J.Crew Focuses on Crewcuts Business

J.Crew’s children’s label, Crewcuts, which has eight dedicated retail stores and has been offered through the company’s regular catalogs, now has a mail business of its own. The retailer recently began distributing the Crewcuts catalog across the country and has expressed plans to grow its business through mail-order and online sales.

J.Crew views the kids’ division as a niche business, chairman and CEO Millard Drexler told WWD, noting that he believes there is room in the children’s wear market for the more stylized product that his brand offers. In the same article, J.Crew creative director Jenna Lyons reported that Crewcuts’ knit dresses, hand-embroidered T-shirts and jewelry have garnered the strongest consumer response.

The retail chain recently opened a new Crewcuts location in Seattle and plans to launch another in New York in August. A catalog for the back-to-school season is currently being produced. Visit www.jcrew.com.

In This Issue: Earnshaw’s annual report on the growth of the industry Understanding the grandparent demographic An update on the state of e-commerce Plus: Infant and toddler fashion Coming Next Month: Preschool properties that translate into consumer products success Retailers reveal the power of accessories The sports licensing report Plus: Character-based apparel