Is J. Crew a real person?

Question

Is J. Crew a real person?

Question #147789. Asked by Shadowmyst2004.
Last updated Jun 07 2020.
Originally posted Jun 07 2020 12:10 AM.

AcrylicInk

Answer has 7 votes

Currently Best Answer

AcrylicInk

9 year member
63 replies avatar

Answer has 7 votes.

Currently voted the best answer.

It doesn't sound like it. The company changed its name when it moved to catalogue sales.

In 1947, Mitchell Cinader and Saul Charles founded Popular Merchandise, Inc.

In 1983, Popular Merchandise, Inc. became known as J.Crew, Inc. The company attempted, but failed to sell the Popular Club Plan brand.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J.Crew

In an effort to connote a 'preppy' spirit, Popular Club Plan dubbed this operation 'J. Crew.' The first J. Crew catalog was mailed to customers in January 1983.

http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/j-crew-group-inc-history/

Response last updated by AcrylicInk on Jun 07 2020.
Jun 07 2020, 1:49 AM

Sign in or Create Free User ID to participate in the discussion

Answer 1

This book states the name J. Crew is an amalgam of J.Press and the uber-prep sport, crew.

The prep craze was magnified by intense marketing. Ralph Lauren, who began his career with Ivy/prep mainstay Brooks Brothers, recognized this marketing opportunity and has exploited it ever since. Popular Merchandise Inc, aiming for a Ralph Lauren look at a much lower price point, rebranded itself as J. Crew, a fabricated name referencing the ultimate Ivy clothier J. Press and the uber-prep sport, crew/

https://tinyurl.com/AmericanPrep
American Prep: The Insiders Guide to U.S. Boarding Schools by Ronald Mangravite, Mango Publishing 2017