Draper James

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Draper James is a clothing line launched by actress Reese Witherspoon, founded in 2015.[1] A nod to Witherspoon’s Southern upbringing, the line aims to “emphasize (Witherspoon’s) southern roots and personal style.”[2] The name is in honor of Witherspoon’s grandparents, Dorothea Draper and William James Witherspoon.[1]

History[]

Draper James launched with products available in May 2015[3] under the supervision of former president of Burch Creative Capital, Andrea Hyde[4] and an initial $7 million in seed investment.[5] In October 2015, Draper James announced a $10 million round of investment funding from early-stage investment firm, Forerunner Ventures.[5]

In October 2015, Draper James launched its first brick and mortar store in Witherspoon’s hometown of Nashville, Tennessee.[6] The second store opened in Dallas, Texas in September 2016.[7] The Dallas location was moved to a popup in Southlake, Texas in September 2019.[8] In May 2017, the Lexington, Kentucky location opened at The Summit at Fritz Farm.[9] In December 2017, a opened in Atlanta Georgia at the Shops Around Lenox in Buckhead.

Draper James has been featured in PEOPLE,[10] Vanity Fair,[11] Oprah Magazine,[12] and Coveteur,[13] among others, and the signature "totes y'all" bag was seen in the Gilmore Girls Revival.[14]

In March 2017, Draper James was voted "Best Shop in Tennessee" by Southern Living.[15] That same month, Draper James launched a partnership with beauty-subscription service Birchbox.[16]

In April 2017, Draper James partnered with sandal brand Jack Rogers (Footwear Retailer) to launch three different styles of the classic Jack Rogers sandal.[17] Draper James and Net-a-Porter announced a partnership in May 2017.[18]

In September 2017, Taylor Rettig replaced Hyde as the company's CEO.[19]

Draper James hired Kathryn Sukey as the new head of design, whose first collection debuted[20] in Spring of 2019. Sukey also designed the first in-house plus size collection for the brand.[21]

Products[]

The line features a wide range of clothing, accessories and home decor designed to “embrace the beauty and style and excitement that embodies what is happening in the South today,”[22] with prices geared more toward high-end shoppers.

Products often feature slang common to the Southeast United States, such as a tote bag with the phrase “totes y’all” imprinted on the bag.[23]

Controversy[]

In March 2016, Florida-based jeweler Jordann Weingartner sued Draper James for copyright and trademark infringement, due to the similarity between its trademark and logo and Weingartner's design.

[24]

References[]

  1. ^ a b Duboff, Josh (6 May 2015). "Will Reese Witherspoon's Draper James Unite Blake Lively and Gwyneth Paltrow?". Vanity Fair. Vanity Fair. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
  2. ^ Malkin, Marc; Rosenbaum, Claudia (24 April 2014). "Reese Witherspoon's Lifestyle Company Gets a Name, Plans to Open a Retail Store". E! Style. E! Entertainment Television. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  3. ^ O'Connor, Claire. "Reese Witherspoon Scores $10 Million Investment For Lifestyle Brand Draper James". Forbes. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  4. ^ Medina, Marcy (13 March 2014). "Reese Witherspoon Hires C. Wonder President Andrea Hyde". Women's Wear Daily. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  5. ^ a b Dave, Paresh (5 October 2015). "Reese Witherspoon has a startup, and it just got a $10-million check". LA Times. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  6. ^ Mitchell, Heidi (7 October 2015). "Reese Witherspoon's Draper James To Open Brick And Mortar Locations". Fast Company. Fast Company. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  7. ^ "Reese Witherspoon Had the Most Instagrammable Day Ever Opening Her Dallas Store!". PEOPLE.com. 2016-10-12. Retrieved 2017-05-10.
  8. ^ www.bizjournals.com https://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/news/2019/09/13/draper-james-southlake.html. Retrieved 2019-09-30. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  9. ^ "Reese Witherspoon's retail store Draper James opens at The Summit". kentucky. Retrieved 2017-05-10.
  10. ^ "PHOTOS: See Inside Reese Witherspoon's Classic-Chic Dallas Draper James Store!". PEOPLE.com. 2016-10-10. Retrieved 2017-05-10.
  11. ^ "Step Inside the Charming, Star-Studded Dinner for Feed and Reese Witherspoon's Draper James". Vanities. 11 November 2016. Retrieved 2017-05-10.
  12. ^ "Reese Witherspoon Showed Us How to Throw a Classic Southern Party". Oprah.com. Retrieved 2017-05-10.
  13. ^ "Reese Witherspoon". Coveteur. Retrieved 2017-05-10.
  14. ^ Silverstein, Noah. "The 7 Most Fantastic Fashion Moments from the *Gilmore Girls* Reboot". Glamour. Retrieved 2017-05-10.
  15. ^ "Why Y'all Love Draper James So Much". Southern Living. Retrieved 2017-05-10.
  16. ^ "Reese Witherspoon Teams with Birchbox to Curate a Limited Draper James Inspired Beauty Box". PEOPLE.com. 2017-02-22. Retrieved 2017-05-10.
  17. ^ Allen, Rachael (2017-04-25). "Reese Witherspoon's Brand Draper James Is Collaborating With This Iconic Sandal Brand". Footwear News. Retrieved 2017-05-10.
  18. ^ "Reese Witherspoon and Net-a-Porter Launch Exclusive Draper James Capsule Collection (Start Shopping Y'all!)". PEOPLE.com. 2017-05-10. Retrieved 2017-05-10.
  19. ^ Medina, Marcy (2017-09-12). "Draper James CEO Andrea Hyde to Exit; Taylor Rettig Named Interim Chief". WWD. Retrieved 2019-09-30.
  20. ^ "Reese Witherspoon's Draper James announces new designer and expanded assortment". Magid. 2019-01-28. Retrieved 2019-09-30.
  21. ^ "Draper James Introduces a More Inclusive Shopping Experience with the Launch of Its New Extended-Size Offerings". www.businesswire.com. 2019-02-01. Retrieved 2019-09-30.
  22. ^ Murray, Rheana. "Check out Reese Witherspoon's new Southern-inspired fashion line". Today. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  23. ^ Schmidt, Ingrid (12 October 2015). "Reese Witherspoon's Draper James collection has Southern charm". LA Times. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  24. ^ Johnson, Richard (3 March 2016). "Reese Witherspoon accused of ripping off logo in $5M suit". Page Six. New York Post. Retrieved 3 March 2016.

External links[]

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