Mickey Drexler

Mickey Drexler was born to Jewish parents in the Bronx. His mother died when he was 16.{{Cite web|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/mickey-drexler-ceo-of-jcrew-profile-2013-4|title=Mickey Drexler Has A Crucial Quality That Most Executives Have Lost|last=Lutz|first=Ashley|website=Business Insider|access-date=2020-04-22}} He studied at the Bronx High School of Science,{{Cite web|url=https://nypost.com/2016/10/17/j-crew-hires-help-to-inject-life-into-the-troubled-brand/|title=Can struggling J.Crew be saved?|last=Kosman|first=Josh|date=2016-10-17|website=New York Post|language=en|access-date=2020-04-22}} City College of New York, and University at Buffalo. He later received an MBA from Boston University.{{cite web|title=Mickey Drexler|url=http://www.businessoffashion.com/community/people/mickey-drexler|website= businessoffashion.com|access-date=25 March 2016}} He used to live in San Francisco, California but moved to New York to continue working for Gap Inc.{{Cite web |last=Gordon |first=Meryl |date=2004-11-19 |title=Former Gap Visionary Mickey Drexler's Redemption at J.Crew - Nymag |url=https://nymag.com/nymetro/news/bizfinance/biz/features/10489/ |access-date=2024-02-09 |website=New York Magazine |language=en}}

In the mid-1970s, Drexler was a merchandising vice-president at Abraham & Straus in Brooklyn, New York. He has also worked at Ann Taylor, Bloomingdale's, and Macy's.{{Cite magazine| url =https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2010/09/20/the-merchant|title=The Merchant|author=Nick Paumgarten |magazine=The New Yorker |date = September 20, 2010}} He was on Apple Inc’s board of directors from 1999 until 2015.{{cite web|url=https://www.theverge.com/2015/1/22/7874805/apple-board-member-mickey-drexler-to-retire|title=The Apple board member who helped design its retail stores is retiring|publisher=Vox Media|work=The Verge|date=January 22, 2015 |access-date=24 January 2015}}

Drexler is often credited with Gap's meteoric rise during the 1990s. Prior to his involvement, Gap had been a relatively small chain selling private and public brands. Under Drexler the company made a dramatic shift to private label brand merchandise and expanded rapidly to become an iconic part of 1990s pop culture, such as "khakis, basics and casual Fridays".{{Cite web|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/mickey-drexler-turnaround-2011-6|title=Meet The Guy Who Saved Ann Taylor, Made Gap Cool And Put J. Crew In The White House|first=Aimee Groth, Judith|last=Aquino|website=Business Insider}} Television advertisements featuring songs such as "Mellow Yellow" and "Dress You Up in My Love" showcased the relaxed American casual look that defined the Gap brand.{{Cite web|url=http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/businesses/G-L/Gap-Inc.html|title=Gap, Inc. - Falling into the Gap, New Stores, New Leader|website=www.referenceforbusiness.com|access-date=2016-07-17}}{{Cite news|url=http://ladybrillemag.com/mickey-drexler-chairman-and-ceo-of-j-crew/|title=VIDEO: Mickey Drexler, Chairman and CEO of J.Crew, on Leading the Clothing Retail Giant - Ladybrille® Magazine|date=2016-03-04|work=Ladybrille® Magazine|access-date=2017-03-08|language=en-US|archive-date=June 12, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612140024/http://ladybrillemag.com/mickey-drexler-chairman-and-ceo-of-j-crew/|url-status=dead}} During his time at Gap Inc. he had worked alongside Steve Jobs, who was a board member of Gap Inc. at the time and a friend of Drexler.{{Cite web |last=Gordon |first=Meryl |date=2004-11-19 |title=Former Gap Visionary Mickey Drexler's Redemption at J.Crew - Nymag |url=https://nymag.com/nymetro/news/bizfinance/biz/features/10489/ |access-date=2024-02-09 |website=New York Magazine |language=en}}

On May 22, 2002, however due to a sales slump and ballooning debt, plus his management style which clashed with the Fisher family, Drexler was abruptly forced to announce his retirement by Gap founder Donald Fisher. Drexler stayed on as CEO until September 26, 2002, when Paul Pressler was named as his successor. Drexler was bitter about his ouster but it was validated when sales rebounded one month after his departure.{{cite web|url=https://nymag.com/nymetro/news/bizfinance/biz/features/10489/|title=Mickey Drexler's Redemption|work=New York|access-date=2002-11-22}}

The J.Crew Group, an American clothing and accessories retailer based in New York City, was founded in 1983 with the launch of its catalog and expanded into brick-and-mortar retailing in 1989 with its first store at the South Street Seaport in New York City. J.Crew hired Drexler as chairman and CEO in 2003 after his abrupt departure from Gap. Applying similar strategies from Gap, Drexler sought to reposition the J.Crew brand as a truly upscale boutique. What was once a low-priced, American, dressy-casual brand became more an upscale, dressy-vintage American brand with "frills included".

On June 5, 2017, it was announced that Drexler would step aside as chief executive. He had been unable to stop a several year slide as consumer tastes changed.[https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/05/business/jcrew-mickey-drexler.html Drexler out as chief executive] NYTimes, June 5, 2017 Drexler noted that "J.Crew raised prices and underwent expansion during years when consumers became more and more thrifty".{{Cite web|url=https://www.finance101.com/bankruptcy/|title=These companies are closing locations in 2020|date=February 11, 2020}} On January 18, 2019, Drexler announced his retirement as chairman, but will remain a strategic advisor to the Office of the CEO and the board.

As of 2021, Drexler is the CEO of Alex Mill, a clothing brand started by his son.Kapner, Suzanne, [https://www.wsj.com/articles/mickey-drexler-former-gap-and-j-crew-boss-is-running-a-fashion-brand-again-11625736601 Mickey Drexler, Former Gap and J.Crew Boss, Is Running a Fashion Brand Again], Wall Street Journal, July 8, 2021

Drexler has made a guest appearance in an episode of the AMC drama Breaking Bad called Confessions, in which he plays a car wash customer. Drexler said his scene took nine takes to film.{{cite web |url=http://www.wwd.com/fashion-news/fashion-scoops/drexler-goes-bad-7101624 |title=Mickey Drexler Makes Cameo on 'Breaking Bad' |last1=Moin |first1=David |date=August 28, 2013 |website=wwd.com|access-date=August 28, 2013}}

{{reflist}}

• [http://www.jcrew.com Official J.Crew Website]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20080517143426/http://www.thestreet.com/stocks/retail/10250818.html J.Crew Push Back IPO]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20080905135528/http://www.fool.com/news/commentary/2005/commentary05081906.htm The Motley Fool: A J.Crew Review]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20060902122917/http://madewell1937.com/ Official Madewell website]
• [http://jcrewaficionada.blogspot.com/2008/08/mickey-drexler-awesome.html J.Crew's Mickey Drexler Responds to the J.Crew Aficionada Blog]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20090301022408/http://jcrewaholics.com/behind-the-scenes/a-jcrewaholics-email-to-mickey-drexler/ An Email to Mickey Drexler from JCrewAholics]

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Category:1944 births

Category:Living people

Category:20th-century American businesspeople

Category:21st-century American businesspeople

Category:American chief executives of fashion industry companies

Category:American retail chief executives

Category:Boston University School of Management alumni

Category:Businesspeople from the Bronx

Category:Directors of Apple Inc.

Category:Gap Inc. people

Category:The Bronx High School of Science alumni

Category:University at Buffalo alumni