Somsack Sikhounmuong: Madewell’s Designer Is Taking Over J. Crew

Photo: Sun Times

Following a year of poor sales performances, the J. Crew Group announced a new hire.

The news, which was first reported by Racked, comes on the heels of a disappointing first quarter and increasing pressure on the company’s womenswear business. With 512 stores globally and roughly over 15,000 associates, the company has been struggling in the first three months of this year. Financial reports recently released earlier this month, sales of the J. Crew brand were down 5 percent compared to the first quarter of last year.

This prompted the company to address all this in a statement, which read: “Other strategic and organizational changes are being made across the Company in areas including store operations, production, sourcing, and merchandising.” J. Crew did not disclose other details about what those changes were. Mickey Drexler, the recent CFDA Award-winning CEO of J. Crew, focused on the company’s troubles in a June 4 earnings call.

“We are making meaningful and strategic changes across our organization to better position us for future growth,” he said. “While many of these decisions were difficult, they are necessary.” Drexler’s plan is to revamp the J. Crew aesthetic by using an outlined plan to boost sales. One of those big moves to help keep the company afloat is to bring aboard Somsack Sikhounmuong to help bring success back to J. Crew. Sikhounmuong, a 14-year veteran of Madewell, helped his former employer raise sales by 33 percent in the past year.

“With Somsack in his new role, we will continue to focus on making critical improvements to our J. Crew women’s assortment including fit, design aesthetic and styling. We know what needs to be done and while many of these initiatives take time, we have a committed team in place to make it happen,” Mickey Drexler said on the call. Does opening new Madewell stores and J. Crew Factory outlets make you anxious to shop there again?

From blocky sizes to less comfortability, Drexler and J. Crew know that the retail company has had a “lousy year,” but can Somsack’s recipe for success help the brand to become optimistic?

They certainly have their work cut out for them.

[via The Cut]

The post Somsack Sikhounmuong: Madewell’s Designer Is Taking Over J. Crew appeared first on StyleBlazer.