Are Collabs Ivy?
Wow. It’s been an interesting week for Ivy, to say the least—and it’s only Tuesday. If you’re unfamiliar with the Ivy style crowd, let me catch you up. J. Press is one of the larger names in this very traditional genre of clothing, and they announced this week that they’re launching a collaboration with the not-so-traditional Todd Snyder. To the average person, this doesn’t seem like huge news, but to those passionate about the style, it’s been the talk of the metaphorical town.
The reason why this is so big is because to many, it appears to be the beginning of the end for one of the few enduring brands that really has a history and stronghold with the style. The flashiness of Todd Snyder isn’t something traditional and it definitely isn’t something that falls within the strict guidelines of Ivy style. Many see it as a gaudy attempt at attracting a younger consumer base, a lackluster follow-up to L. L. Bean’s successful collaboration with TS earlier this year, or both.
Responding to that first bit of criticism, I’d simply say that brands are allowed to step out of their comfort zone every now and then. If they didn’t, the world would be such a boringly-dressed place. I’d feel like I was back in high school surrounded by people all wearing the same uniforms. There is something to be said about what makes a collaboration good and how that really boils down to merging the authentic pieces of the collaborators. Did J. Press succeed in doing that? We’ll see. It’s pretty bold to make any assumptions after only seeing three photos of the collab. Regardless, there has been an ongoing discussion about how to reel younger people into the style for a looooooong time now. And what, the second a brand takes a stab at that, suddenly everyone throws a fit? Do you want young people or not? Because they certainly don’t have the energy or desire to step into a community that criticizes any kind of sartorial nuances. Whether this specific collab was the right path to take is irrelevant in my opinion. The most important thing to me is that a heavy hitter in this genre is trying. That’s far better than sitting around waiting to die out.
The second criticism really bugs me. If you’re going to sit behind a screen, type out that this is nothing more than a copy of L. L. Bean, and you don’t work in the clothing industry, then I’m sorry but I’m tuning you out. Things like this take months, if not over a year of planning. You can’t just throw something together and release it two months after witnessing another brand having some success. Especially not after Covid turned supply chains completely on their heads. People in the industry do talk between one another, so I’ll give a little there. Also, if you really look at the TS x L. L. Bean collab, you’ll notice that Todd really benefitted the most. His collaborations are mainly to open his brand up to a wider audience, not the other way around. For that exact reason, it’s a bit baffling to me that anyone would just assume J. Press is the one that pushed for this.
My ADHD and I are rounding back to that point I made earlier that the idea of attracting a younger crowd has been discussed for a while now. I saw someone suggest J. Press should put out a father-son, head-to-toe-J. Press campaign because surely that will get the idea through to younger people that they should think Ivy is cool. Yes, dad jeans have been a fad, but I don’t know of anyone my age who wants to match their parents. I bought a striped shirt from J. Crew once and then came downstairs the next day to find my dad wearing the same one. I never ended up wearing it after that (no offense dad). Ivy is a difficult style to market to younger people, and that is primarily because of the culture and community surrounding it. I’ve been thrilled to have had great experiences with those in the community, but that’s not something everyone can say. There is a deep-rooted high-culture identity surrounding the style that can be incredibly off-putting, and few have been able to break it.
When I first posted to the Ivy Style Facebook group, I did so bracing myself for homophobic, sexist, generally negative feedback, and was shocked when I didn’t receive any. And while I’m elated by that response, that initial uneasy feeling is something I’ve made an effort never to forget. Because that’s how so many younger people feel about the style and those who follow it. The gatekeeping and harshness and militant-like strictness of Ivy is what shuts people out. And you can’t really claim to be open to younger groups until those qualities are broken down. The whole thing won’t just fall apart if you let go a little. The guidelines will still be there, there will just be more room to breathe. And after all, most people simply wear things because they enjoy them. Let them.