NYFW Exclusive Interview: How A Preppy Brand Made…
Source: J. Press NYFW // Tom Concordia/KesslerStudio @thomasconcordia / Tom Concordia/KesslerStudio @thomasconcordia
Preppy model has carried a sure air for generations. One solely formed by Ivy League campuses, old-school traditions, stuffy blazers, pleated skirts and a imaginative and prescient of standing that traditionally centered on a sure group of people.
J. Press president and artistic director Jack Carlson admits that historical past himself.
“I think there was a time, maybe when I was a kid, when it had a little more of an air of elitism or something,” Carlson told HelloBeautiful. “I think we’ve hopefully moved past that.”
His Fall/Winter 2026 runway at New York Fashion Week (NYFW) confirmed what transferring past it could appear like.
J. Press gave us the standard and tailoring longtime clients anticipate. The label also introduced development and character to the runway, while reflecting the people who put on the garments.
“I think Ivy style is for everybody,” he told us. “It looks great on everyone.”
J. Press’ NYFW Runway Reinforced ‘Ivy Style For Everyone’
Sitting entrance row, it was exhausting not to discover who went down the runway.
We noticed fashions with attractive locs and natural kinky curls. Others wore modern hair, braids, seashore hair and shiny tendrils. Silver foxes walked alongside younger males. Women and males both werked the runway in their own proper. And for a second, we even thought we noticed Bad Bunny.
The fashions represented different generations, ethnicities, walks of life and approaches to model, while all wanting good in J. Press. The casting strengthened Carlson’s level: Ivy model on everybody.
“For me, I believe it’s for everyone, and I want that to be reflected on a runway,” Carlson said.
The collegiate fashion home has always performed across generations. Carlson said the model has long skewed toward an older buyer, while its origin story begins with college students at Yale.
“J. Press has skewed for a long time to a slightly older customer, and I want to honor that and be embracing of that,” he said.
Source: Tom Concordia/KesslerStudio @thomasconcordia / Tom Concordia/KesslerStudio @thomasconcordia
Carlson added, “J. Press started as a brand for students, for Yale students. So I really want that to be reflected on the runway also.”
That intergenerational actuality is an element of what makes J. Press fascinating.
The model could have began with younger Ivy League males, but its runway now displays a a lot wider buyer base. Older and youthful fashions, males and ladies, different ethnicities and different approaches to model all match naturally into the J. Press world.
J. Press Is Keeping The Classics In Rotation While Adding Newer Styles
And J. Press’ world is all about the garments.
The Fall/Winter 2026 assortment traced Ivy model back to its British roots. Shetland Shaggy Dog sweaters, Irish Aran knits, Harris Tweeds, Scottish cashmere and English flannels crammed the gathering.
On the runway, we noticed tweed and deep blue blazers, striped rugby knits, loafers and layered outerwear. Wide-leg charcoal grey pants introduced quantity and motion, reflecting the fuller silhouettes taking over fashion proper now.
Source: Tom Concordia/KesslerStudio @thomasconcordia / Tom Concordia/KesslerStudio @thomasconcordia
Color gave the classics some character, too. Orange popped up on outerwear. Green, burgundy, pink and navy appeared across sweaters, scarves and layered separates.
J. Press also launched items made with longtime companions and conventional English makers, including Barbour, Gloverall and Lavenham. The assortment also went global, that includes a Made-in-Japan capsule.
Carlson’s own connection to British model helped form the gathering.
“I grew up partially in the UK, so I’ve always liked British style,” he said. “Even though J. Press is quintessentially American, invented Ivy style, there’s so much in its origins that is British.”
Those influences show up in the materials, construction and items constructed to keep in your closet. The classics are still there, but so are new proportions, coloration and styling that really feel proper now.
And Now Women Are Officially Part Of The J. Press Conversation
The show also introduced a major update: womenswear.
J. Press launched its first ladies’s capsule in the American market since the Sixties. Carlson began with some of the items the model already does best.
And ladies usually are not solely new to J. Press historical past. The model once made Oxford fabric shirts for one of the unique it women, Marilyn Monroe.
“Launching women’s was very exciting,” Carlson told us. “We started small. It’s a small women’s capsule.”
“I wanted to start with the things that we’re really good at. The Oxford shirt, the Shaggy Dog sweater, the blazer.”
For ladies who already love prep, menswear-inspired dressing and traditional items with styling potential, the capsule opens up a new half of the J. Press closet.
“We have a lot of things coming up for 2027 that are really exciting, but they’re true to the J. Press DNA,” Carlson said.
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