Nick Wooster on JCP's Comeback: 'We Need To Make Cute Shit'

Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for The Goods by Vox. You can also see what we’re up to by signing up here.

Nick Wooster, dapper street style star turned JCPenney executive, was fired from his last job as fashion director of Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman for mysterious reasons back in 2011, but that doesn't seem to be stopping him from speaking his mind in his new gig at JCPenney. "I'm going to get in trouble for saying this, but [we need to] make cute shit," he told a room full of people at last week's WWD Men's Wear Summit.

Wooster spoke about how the chain plans to become "America's favorite store," a strategy that hinges on the success of shop-in-shops, like the department stores' recent launch of Joe Fresh boutiques in 680+ Penneys stores. "If we have compelling product, people will come into the store," Wooster said. "I firmly believe that's the job of merchants. Am I done yet?"
· FN Spy [Footwear News]
· Joe Fresh Launches at J.C. Penney Today, But Most Customers Probably Don't Care [Racked]