J.Crew Rebrand Report
The Ask
Rebrand and redesign a company that has recently declared bankruptcy, identifying the new look and theme significance to the zeitgeist.
Analyzing the brand.
Throughout my research, I knew I wanted to focus a brand on the innovation of sustainability and eco-friendly awakening within the industry. J.Crew has been around for decades, and their brand recently declared bankruptcy in 2020 during the pandemic. They are known for their preppy styles and consistent inexpensive pieces. The first step was to identify all key brand touchpoint and offerings of the current brand in order to redesign the company. I researched the brand’s mission, values, demographics, psycographics, and brand persona that all identify with J.Crew.
Finding the Customer.
The next step was to identify the consumer and the values the current and future J.Crew customer undertake. My group and I took a deep dive into the demographics, psychographics, and customer segmentation that identify with shopping at J.Crew. We found that the current J.Crew consumer typically values timeless and unique pieces while shopping on a budget. A word used to describe this area would be “refined” or “classic.”
New Brand Strategy.
After identifying the current J.Crew mission, we began our research and distinguished the new brand strategy of J.Crew. This involved identifying key objectives, the brand narrative, the brand archetype, the brand promise, and key brand touch points and offerings. We focused the strategy around reimagining timeless and classic pieces that represent the foundations of a luxury brand and high-quality, eco-friendly fabrics and textiles. We wanted J.Crew to regain the role of a fashion leader and design quality products that are in high demand for an array of sizes and different styles. Combining visions of the past and future, J.Crew was shown control of the zeitgeist of the era and using innovation and new ideals to create a brand that does not tie into conformist values.
The Outcome
Rebranding J.Crew was an incredibly educational project that showed me the fundamental values of rebranding and how establishing a successful brand works. Working on a team for this project also improved my communication and leadership skills and showcased how an actual rebranding team would work together to create a new outcome.