1 INHABIT NY wool cardigan
2 JEROME DREYFUSS backpack
3 Vince perforated sneakers
4 SOLOW slub mini dress | made in the US, no longer available
5 CHANEL nail polish in “particuliere” | I dusted this off for the weekend…
6 GOLDSIGN Virtual high-rise jeans | made in the US
7 EVERLANE u-neck tee | made in the US
8 RAG & BONE aston booties
9 EVERLANE chunky knit cardigan | men’s version
10 JAMES PERSE leggings | made in the US
Saturday: Goldsign jeans, Everlane t-shirt, Inhabit cardigan, Rag & Bone boots, JD backpack
Sunday: JP leggings, SoLow dress, Everlane chunky cardigan, Vince sneakers, JD backpack
On Saturday, Leo and I went to the Dallas museum of art to see the special exhibit : Bouquets, and this time we actually went in! (as opposed to last weekend in Fort Worth). It was beautiful, so worth it…Then we went looking for a belt for Leo and stopped at a shopping area where Nordstrom Rack, Saks Off Fifth and the Blooomingdale’s Outlet are just steps away from each other.
I wanted to stop into each one to see their selections of James Perse (I tried on this top at JP last summer and fell in LOVE with it, then it disappeared, now it’s at Off Fifth), and do some reconnaissance. I’ve suspected recently that such “outlets” are selling some James Perse pieces that are similar, but not exactly the same items sold at Nordstrom, Saks, Shopbop, or James Perse. I’ve seen styles recently that are actually different, and appear to be exclusive to these outlets; I’d never seen them before, and I noticed they are always made in Vietnam, Guatemala, or Mexico.
While I was at the Bloomingdale’s outlet, I noticed a seemingly identical version of the button-front slub shirt I have, that I got at Shopbop, but when I felt it and looked at it, something was “off,” and it was not nearly as soft as mine. Then I looked at the tag, and it was made in Vietnam. But the tag looked genuine, and the price on it (BEFORE the markdown) was commiserate with the “regular” price of the “real” JP tee.
So, I’m left with a couple of revelations/questions.
Does James Perse do what other clothing brands/manufacturers do and produce different, but similar, items specifically for outlets? I know J Crew does this, and Banana Republic, and Gap, and probably other brands too, but I KNOW James Perse doesn’t do this for their company-owned outlets, so I thought they wouldn’t do it for others. But I am probably wrong.
Or, are these outlets purchasing from less than reputable sources? Are the items “fake” James Perse? I doubt it.
Does it matter? Yes, it does to me. If the items are less than “regular” JP quality (and NOT made in the US, for which we/I pay the premium price), but still produced by JP, then there should be a clear distinction, other than where the item is made. Maybe there is. Maybe the tags are different, but I haven’t noticed. I’ll have to look into that more.
*just looked, and the tags aren’t different.
I don’t know. Just thoughts for this Monday morning…
I think that is a question for both the retailer and the manufacturer. Great eye, btw.
So, I read an article somewhere that said that something like 75% of the items sold at SaksOffFifth, Last Call, and Nordstrom Rack are manufactured just for the outlet. I had hoped that they were only doing it under store label brands, but I have suspected that JP and other labels were doing it as well. For example, Last Call has a million different colors and versions of the JP button-front shirt that’s cotton with ribbed knit panels–and I don’t think I’ve seen a version of that in recent JP collections. And in fact I realized I have a shirt that I don’t think I’ve ever seen in the JP collection. I thought I was being careful about what I bought at those outlets and was buying actual merchandise from the main store, but am realizing that may not be the case.
How interesting. I had one particular JP sweatshirt that pilled like crazy. It looked a million years old in a very short amount of time, and I had to get rid of it. If it had been my first purchase, I definitely wouldn’t have thought well of the brand. I can’t quite recall if it was a JP website purchase or an outlet purchase, and wish I could go back an figure it out. I prone to reading labels of all sorts, and now you’ve got me turned on to clothing!
Thank you Grechen for your investigative reporting. Please get to the bottom of this and do a follow up. Seriously, this makes me think twice about JP. I always think (thought) of them as an *ethical* company. Now? Maybe less so. Boo.
I have noticed something similar when looking at Free People items sold elsewhere (particularly Nordstrom, Macy’s and Shopbop). The items look to be the same but the fabric and details or stitching are slightly different and they may be made in different places.
I also recently ordered a Calvin Klein wool blend coat from Macy’s then ordered the same coat in a smaller size (also from Macy’s). The smaller coat’s fabric felt thinner and lighter and the lining was ever so slightly different in color (same color but maybe a different dye lot?). I was actually torn on keeping it because the feel of the first one I received was better! But the tags/materials were identical. But Calvin Klein is such a huge brand it could be fabric manufactured for that specific coat but in a different factory.
Just my impression, but I suspect that most big name brands do different levels of manufacturing for different places not necessarily to skimp of quality but most likely to maximize their profits based on order quantities for different markets and which factories they choose for which orders. I think the bigger and more diversified the brand, the more this happens but I suspect it happens in many many brands we might not think about (like JP and FP). Some companies may do this to be profitable even while they promote more niche/quality lines that have a less profitable margin…? I’m not an expert and this is getting long! But I have noticed and thought about these things lately!
And have you read Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion by Elizabeth Cline? It gave me a better understanding of the scale of clothing manufacturing today and it was just generally very interesting!
FYI, this is one of the articles that I referenced:
http://racked.com/archives/2014/10/08/outlet-mall-stores.php
Wow and not in a good way. I just quickly looked through my identical JP buttondown slubs and four of them are made in India, a few in Guatemala. The fleece sweatshirt tops are mostly from Mexico. I have yet to find a Vietnamese top but with the mass of JP I have there must be at least one. When I have time I’m going to look at all my labels and take a proper count.
I buy most of my JP at Nord Rack, TjMaxx or Marshalls. I’m lucky to have a really nice Runway dept at Tj and the Marshalls in my neighborhood is MUCH better than others I’ve been to. I have bought directly from JP but don’t have duplicates to compare. This kind of shocking actually.
thanks jen, i’d read a different article – the one you linked is much more comprehensive…and incredibly enlightening…
i’m a freak when it comes to label-reading!! more on food items, but now on clothes. the first thing i look for is where it’s made, then fabric content, then i try to find care instructions.
but yeah, i really didn’t realize how much “branded” stuff for outlets was produced exclusively for outlets. that article jen linked to was very enlightening. i knew j crew/gap/BR did that, but i wasn’t aware it was so pervasive among other “higher end” brands. consider me schooled.
i wouldn’t say they’re not “ethical” given these revelations – just doing what other companies do – including Vince, DvF, and other contemporary brands, according to that racked article jen linked to. i guess i hoped JP wouldn’t do that, but they do have a responsibility to make a profit, as any company does, so anything that will help them do that, i expect they do. they do still make an effort to produce their main line in the US as much as possible, which i will always appreciate, but still…i am a little disappointed.
now, i’ll just make more of an effort to pay attention to the particular item when i’m shopping “outlets” – and seek out things that are part of the main line, and made in the US.
i actually only have one thing i got at an outlet that’s made in Guatemala, and it’s of comparable quality to my other JP items, so i’m not entirely convinced that the quality is “bad” – just that I’d rather pay JP money for things i know are made in the US – that’s what i pay the premium for…or at least main line pieces…
yes, i was sort of shocked when i saw the duplicate – up until then, i’ve only seen items that are similar, but not quite the same as styles i’d seen at JP or shopbop/nordstrom/saks/etc. course, mixed in with some “real” JP items that i’d seen or tried on in the store.
Agreed. I suspect they do what the other ones do, and manufacture more cheaply for the outlets. Disappointing, if true.
yes. vince does that too..which may be why i’d never seen that turtleneck sweater i got at nordstrom rack anywhere. vince doesn’t bother me so much though i guess. because i don’t put them up that high on a pedestal …
I looked at my jp stock, and it’s the same the 2 pieces that I always thought were better quality were made in USA. The others, which I just thought maybe I was harder on wee made in Guatemala and Mexico, thanks for opening my eyes. I bought them all at tj maxx. I will definitely change my buying habits and stick to the real stuff!!
Just want to say thanks for this post! It’s 2019 but I came upon it and it is very helpful! James Perse still seems to be engaged in the same practice (e.g. manufacturing for TJ Maxx, etc. in Guatemala; cotton-modal blend as opposed to all cotton).