J.Crew CEO Mickey Drexler invests in Warby Parker
It's a boost of confidence for an up-and-coming brand to have two big names backing it up. For Warby Parker, this moment has been in development for quite some time.
J.Crew CEO Mickey Drexler invests in Warby Parker
Esther Lee, Philly.com
It’s a boost of confidence for an up-and-coming brand to have two big names backing it up. For Warby Parker, this moment has been in development for quite some time.
Both J.Crew CEO Millard “Mickey” Drexler and American Express are investing in the Philly-conceived sustainable eyewear brand, reports DealBook.
“We’ve tried to be very deliberate in getting people with specific expertise,” Warby Parker co-founder Neil Blumenthal told the NY Times in an interview. “Nobody knows retail like Mickey. And within financial services, nobody knows a brand more prominent than American Express.”
32-year-old Blumenthal also divulges that the Warby Parker team has been lunching regularly with Drexler to discuss "retail ideas." There's no denying that Warby Parker's hip aesthetic fits well with J. Crew's creative direction of preppy-but-modern apparel and accessories. Creative director Jenna Lyons, a clear and apparent fan of the tortoise shell frame (shoes, belts, iPhone cases...), has been spotted wearing glasses in the style of Warby Parker.
For more on the brand and its conception, read Elizabeth Wellington's piece and interview with Blumenthal.
