J. Crew's Mickey Drexler on Multi-Branding

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"How does anything come about, really? We talk about it and see what happens. Last time Jenna [Lyons] and I were here in Aspen we both bought Belstaff jackets. We were so in love with them. Then I found out a friend of mine reps them so we edited a small collection for certain stores. We looked at things guys and gals like. My daughter used to buy Bensimon sneakers in the Bahamas and I really liked them. I showed them to the team and we started carrying some in the Madewell stores. So you see, it all comes organically from people who have a thought or idea. It makes the shop more interesting. No brand can do the best in the world. Others can do it better so why not bring them in? We edit like a writer. It has to flow." [Valet]