J.Crew Group & Pensole Lewis College Partner on Design-Focused Masterclass

Pensole Lewis College of Business and Design (PLC) and J.Crew Group announced the launch of PLC x J.Crew, a new design-focused masterclass developed to better diversify J.Crew’s future apparel design talent.

“We are proud to partner with J.Crew to create an opportunity for designers of color to embrace their brand by showcasing their talents,” PLC President and Founder Dr. D’Wayne Edwards said.

“The potential influence J.Crew will have on our students and the inspiration to thousands of aspiring designers out there because of this program we are doing together will change lives. Thank you, J.Crew, for being a leader in our industry and selecting for PLC as your partner to better diversify it.”

PLC x J.Crew’s curriculum will provide career-focused education where Black and Brown aspiring designers will be integrated into the PLC and J.Crew culture by being assigned a real project that will be sold at retail. The students will learn from J.Crew guest speakers and receive mentoring from J.Crew employees.

The class will run from Aug. 8 through Sept. 30, 2022. Registration is open to Black and Brown students at HBCUs, HSIs, IDSA, AICAD schools and community colleges for talented individuals one to three years after graduation or equivalent skill level.

In the masterclass, students will work from briefs co-created by Pensole Lewis College and J.Crew. In a format created to be more of an apprenticeship than a traditional class, aspiring designers will receive weekly instruction, but work more like a design studio. This program will enable them to experience what it is like working at a brand while developing their time management, professionalism and leadership skills.

Six apparel design and color or materials design students will be selected to attend PLC x J.Crew program. At the end of the program, all students will receive a J.Crew Certificate of Completion by PLC, and their capsule collection under the label PLC x J.Crew will be sold on jcrew.com.

“At J.Crew we’re committed to building a more inclusive design community, not only for our brand, but for the industry. Part of that commitment starts with nurturing the next generation of talent and using our platform to let that talent shine,” said Libby Wadle, chief executive officer of J.Crew.

“Pensole has been at the forefront of creating change in the fashion industry, and we’re proud to partner with them for their newest masterclass. We feel strongly that the program will be a learning opportunity for both their students and our J.Crew designers, and we are so excited to see what they create.”