J. Crew Ultimate Guide to Business Wear
Analyzed current consumer base and devised proposal for the creation of an Ultimate Guide to Business Wear to capture the millennial target market.
When thinking of ways to improve and grow J. Crew, the group I led asked “How can we inspire new audiences, and what consumer base is J. Crew not yet reaching that has goals, wants, and needs that J. Crew could fulfill?”
From this we identified millennials as a target market J. Crew could better serve & we set out to provide resources young adults new to the workforce needed. I worked with merchants to style the outfits & used my photography and layout skills to produce a mock guide with my group.
Decoding the Dress Code
The Ultimate Guide to Business Wear aims to help college students and young professionals that are new to office spaces. Not only does it showcase what to wear (from business formal to smart casual) and what to avoid in different types of professional settings, but it also offers a single place to acquire all these necessities - J. Crew.
Connecting to Consumers
Authenticity is important to millennials and 65% of Gen Z dislikes ads that make life look perfect, so instead of shooting in the studio I shot outside on the streets of NYC & at subway stations. Consumer engagement & behavior has shifted towards craving “lean forward” experiences in which they can interact with content or learn from it - this guide provides just that. We hope the guide will be placed in college career centers next to other career resources so it’s relevant to consumers’ needs in the moment & connects them to the answers they’re looking for.
Personalization & Pleasure
At the end of the day, whatever you wear, it should speak to who you are and make you comfortable in your own shoes. In the mock guide we provided information on how items (from collars to pant breaks to dresses) should fit as well as tips & common outfit mistakes to watch out for. We wanted to go beyond supplying guidelines and provide inspiration & included ideas for personalizing your look to show people that business wear doesn’t have to be boring!
After our final project presentation, based on the quality of the project our group was asked to present to strategy executives and marketing teams. I truly believe this guide would positively impact the business and look forward to further development of the concept.