• Join Puck

    Directly Supporting Authors

    A new economic model in which writers are also partners in the business.

    Personalized Subscriptions

    Customize your settings to receive the newsletters you want from the authors you follow.

    Stay in the Know

    Connect directly with Puck talent through email and exclusive events.

  • What is puck? Newsletters Authors Podcasts Events Gift Puck Careers

Re-Checking the Vibes at Madewell

With a series of departures and more product inconsistency, the once-mighty J.Crew sister brand continues its search for a narrative that will stick. Might it be time for its parentco to explore other opportunities?

Libby Wadle
Post-Lazarus, J.Crew group C.E.O. Libby Wadle has been more involved with Madewell, according to sources, but is still managing the two brands separately. I Photo: Ben Rosser/BFA.com
Sarah Shapiro
January 13, 2026

Join Puck to listen to this article

During a recent visit to a Madewell in Corte Madera, California, I noted a backroom spilling over with marked-down jeans, among them the Curvy Vintage Flare, the Pencil, Flared Wide Leg, and Dean Easy Straight. As I surveyed the price-chopped scene, I was reminded of the chatter of Madewell employees, past and present, who lately have been lighting up the group chats, eager to discuss the dispiriting circumstances of the brand.