Retail Dispatch: J.Crew, Aritzia, Yankee Kicks, Adidas Originals and Skims
J.Crew will not renew Brendon Babenzien’s contract as creative director of men’s, according to GQ editor R.F. Kenmore, who shared the news on X. The move has been framed as Babenzien stepping down to focus on Noah, the brand he founded in 2015. However, the company is said to be bringing back Alejandro Rhett, formerly chief product officer at Todd Snyder and a past J.Crew executive who was fired in 2015 after an Instagram post comparing company layoffs to The Hunger Games sparked backlash and put him on the cover of the New York Post. The return marks a notable second act for Rhett, and a reminder that we are indeed living in a post-woke world.
The leadership shift comes as J.Crew faces mounting financial pressure. Despite a broader return to classic, preppy dressing that would seem to favor the brand, credit card data cited by Puck News Line Sheet reporter Laure…
