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