I could spot her from a mile away. Those thick black
spectacles are unmistakable. Jenna Lyons, on the cover of Fast Company. “Could
anyone besides the J.Crew style guru, executive creative director and president
pull off those glasses?” I
wondered while waiting to get my hands on a copy of the issue.
There is something so inspiring and exciting about seeing a
fashion mogul on the cover of something other than a fashion magazine. Fast
Company is a magazine, as well as a website, that focuses on business and innovation
going on today, and spotlights some of the most creative thought leaders of our
time. Needless to say, Jenna Lyons’s
transformation of J.Crew warrants her spot on the cover of such a magazine.
Wearing all white on the cover of the May 2013 issue, Jenna
Lyons may look like a minimalist; however, what Jenna did for J.Crew is
anything but minimal. Entitled,
“The Devil Wears J.Crew” this 10-page spread discusses how Lyons brought J.Crew
up through the ranks of the fashion world and turned the company into one of
the most influential and "buzzed-about" brands and retailers of our time.
Fast Company, May 2013 Cover.
The article features photographs from the inside of Lyons’s (whimsical
and colorful) office, as well as a few words on creative success from J.Crew’s
CEO, Mickey Drexler. It gives insight into Lyons’s past as an “awkward” child,
her daily life as the president and executive creative director of J.Crew, and
future of the company.
Some of my favorite lines from “The Devil Wears J.Crew”:
“No financial decision weighs heavier than a creative
decision. They are equal.” –Lyons, on being the creative executive and
president of J.Crew.
“When something hasn’t been as beautiful as it can be, the
reason is always bigger than the thing,” – Lyons.
“In my own experience, whatever was a good idea was a bad
idea to most people.” – Drexler, on businesses today lacking creativity.
“I felt a huge drive to make clothes that everybody could
have because I felt ostracized by the world of beauty and fashion.” – Lyons, on
her interest in fashion as a child.
“You have to get people to understand why having that Serge
Mouille light fixture is better, because it’s beautiful and people will know
something’s different.” Lyons, on wanting an $8,000 chandelier in the J.Crew
store versus a $2,000 one.
While everything in Fast Company is worth the read, here are two more articles from the 5/13 issues you really shouldn’t miss:
Which states rule the United States of Innovation?
Deal With It: Groupon’s Journey
