• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Ex-PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi worked from midnight until 5 a.m. as a receptionist to pay for her Yale degree—and she says ‘respect went up’ because of it

2

Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary says if he were 25 today, he'd chase these two booming opportunities in the world of AI

3

China’s birth rate just hit its lowest point since 1949—and Trip.com cofounder James Liang thinks that’s a threat to innovation

1

Ex-PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi worked from midnight until 5 a.m. as a receptionist to pay for her Yale degree—and she says ‘respect went up’ because of it

2

Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary says if he were 25 today, he'd chase these two booming opportunities in the world of AI

3

China’s birth rate just hit its lowest point since 1949—and Trip.com cofounder James Liang thinks that’s a threat to innovation
Retail

J.Crew finally found a new CEO: Jan Singer, formerly of Victoria’s Secret

Phil Wahba
By
Phil Wahba
Phil Wahba
Senior Writer
Down Arrow Button Icon
Phil Wahba
By
Phil Wahba
Phil Wahba
Senior Writer
Down Arrow Button Icon
January 28, 2020, 5:54 PM ET
CENTRAL VALLEY, NY - NOVEMBER 17:  A J. Crew sign hangs in front of their store at the Woodbury Common Premium Outlets shopping mall on November 17, 2019 in Central Valley, New York. (Photo by Gary Hershorn/Getty Images)
CENTRAL VALLEY, NY - NOVEMBER 17: A J. Crew sign hangs in front of their store at the Woodbury Common Premium Outlets shopping mall on November 17, 2019 in Central Valley, New York. (Photo by Gary Hershorn/Getty Images)Gary Hershorn—Getty Images
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

J.Crew Group’s long search for a chief executive willing and able to fix the struggling fashion company is finally at an end.

The company, which owns the J.Crew and Madewell brands, said on Tuesday that it has hired former Victoria’s Secret lingerie chief executive Jan Singer to be its new CEO and take on the herculean task of bringing the J.Crew brand back to health after years of sales declines and the ongoing disinterest of previously loyal shoppers. Her appointment ends the apparel company’s 15-month search for a new chief.

J.Crew’s 15-month search for a new CEO came to a close when the company hired Jan Singer.
(Photo by Jim Spellman/WireImage)

Singer was most recently with L Brands as the CEO of Victoria’s Secret’s $4 billion lingerie business (the broader division also includes PINK). She left the company in 2018 after a short stint. Beginning Feb. 2, Singer will oversee the J.Crew and J.Crew Factory brands, the company announced in a press release.

The J.Crew brand, which is by far the company’s biggest division, took in $1.74 billion in sales in its four most recent quarters, and operates 190 stores. But it has been slumping for years, hurt by fashion missteps, undependable quality, and shifting shopping habits. In the first nine months of the current fiscal year, sales fell 4.8%. At Madewell, in contrast, they rose 14.3%.

It wasn’t all that long ago that J.Crew was a fashion powerhouse. Though the brand had humble beginnings as the catalog of choice for the preppy set, it grew under the guidance of former CEO Mickey Drexler into a multi-billion dollar apparel brand in the 2000’s favored by the likes of former First Lady Michelle Obama.

But by 2015, cracks were starting to show in J.Crew’s business, and sales started their long decline. The brand had gone too far upscale, particularly for women’s wear which generates about 80% of sales, and too fashion forward for customers who had long turned to it for stylish basics. What’s more, J.Crew sat on its hands while big new trends like athleisure, casual athletic clothing popularized by Lululemon Athletica and Gap Inc.’s Athleta, emerged.

Even as Drexler complained about the aggressively promotional environment in retail, J.Crew kept building up its outlet business and focused on discounting. Drexler was reportedly one of the executives most opposed to plans by his successor, Jim Brett, to sell J.Crew on Amazon.com, believing that doing so would cheapen the brand. Drexler stepped down as CEO in 2017 and left the board a year ago. Brett left J.Crew in 2018 after only 16 months. 

Singer, 55, will have her hands full trying to repair J.Crew’s image with shoppers who, thanks to the rise of many new brands, have far more options than just a few years ago.

But the executive has a track record of being in tune with today’s shoppers: at Victoria’s Secret, Singer wanted the brand to focus more on comfort and fit and less on sexiness but left after only two years. Victoria’s Secret’s sales had been declining already but since Singer’s departure have worsened: during the recent holiday season, comparable sales (which exclude recently opened or closed stores) fell 12%. Before Victoria’s Secret, Singer was first a senior executive at Nike and then led Spanx.

Singer won’t be in charge of Madewell, a brand favored by younger shoppers. That unit, which has submitted plans to be spun off as a separate, publicly traded company, will continue to be led by Libby Wadle.

More must-read stories from Fortune:

—Retailers reuse and recycle the way to increased growth
—Why Gap Inc. torpedoed its Old Navy spinoff
—How Ganni used tech-world tricks to grow from cult fashion label to global brand
—Consumers are turning away from real fur, but faux fur isn’t a perfect fix
—The World’s Most Admired Companies in 2020

Follow Fortune on Flipboard to stay up-to-date on the latest news and analysis.

About the Author
Phil Wahba
By Phil WahbaSenior Writer
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon

Phil Wahba is a senior writer at Fortune primarily focused on leadership coverage, with a prior focus on retail.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Retail

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Retail

Chinese tea chain’s $1.5 million trademark infringement loss to Louis Vuitton sparks fight over who owns a flower pattern
AsiaChina
Chinese tea chain’s $1.5 million trademark infringement loss to Louis Vuitton sparks fight over who owns a flower pattern
By The Associated Press and Chan Ho-HimJuly 7, 2026
7 hours ago
Swimmer bitten in suspected shark attack at Jones Beach, prompting brief closure as the U.S. battles record-breaking heat
North AmericaNew York
Swimmer bitten in suspected shark attack at Jones Beach, prompting brief closure as the U.S. battles record-breaking heat
By The Associated PressJuly 7, 2026
7 hours ago
‘Sometimes you get along with the toughest people’: Trump moves to lift Turkey sanctions, clearing the country’s path back to F-35s
PoliticsNATO
‘Sometimes you get along with the toughest people’: Trump moves to lift Turkey sanctions, clearing the country’s path back to F-35s
By The Associated Press, Lorne Cook, Suzan Fraser, Abby Sewell and Seung Min KimJuly 7, 2026
8 hours ago
Landline phone orders spiked 277% this summer. Blame your smartphone bill
Retailsmartphones and mobile devices
Landline phone orders spiked 277% this summer. Blame your smartphone bill
By Vidhi Choudhary and Retail BrewJuly 7, 2026
8 hours ago
Trump said Walmart cut prices at his request, but the company didn’t credit the president in its decision as Trump fights off inflation backlash
RetailDonald Trump
Trump said Walmart cut prices at his request, but the company didn’t credit the president in its decision as Trump fights off inflation backlash
By The Associated Press and Josh BoakJuly 7, 2026
9 hours ago
heat
Commentaryclimate change
McKinsey Global Institute: Climate planning has prioritized floods. Heat demands equal attention
By Sylvain Johansson, Mekala Krishnan, Kanmani Chockalingam and Annabel FarrJuly 7, 2026
12 hours ago

Most Popular

Ex-PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi worked from midnight until 5 a.m. as a receptionist to pay for her Yale degree—and she says ‘respect went up’ because of it
Success
Ex-PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi worked from midnight until 5 a.m. as a receptionist to pay for her Yale degree—and she says ‘respect went up’ because of it
By Preston ForeJuly 6, 2026
1 day ago
Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary says if he were 25 today, he'd chase these two booming opportunities in the world of AI
AI
Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary says if he were 25 today, he'd chase these two booming opportunities in the world of AI
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezJuly 5, 2026
2 days ago
China’s birth rate just hit its lowest point since 1949—and Trip.com cofounder James Liang thinks that’s a threat to innovation
Asia
China’s birth rate just hit its lowest point since 1949—and Trip.com cofounder James Liang thinks that’s a threat to innovation
By Nicholas GordonJuly 7, 2026
15 hours ago
Current price of oil as of July 6, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of July 6, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJuly 6, 2026
1 day ago
The man who ran Bernie's campaign says Democrats are still making the same mistakes with Democratic Socialists, and they should laud Mamdani's win
Politics
The man who ran Bernie's campaign says Democrats are still making the same mistakes with Democratic Socialists, and they should laud Mamdani's win
By Catherina GioinoJuly 6, 2026
1 day ago
Even as Elon Musk calls philanthropy ‘very hard,’ everyday Americans gave a record $617 billion—despite feeling the squeeze over the cost of living
Success
Even as Elon Musk calls philanthropy ‘very hard,’ everyday Americans gave a record $617 billion—despite feeling the squeeze over the cost of living
By Preston ForeJuly 4, 2026
4 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.