Madewell Experiences Growth Despite Downward Trends

For Madewell, volume growth doesn’t imply a change in fashion strategy. In terms of image, “It actually means staying the course,” Somsack Sikhounmuong, the brand’s head designer, told WWD. “There’s great momentum at Madewell, but we are being consistent and sticking with our message.” Denim; leather accessories and boots; chambray shirts; layering; easy, casual classics, and tomboy-ish appeal are constants, though there’s always tweaking for greater variety. In a preview of the fall collection, Sikhounmuong cited a “huge push to reimagine jeans” and showed off the flared denim overalls and longer-length jeans that represent an evolution from Madewell’s “Perfect” summer jean and maintain the high rise and vintage character. Flared jeans are outselling skinny styles, noted Sikhounmuong. “We start with denim and then determine what do we want to layer in.” He also highlighted knit dresses in French marine stripes shown with a shearling coat and Lafayette bucket bag, as well as two-piece sweater dress and traditional blazers that have been elongated. To sustain the tomboy overtone, the collection features men’s checks and tweeds, boyfriend jeans, fedoras and traditional army boots with a zipper in back to slip them off easily. In late February, Madewell began distributing via Nordstrom’s Web site and the Net-a-porter

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