JCrew enters children's market

US retailer J Crew is expanding its horizons by introducing a children's wear collection this spring. The company first got its feet wet in this market in the 90s, but the venture did not last long. However, customer demand has led the company to recommit to the venture.

The Crewcuts summer collection will hit a handful of J Crew stores in the US on 31 March, which group chairman and chief executive Mickey Drexler refers to as "basically mini J Crew". Drexler has enough experience launching children's lines, having launched Gap Kids and BabyGap when he was the brand's chief executive.

"We are going after a J Crew style that our customers really love for themselves and want for their kids," he told WWD. "If you look at J Crew classics, they all work very well in small sizes."

The collection, which is geared towards children between ages 2 and 8, does not have its own designers, but a team of six merchandisers and technical staff who adapt the adult clothes to suit children. "This is very signature J. Crew. We are taking our famous J. Crew items and making them miniature," Margot Brunelle, J Crew's head of marketing told WWD.

Items include cashmere knits, jackets and blazers, party dresses which range from $52 (£30) to $148, tank tops for girls ($10.50 and $12.50) and cargo pants and shorts ($34.50 to $42).