Collaborations between high-end designers and major scale retailers are emerging as a significant trend in menswear at the moment. 2010 saw Paris-based house Lanvin design a collection for H&M as a an edition to the Swedish retailer’s annual guest designer collections, and fast forward to 2013 and the North Face has recently collaborated with the urban-cool Supreme, Kanye West is working with APC and Rick Owens is designing sneakers for adidas. With this, the recent announcement of Public School’s collaboration with the ever-growing J.Crew is already being considered to be one of the most exciting collections for 2014. Although announced via Public School’s Instagram account, no information has been released as to when the collection will be released, nor for which season.
For the uninitiated, Public School NYC is one of the most exciting labels to come out of the big apple in a very long time. Every piece is made in New York using only the best materials sourced from the around the world, including Japan and Italy, with a distinct aesthetic that reflects both high-fashion and street-wear. Designers Dao-Yi Chow and Maxwell Osborne founded Public School in 2008 and in the space of a few short years have won acclaim and numerous awards, including the Swarovski Award for Menswear at the this years CFDA’s, and in the process have created one of the most exciting menswear brands in the world. With all this in mind, the announcement of collaborating with J.Crew is truly sensational.
From 1983 J.Crew has evolved from being one of the United States’ affordable, seemingly conservative retailers is becoming an upscale – yet relatively priced – boutique with a distinct Americana vintage inspiration. CEO/chairman Mickey Drexler, formally of Gap, and creative director/president Jenna Lyons have taken J.Crew to new heights and continue to produce consistent and stylish collections.
Time will tell as to what this venture holds.