From 1995 to 2002, Drexler served as the CEO of The Gap, Inc. After sales started falling, he was let go and later joined J. Crew in 2003. Since becoming the CEO of J. Crew, his creativity and dedication have helped increase revenue from $7.6 million in 2003 to $1.7 billion in 2010. Drexler is a highly personable man who lives and breathes J. Crew. In an interview with Charlie Rose, he claims that the average customer could call his office and eventually get through to him! He wants to be attainable--just like his brand.
Drexler’s vision for J. Crew was to offer fashionable people quality clothing at a reasonable price. In the Charlie Rose interview, Drexler said of J. Crew, “People want the best quality. They want best design, and style, and color, and service. But they don’t [want] to take a mortgage out on a dress or a pair of pants from a designer.” That is what he strives to give to America with J. Crew. Affordable high-fashion.
Another highly influential person at J. Crew is Jenna Lyons. Lyons began working at J. Crew in 1990 as a creative designer, and was most recently promoted to President-Executive Creative Director in July 2010. "Jenna's Picks" appear in each catalogue and online, making her name very familiar to any J. Crew customer.
Maintaining a brand that is popular across America and around the world is an extremely difficult and time-consuming task. Both Drexler and Lyons do a wonderful job of achieving this task while continually pushing the company forward and adding their own flavor to the designs.
What do you think Drexler did well when he joined J. Crew? What do you think he could be doing better? What article of clothing should Jenna add to her picks?
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