I realize this is not your point, but they also recently cut back pretty significantly on their plus size offerings which took them completely off my radar--so definitely a big misstep in my book. And the one thing I immediately noticed about the 2024 styling collage was a bit more diversity, in both skin color and body size. Inclusion is obviously not all that matters, and if the styling is bad it's bad. But personally I would rather buy from a brand that shows its clothes on different types of people rather than just tiny white girls. (Even though in this particular case I can't buy from them anyways!)
Corinne, thanks for sharing some additonal interesting points! While I too have noticed the diversity in their campaigns and was excited to seem them evolve, it is so disheartening to hear that they have completely done away with their plus size offerings all together. So many brands have started elimiting these offerings and it really is such a shame. Old Navy used to designate an entire floor pad to their plus size consumer. Now a large portion of their top volume doors have put other categories in its place. It is incredinly disappointing.
Yes! It’s such a bummer. To clarify, they haven’t completely eliminated plus sizes, but they cut the largest ones and seem to be making fewer styles in the remaining sizes.
I think you've nailed both the styling (what's left to be desired) and going back to the well with Alexa Chung vs someone new. And I love the recommendation of Gracie Abrams because she is someone I can be inspired by even as "a mom" or a geriatric millennial and my gen alpha daughter could also find something cool to wear.
[Men's] It's the quality of clothing for me. When I buy a tee, it feels too worn to wear after less than a year, similar to a Goodfellow tee at Target. The cotton used to feel durable, and never like it had an expiration date. I even questioned if it was my new washer/dryer that's just breaking the fabrics down, but I don't think it is. Mostly, though, I've noticed it in the many shirts that I've bought; Thick, jacket-like button-ups that I can wear without washing (like a jacket!) for a while. But the moment I put it through a gentle cycle, it looks extremely ratty. The style has been diluted, but so has the quality. Bummer, because I really thought they were now a step up from J. Crew Men's in both style & durability.
It is such a shame when the quality goes downhill. You'll be pleased to know that there are hundreds of people just like you on twitter who feel exactly the same. Hopefully with enough loud voices, they will make the appropriate changes and turn things around!
Agreed on the quality overall! Back in the day I could just step in and know that I was paying premium but nowadays I have to check every single tag to see what I’m getting. Unfortunately it’s mostly polyester.
They used to have 100% silk tops, too…sadly haven’t seen them in years now. And all the “super soft” sweaters are actually just super pilly and need a buzz cut each time I want to wear them.
Jenny, I agree with you on their "super soft" sweaters, such a disappoint that they pill all the time! I'd rather pay a little bit more knowing that this didn't happen all the time.
As a Madewell fan since the beginning, I loved this read. I have found myself increasingly detached from the brand in the last 4-5 years because I find the pieces read boring. I’m uninspired by their pieces and styling. However Gracie Abrams as the proposed new muse is BRILLIANT. I’m closer in age to Alexa Chung but the recent collaboration with her was a snooze. They need to bring a POV into their lines again.
Thank you, Kelly. It was a fun piece to write and it’s comforting to hear that there are others out there who agree with my sentiments, especially about Gracie. I’m still rooting for them to turn things around. Fingers crossed something changes in the near future 🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼
Not a fan of their new brand identity. So many other brands and designers occupy the minimalist, “quiet luxury” space already. Madewell’s dresses, prints and styling made it different from its competitors— that vibe is sorely missed!
It’s so glad I’m not alone in my thinking about their new brand identity. Call me a maximalist, but I miss the old days and their vibrant prints. Thanks for sharing Cayla ♥️
I'd never heard of Madewell before the first Alexa Chung collaboration and it was the 'can't quite afford Isabel Marant but still wants to look a bit elevated on a budget' label. Like what Doen is now but less expensive and less frilly.
I agree that this round of Chung collaboration seems muted and dull. But I also think that's a result of Madewell behind the scenes watering things down, not Alexa - her ongoing Barbour collaboration has the spark and twist you'd expect from her designs despite Barbour being far more traditional as a brand, so she's clearly still got it, age notwithstanding. Also this is going to be unpopular to say but Gracie Abrams does not strike me as having a personal style or even a distinctive look? But enough followers+the right stylist can solve that problem I suppose.
Thanks, Lily. It’s interesting to hear your thoughts on Alexa’s other collaborations. Just checked out her Barbour collab and immediately am eyeing the ‘Amy Quilted Jacket’. What a stunner!
As a die hard fan who wore almost exclusively madewell jeans for an entire decade the reason I stopped shopping there was because the quality is Absolute. Garbage. now. Almost everything is a poly blend, the jeans bag out almost immediately, they don’t even sew a batch into the back anymore. Why would I spend $140 on old navy-quality denim when I could shell out $30 more and get something like nudie or frame ?
I was willing to pay madewell prices when they had silk dresses, wool sweaters, sturdy denim. I cannot justify buying there anymore, even on a discount.
Your recent experiences with the brand are incredibly frustrating, especially about the jeans bagging out almost immediately upon wearing. You are not alone in feeling the way you feel about the quality. Who wants to spend all that money (even on a discount nonetheless), not I. Frame is my go to when it comes to denim too. The quality is superb and I’ve had mine for years and no bagging out to be found anywhere ♥️
Daughter (27) and I (60) have been Madewell customers for years. It was always so hard to decide what to walk out with because we loved everything. Just walking into the store used to put a smile on our faces because everything was so fun, flattering and pretty. Now we don’t even go to the store because there’s nothing for either of us. Cropped-top everything, Harlow fat-pants and hooker-short dresses have got to be the worst things they’ve ever come up with….and they just keep this formula on repeat now. I have no idea who is buying the stuff because you don’t even see people out and about wearing the clothes anymore. That new AC collab release is laughable. An over priced western style shirt in five different materials-bfd.
Sounds like your daughter, you and myself experienced similar experiences at Madewell in the good ol’ days having a hard deciding what to buy because we all wanted EVERYTHING! Hopefully this recent formula you are describing is on its way out, fingers and toes crossed 🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼.
Thanks, Imiyah! I’ve spent my entire career as a merchandiser and it is truly the most fulfilling role and work. I love that I get to balance my left brain and right brain - analytical with a dash of creativity 🙂
I found this post after looking at MW's site and feeling disappointed. I had to know if others felt the same way... I'm glad I'm not alone. I used to be a die-hard Madewell fan, spending way too much of my paycheck there. I still own countless MW jeans. But starting about a year ago, I've noticed they changed the fit of their denim. It doesn't fit as well, it's not as flattering for my body type. I felt like the quality started to decline for certain styles. I recently went in to try on jeans, and only left with 1 pair after trying on like 10+. I'm not even as confident about the quality of the pair I bought. Back in the day, I'd definitely leave with more. They don't even offer all their washes and styles in the curvy fit, unlike Abercrombie who cater to way more body types. Their dress selection has been boring, matronly and old navy quality for several seasons now. It's sad to see the brand I once loved decline. I agree with you. I still bought a coat this season that I enjoy, but now more of my money is going elsewhere and I'm looking for a new denim go to.
It’s such a shame that their denim is not what it used to be and had changed drastically. I find myself always gravitating towards Frame these days. A little more price point wise but have held the test of time and in my opinion that’s always worth the investment!
Secondhand jeans on The RealReal are everything. Such good finds for a fraction of the price and a majority are all from top designer brands like Mother, Redone, and Frame!!
Imagine if they could have gotten Emma chamberlain though, that could have been major. Since she’s been outspoken about her transition from quirky to minimal personal style that could be a great way to introduce the Madewell brand shift - from young adult to mature woman
Interesting take Maureen! I love the idea if Madewell continues to cater to the minimal asethetic in their designs to feature Emma Chamberlain - she would be the perfect representation.
There are definitley some hidden gems within the assortment and the Harlow pants are one of their staples that are great. They need more gems and hopefully with enough customers wanting this, things can change for the better.
As soon as you mentioned the miss of the Alexa Chung collab I immediately thought “Gracie Abrams would’ve been perfect.” Then I kept scrolling and let out a cheer. This is so spot on. I go into the store often and am left disappointed- the knitwear is especially horrible in quality lately. The ONE area where I think they do shine is their handbags and accessories. They’re hitting it out of the park there IMO and agree with you they should incorporate them into the styling more! Great read.
Glad to hear we are aligned on Gracie Abrams, she’s awesome both musically and stylistically for Madewell 🙂. I agree with you on their accessories, some great finds at affordable prints points too, it’s a shame they don’t showcase them more!
As a former JCrew intern (way back when Mickey was still around!), this resonated so much. Madewell used to be so cool with so much personality! The recent releases were basically a copy of Club Monaco, COS… with no POV.
Thank you for this spot on and super interesting analysis.
This was so good. Although as a 42 year old I bristled at the “geriatric millennial” reference lol. But agree they have lost their way and need a major realignment
I realize this is not your point, but they also recently cut back pretty significantly on their plus size offerings which took them completely off my radar--so definitely a big misstep in my book. And the one thing I immediately noticed about the 2024 styling collage was a bit more diversity, in both skin color and body size. Inclusion is obviously not all that matters, and if the styling is bad it's bad. But personally I would rather buy from a brand that shows its clothes on different types of people rather than just tiny white girls. (Even though in this particular case I can't buy from them anyways!)
Corinne, thanks for sharing some additonal interesting points! While I too have noticed the diversity in their campaigns and was excited to seem them evolve, it is so disheartening to hear that they have completely done away with their plus size offerings all together. So many brands have started elimiting these offerings and it really is such a shame. Old Navy used to designate an entire floor pad to their plus size consumer. Now a large portion of their top volume doors have put other categories in its place. It is incredinly disappointing.
Yes! It’s such a bummer. To clarify, they haven’t completely eliminated plus sizes, but they cut the largest ones and seem to be making fewer styles in the remaining sizes.
I think you've nailed both the styling (what's left to be desired) and going back to the well with Alexa Chung vs someone new. And I love the recommendation of Gracie Abrams because she is someone I can be inspired by even as "a mom" or a geriatric millennial and my gen alpha daughter could also find something cool to wear.
Thank you! I’m so glad to hear you agree about Gracie and it’s interesting to hear your thoughts on how she caters toward a variety of ages!
[Men's] It's the quality of clothing for me. When I buy a tee, it feels too worn to wear after less than a year, similar to a Goodfellow tee at Target. The cotton used to feel durable, and never like it had an expiration date. I even questioned if it was my new washer/dryer that's just breaking the fabrics down, but I don't think it is. Mostly, though, I've noticed it in the many shirts that I've bought; Thick, jacket-like button-ups that I can wear without washing (like a jacket!) for a while. But the moment I put it through a gentle cycle, it looks extremely ratty. The style has been diluted, but so has the quality. Bummer, because I really thought they were now a step up from J. Crew Men's in both style & durability.
It is such a shame when the quality goes downhill. You'll be pleased to know that there are hundreds of people just like you on twitter who feel exactly the same. Hopefully with enough loud voices, they will make the appropriate changes and turn things around!
Agreed on the quality overall! Back in the day I could just step in and know that I was paying premium but nowadays I have to check every single tag to see what I’m getting. Unfortunately it’s mostly polyester.
They used to have 100% silk tops, too…sadly haven’t seen them in years now. And all the “super soft” sweaters are actually just super pilly and need a buzz cut each time I want to wear them.
Jenny, I agree with you on their "super soft" sweaters, such a disappoint that they pill all the time! I'd rather pay a little bit more knowing that this didn't happen all the time.
As a Madewell fan since the beginning, I loved this read. I have found myself increasingly detached from the brand in the last 4-5 years because I find the pieces read boring. I’m uninspired by their pieces and styling. However Gracie Abrams as the proposed new muse is BRILLIANT. I’m closer in age to Alexa Chung but the recent collaboration with her was a snooze. They need to bring a POV into their lines again.
Thank you, Kelly. It was a fun piece to write and it’s comforting to hear that there are others out there who agree with my sentiments, especially about Gracie. I’m still rooting for them to turn things around. Fingers crossed something changes in the near future 🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼
such a snooze, I was excited but then so disappointed when I saw the collection.
Not a fan of their new brand identity. So many other brands and designers occupy the minimalist, “quiet luxury” space already. Madewell’s dresses, prints and styling made it different from its competitors— that vibe is sorely missed!
It’s so glad I’m not alone in my thinking about their new brand identity. Call me a maximalist, but I miss the old days and their vibrant prints. Thanks for sharing Cayla ♥️
I'd never heard of Madewell before the first Alexa Chung collaboration and it was the 'can't quite afford Isabel Marant but still wants to look a bit elevated on a budget' label. Like what Doen is now but less expensive and less frilly.
I agree that this round of Chung collaboration seems muted and dull. But I also think that's a result of Madewell behind the scenes watering things down, not Alexa - her ongoing Barbour collaboration has the spark and twist you'd expect from her designs despite Barbour being far more traditional as a brand, so she's clearly still got it, age notwithstanding. Also this is going to be unpopular to say but Gracie Abrams does not strike me as having a personal style or even a distinctive look? But enough followers+the right stylist can solve that problem I suppose.
Thanks, Lily. It’s interesting to hear your thoughts on Alexa’s other collaborations. Just checked out her Barbour collab and immediately am eyeing the ‘Amy Quilted Jacket’. What a stunner!
As a die hard fan who wore almost exclusively madewell jeans for an entire decade the reason I stopped shopping there was because the quality is Absolute. Garbage. now. Almost everything is a poly blend, the jeans bag out almost immediately, they don’t even sew a batch into the back anymore. Why would I spend $140 on old navy-quality denim when I could shell out $30 more and get something like nudie or frame ?
I was willing to pay madewell prices when they had silk dresses, wool sweaters, sturdy denim. I cannot justify buying there anymore, even on a discount.
Your recent experiences with the brand are incredibly frustrating, especially about the jeans bagging out almost immediately upon wearing. You are not alone in feeling the way you feel about the quality. Who wants to spend all that money (even on a discount nonetheless), not I. Frame is my go to when it comes to denim too. The quality is superb and I’ve had mine for years and no bagging out to be found anywhere ♥️
Daughter (27) and I (60) have been Madewell customers for years. It was always so hard to decide what to walk out with because we loved everything. Just walking into the store used to put a smile on our faces because everything was so fun, flattering and pretty. Now we don’t even go to the store because there’s nothing for either of us. Cropped-top everything, Harlow fat-pants and hooker-short dresses have got to be the worst things they’ve ever come up with….and they just keep this formula on repeat now. I have no idea who is buying the stuff because you don’t even see people out and about wearing the clothes anymore. That new AC collab release is laughable. An over priced western style shirt in five different materials-bfd.
Sounds like your daughter, you and myself experienced similar experiences at Madewell in the good ol’ days having a hard deciding what to buy because we all wanted EVERYTHING! Hopefully this recent formula you are describing is on its way out, fingers and toes crossed 🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼.
Very good read! My first post I received as a subscriber ! This is exactly the type of work I want to do
Thanks, Imiyah! I’ve spent my entire career as a merchandiser and it is truly the most fulfilling role and work. I love that I get to balance my left brain and right brain - analytical with a dash of creativity 🙂
I found this post after looking at MW's site and feeling disappointed. I had to know if others felt the same way... I'm glad I'm not alone. I used to be a die-hard Madewell fan, spending way too much of my paycheck there. I still own countless MW jeans. But starting about a year ago, I've noticed they changed the fit of their denim. It doesn't fit as well, it's not as flattering for my body type. I felt like the quality started to decline for certain styles. I recently went in to try on jeans, and only left with 1 pair after trying on like 10+. I'm not even as confident about the quality of the pair I bought. Back in the day, I'd definitely leave with more. They don't even offer all their washes and styles in the curvy fit, unlike Abercrombie who cater to way more body types. Their dress selection has been boring, matronly and old navy quality for several seasons now. It's sad to see the brand I once loved decline. I agree with you. I still bought a coat this season that I enjoy, but now more of my money is going elsewhere and I'm looking for a new denim go to.
It’s such a shame that their denim is not what it used to be and had changed drastically. I find myself always gravitating towards Frame these days. A little more price point wise but have held the test of time and in my opinion that’s always worth the investment!
The price point for the quality absolutely isn’t there, would rather buy a secondhand piece for a fraction of the price
Secondhand jeans on The RealReal are everything. Such good finds for a fraction of the price and a majority are all from top designer brands like Mother, Redone, and Frame!!
Imagine if they could have gotten Emma chamberlain though, that could have been major. Since she’s been outspoken about her transition from quirky to minimal personal style that could be a great way to introduce the Madewell brand shift - from young adult to mature woman
Interesting take Maureen! I love the idea if Madewell continues to cater to the minimal asethetic in their designs to feature Emma Chamberlain - she would be the perfect representation.
I agree, Madewell got boring.
Though I do like my white linen Harlow pants.
There are definitley some hidden gems within the assortment and the Harlow pants are one of their staples that are great. They need more gems and hopefully with enough customers wanting this, things can change for the better.
As soon as you mentioned the miss of the Alexa Chung collab I immediately thought “Gracie Abrams would’ve been perfect.” Then I kept scrolling and let out a cheer. This is so spot on. I go into the store often and am left disappointed- the knitwear is especially horrible in quality lately. The ONE area where I think they do shine is their handbags and accessories. They’re hitting it out of the park there IMO and agree with you they should incorporate them into the styling more! Great read.
Glad to hear we are aligned on Gracie Abrams, she’s awesome both musically and stylistically for Madewell 🙂. I agree with you on their accessories, some great finds at affordable prints points too, it’s a shame they don’t showcase them more!
As a former JCrew intern (way back when Mickey was still around!), this resonated so much. Madewell used to be so cool with so much personality! The recent releases were basically a copy of Club Monaco, COS… with no POV.
Thank you for this spot on and super interesting analysis.
Thanks, Xue! Your comment means a lot coming from a fellow J.Crew employee ♥️. I’m hopeful they can turn things around. Time will well….
This was so good. Although as a 42 year old I bristled at the “geriatric millennial” reference lol. But agree they have lost their way and need a major realignment
Thanks, Sogole! We’re all ‘geriatric millennials’ at heart 😂.