By Cassell Ferere,Contributor
Copyright forbes
Jack Carlson [center], the new head creative director of heritage brand J. Press, aims to bridge its Ivy League past with a dynamic future by amplifying its inherent rebelliousness and authentic American craftsmanship.
The prestige of heritage in fashion runs deep and is sewn into the name by a few brands. While fashion continues to evolve, few carry the weight and history of J. Press. Founded in 1902 by Latvian immigrant Jacobi Press in the halls of Yale University, the brand is often credited with establishing the quintessential “Ivy Style.” For over a century, it has dressed American icons, from presidents such as John F. Kennedy and Franklin D. Roosevelt, to cultural figures like Miles Davis, all while maintaining unparalleled quality and authenticity each season.
As the new head creative director, Jack Carlson is revitalizing the heritage brand J. Press by emphasizing its authentic, rebellious roots and championing its legacy of American craftsmanship for a modern audience.
Now, at the bow of this heritage-rich house is a new creative director, Jack Carlson, founder of Rowing Blazers, built on his background in the sport of rowing, an Ivy League pastime. Carlson represents a new chapter for J. Press, one that aims to bridge its storied past with a dynamic, colorful future. The brand has recently debuted its first collection under Carlson for its Fall/Winter 2025 collection at The Explorer Club in Manhattan, during New York Fashion Week [NYFW].
The debut drew a notable guest list, including J. Press CEO Jun Murakami, actor BJ Novak, NBA athlete Serge Ibaka, sports reporter Pablo Torre, author Caroline Calloway, and Jason Jules, author of Black Ivy. The runway was also studded with models Julez Smith, Ida Zeile, fashion pundit Mortechai Rubenstein, and creative director Jackson Lewis Lee, each adding their own identity to the cultural reach of J. Press’s new era.
Jason Jules [left], Mortechai Rubenstein [right]; Jack Carlson’s inaugural New York Fashion Week presentation for J. Press, held at the storied Explorer’s Club, was a vivid declaration of his intent, translating the brand’s archival Ivy League codes into a dynamic and colorful narrative through a collection rich with unexpected hues and editorial styling, all witnessed by a diverse audience that underscored the brand’s renewed cultural relevance.
He sees an inherent rebelliousness in J. Press and its history that he wants to amplify, without playing it safe. Carlson explains, “It’s always been a little more fun, a little more rebellious, a little more colorful than some of its counterparts. We can be a little more editorial. We can have a little more fun. We cannot be afraid to be very colorful with it because that’s kind of been part of J. Press from the beginning.”
Carlson’s arrival comes as a pivotal moment in his fashion career after major collaborations in 2023 for Rowing Blazers that included collaborations with Gucci and Target. He and his co-founder sold the brand in January 2024. “Right after 2023 was a very big year for us; we had the Gucci vault collection in the summer, and then we had the Target collab in the fall. Basically, right after that, we sold it to Chris Birch, who is the co-founder of Tory Burch,” Carlson states.
Jack Carlson’s inaugural New York Fashion Week presentation for J. Press, held at the storied Explorer’s Club, was a vivid declaration of his intent, translating the brand’s archival Ivy League codes into a dynamic and colorful narrative through a collection rich with unexpected hues and editorial styling, all witnessed by a diverse audience that underscored the brand’s renewed cultural relevance.
After a brief period spent skiing in the Alps, Carlson found himself drawn to a novel journey involving J. Press. His connection to the brand was personal and long-standing. He describes it, “I had known about J. Press for a long time. I grew up partially in London and partially in Boston. J. Press had a store in Harvard Square when I was growing up that I used to go to. I bought many of my first blazers and shirts and suits and stuff from J. Press when I was a kid.”
BJ Novak, actor [left], Serge Ibaka, NBA athlete [right]; Held at The Explorer’s Club, Jack Carlson’s debut J. Press show at NYFW used a dynamic, color-rich collection to powerfully announce his vision of transforming the brand’s Ivy League archives for a modern audience, a statement amplified by the diverse crowd that signaled its renewed relevance.
For Carlson, the allure of J. Press lies in its cemented place in fashion history. “The brand has so much history; it goes back to 1902. J. Press invented Ivy style,” Carlson explains. “Whereas Brooks Brothers has always been more New York and business-oriented, J. Press started in New Haven, started at Yale, and it was much more collegiate, younger, and Ivy League, basically. We are like the grandfathers of all of this – J. Press is the ‘OG!’”
Jack Carlson’s first NYFW presentation for J. Press, staged at The Explorer’s Club, made a powerful statement: by reworking archival Ivy League motifs with unexpected color and editorial verve, he successfully positioned the heritage brand for a vibrant and culturally relevant future.
His immediate focus has been to display what he believes is the brand’s greatest asset in its authenticity and local manufacturing. Carlson has embarked on a pilgrimage to the brand’s artisan factories, discovering the elusive world of American craftsmanship. “J. Press has always had amazing products, and really high quality,” Carlson notes. “They have all this cool stuff that they’re making in all these old-school places, but they were not really telling the story of that.”
Carlson brought to J. Press the idea of invigorating the history of the brand, discovering a 96-year-old Holocaust survivor who has been making J. Press ties for over fifty years in a New York City factory. He recalls, “I was like, we need to be documenting this and telling the story. J. Press is the last brand standing, made in all these factories. It’s a world that almost doesn’t exist anymore.”
Julez Smith; J Press, Spring 2026, New York City, September 11 2025.
Thomas Concordia
Carlson’s vision is a refined and enthusiastic embrace of the brand’s true spirit. For him, it’s about doubling down on the authentic core while editing out anything that dilutes its identity and resists modernity. “I really wanna keep the cool, authentic [stuff]. You want to keep the really core things about the brand. J. Press should stand on being the bastion for that stuff and really doing it the right way and not compromising.”
This new energy was on full display at the brand’s NYFW runway show, a historic first for J. Press. It’s the culmination of a frantic few months for Carlson, creating a novel aesthetic, designing both the Fall/Winter and Spring collections simultaneously. “I wanted to have a big hand in the fall-winter collection. When you go on the website, I want it to reflect my vision and my aesthetic a little bit.”
Jackson Lewis Lee; J Press, Spring 2026, New York City, September 11 2025
Thomas Concordia
Jack Carlson’s mission is to protect the sacred legacy of American manufacturing and Ivy League style that J. Press embodies. Injecting a fresh dose of creativity and storytelling, Carlson isn’t changing J. Press; rather, he is reminding the world why they matter and why American craftsmanship is important.
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