I heard about this book through someone on TikTok, and I knew I had to pick this up!
"Kingdom of Prep" chronicles the rise and almost falls of the fashion brand J.Crew. From the beginning, J.Crew and its creators did things a little differently from their fashion counterparts. They were THE preppy brand. But, everything was not always easy, and mistakes were made along the way that almost caused J.Crew to crumble. But through resilience, smart business, and quality fashion, J.Crew has been able to remain a staple for many loyal customers.
As someone who spent many years working at retail stores in the mall, I found this book to be fascinating. It is so interesting to see how a brand decides to market themselves and build an empire different from those around them. I think the business behind fast fashion is so timely and important to look at and understand. This book was also published in 2023, so it briefly touches on how the COVID 2020 pandemic greatly impacted and hurt specifically J.Crew's business.
One of the elements I found most interesting in this book is learning how J.Crew tried to grow and adapt with the times, but they always sought to stay true to what the J.Crew essence is. The "peer pressure" in fast fashion is so easy to succumb to and it would have been easy for J.Crew to just jump on the latest trend bandwagon, but they did not. They were a preppy brand from the beginning, and they wanted to stay a preppy brand through their greatest financial struggles. I really respect this.
This book is written exceptionally well, and it is very easy to fly through. It perfectly balances information with intrigue.
I highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in fashion or retail business in general.