LLG Retail: Behind the Scenes in Italy with J Crew

BA, one of my best friends from New York is a fabric director at a fashion house; in fact more than a few of the girls I hung out with in Manhattan worked on the other side of the fashion business. It’s been a fascinating journey for me, learning by osmosis from them about the entire production side, and it’s certainly made me a better fashion writer.

Darling BA doesn’t work for J Crew, but she sent me this YouTube clip this morning, with a message saying that this was, essentially, what she got up to in Italy for her company. Featuring the addictively watchable Jenna Lyons and her crack team, it’s part of a YouTube series showing how J Crew source the very best suppliers in their fields: shoes, fabrics, threads, handbags and more. This one embedded here goes behind the scenes as they visit two venerable Italian fabric houses. It’s utterly wonderful — and gives an even greater appreciation of the design process, as well as admiration for J Crew’s insistence on sourcing the very best.