Forever Fashion: J.Crew

Since 1983, J.Crew has been a beloved and well-known fashion company that in recent years, has grown to become a brand built on responsibility and consciousness. The brand announced a rebrand in 2021, emphasizing corporate social responsibility and promoting sustainability. This movement, called “Re-imagined by J.Crew,” guides customers on new ways to add to their wardrobe while planting a mindful seed for our planet. 100% of their main fibers are sustainably procured, including 100% of their cotton. If more brands reimagined their fabrics and clothing production while also eliminating the use of chemical fertilizers pesticides, there would be a significant difference not only for the planet, but also for the betterment of the fashion industry itself. 

In today’s society, our generation is being presented with articles of clothing that are not made to last forever. In the moment, it’s trendy, affordable, and “stylish” but, at what cost? In an article written by Aaron Baar, Derek Yarbrough, chief marketing officer for J.Crew, emphasized the importance of lasting pieces that are made to stay. “Think about some of your favorite wearable heirlooms: that softer-than-soft cashmere sweater, those perfectly broken-in jeans – we want our customers to pass those on when they’re done wearing them, but unfortunately, 73 percent of pre-owned clothes are sent to landfills, instead of being reused or recycled.” In a generation where online shopping and fast-fashion floods the carts of millions, the contribution of greenhouse gas emissions, microplastics, and textile waste are at an all time high causing our environment to crumble.  As these waste mountains grow taller, our soil and water supply grow dryer. “Keeping clothes out of landfills by shopping preloved J.Crew pieces allows our customers to not only shop sustainably and help the environment reduce carbon waste… but empowers them to clean out their closet and say goodbye to clothes that have fallen out of their rotation,” Yarbrough said. Many retail stores can follow J. Crew’s new movement and use their brand as a platform for influence and change.

In a statement made by “The Geneva Environment Network”, “In the last 20 years, global fibre production has almost doubled from 58 million tonnes in 2000 to 116 million tonnes in 2022, and is expected to continue to grow to 147 million tonnes in 2030.” For 40 years, J.Crews brand has been built off of consistency and ownership, communicating with their customers that the quality of clothing is made from the heart of those who want to bring awareness and care for our environment. As the fashion industry continues to be the second-largest consumer of water, while being responsible for 8% of the global carbon emissions in our environment, J.Crew’s mission can be the beginning of change. The beginning of living. In an extensive report done by J.Crews brand and creative team, they articulate the evident research and findings that provide a deeper insight on the true message of sustainability. When vocalizing on the importance of durable clothing, it must start with biodiversity and the movement of regenerative agriculture. “We rely on the healthy, functioning ecosystems needed to produce these fibers and recognize our responsibility to protect and restore critical biodiversity, which refers to all the living organisms within our natural ecosystems.” With this, 84% of J.Crew’s fibers come from land-based sources, a new way of life, a life where there is a foreseeable future. A future that starts now. 

Over a year ago, I started to realize the amount of harm I was providing to the environment as I bought from multiple fast fashion brands, obliviously buying my 5th pair of the same old graphic tee so many girls around me were praising. As I bought these pieces, I was contributing to the rise of fast-fashion and harmful toxins in our air. I would be lying to you if I said all my life I’ve shopped sustainably. I haven’t, we are all victims to the grip Tik Tok has over us on the lastest Garage tank tops or Zara sheer skirt. But we must steer our focus to the corners of second-hand stores that hold loved pieces and vintage brands that hold the greatest stories. We must think secondhand first. We must be the ones who start a new movement of shopping, a new way of styling, because if we don’t our future will no longer have the strength to hold up our closets and we will be buried by the landfills we have added to for years.