COLLABORATION ANTICIPATION: J.Press Meets Ovadia & Sons For A New Sportswear Label

In an arrangement that sounds vaguely familiar, the venerable mens retailer J.Press has tapped 29-year-old twin designers Shimon and Ariel Ovadia of the two year old luxury mens label Ovadia & Sons (pictured at right) to design a new collection that will be sold exclusively in its U.S. store starting next Spring.

If this is making you think of Thom Browne's Black Fleece collection at Brooks Brothers, you wouldn't be the only one. J.Press is obviously, and smartly following the larger retailer's template for injecting some fashion excitement into its brand with designers known for their own youthful spin on classic style. Both stores are steeped in tradition, and though J.Press, now owned by Japan based Onward Kashiyama, does not have the reach of its competitor, its customers are said to be even more fiercely devoted to its particular variety of classic menswear.

The new, as yet unnamed label will not contain the Ovadia name, and will focus more on casual sportswear meant to compete with the likes of J.Crew and Ralph Lauren's Rugby for a younger customer. “That’s why it was so exciting to my brother and I,” Ariel Ovadia tells WWD, “Even though 70 percent of our collection is sportswear, we don’t really get into things like Henleys and T-shirts.”

This is not J.Crew's first atempt to broaden its scope in recent years. Although it recently employed another burgeoning American designer with a cult following, Mark McNairy, as its overall creative director, his tenure was reportedly marked by creative struggles, and he has gone on to greater success by focusing on his own brand and taking over design duties at the Woolrich Woolen Mills label. Two years ago, J.Press offered a capsule collection at Urban Outfitters featuring lower price points which lasted for one season.

This time, however, it looks like the retailer entering the venture with a stronger strategy to attract younger customers. This collection will add a more casual side not only to its own traditional assortments, but should also complement its designers' more luxurious but still classically minded brand. For now, the offerings are being kept under wraps, possibly until a name for the new label is being formulated. While it will be available only at J.Press Stores in New York City, New Haven, CT, Cambridge, MD, and Washington DC, the new brand is being devised as a "freestanding" brand that clearly has potential for wider distribution at other stores in the future. If all goes as planned, it could point towards an intriguing future for relatively quiet but widely respected American retailer.

Ovadia & Sons Creates Collection for J. Press (WWD)
J.Press (Official Site)
Ovadia & Sons (Official Site)
Previously:
What Is The Meaning Of J.Press For Urban Outfitters? (12/14/2010)