and brand power.

Why did J.Crew decide to launch in Canada this year?
“We saw an increased level of traffic to our website from Canada. There was definitely a following [and] it was a natural progression. And fall is a great time to enter into a new country.”

What items do you think Canadian shoppers will be most excited about?
“We’re not a huge market-research company. Most of our information comes from our customers. One of the things that people have a tendency to love and know us for is cashmere, so we’re hoping it will do well. And shoes, we’ve had a huge request for shoes.”

What are your picks from the Fall 2011 collection?
“One of my favourite pieces is an oversized cashmere V-neck. It looks like an oversized sweatshirt but has a tailored sleeve. It’s really great and really soft. There’s a beautiful wool knee-length skirt—I’m loving things getting a bit longer and feeling a little bit more soft and flowy. There’s a crazy pair of lace-up boots that I’m obsessed with, and we have a great new pump called the Mona. It comes in beautiful colours like coral and turquoise and, of course, a leopard print.”

Do you still get a kick out of seeing people wearing J.Crew on the street?
“Oh, totally. That never gets old. It’s why I work at a company like J.Crew and not at a company where everything is really expensive. It’s fun.”

Why does this brand have such serious staying power?
“I’m not really sure how that’s happened, and I’m so incredibly grateful and prideful of that. It’s amazing. I’ve done customer events and had people standing in line for two hours. It’s the most amazing, rewarding and touching thing to have that connection with people and to hear their stories, whether they got married in J.Crew, wore it for their first day of work or their child’s graduation. There’s always a story.”

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