Draper James

Draper James is a clothing line launched by actress Reese Witherspoon, founded in 2015.[1] A nod to Witherspoon’s Southern upbringing, the line aims to “emphasize (Witherspoon’s) southern roots and personal style.”[2] The name is in honor of Witherspoon’s grandparents, Dorothea Draper and William James Witherspoon.[1]

History

Draper James launched with products available in May 2015[3] under the supervision of former president of Burch Creative Capital, Andrea Hyde[4] and an initial $7 million in seed investment.[5] In October 2015, Draper James announced a $10 million round of investment funding from early-stage investment firm, Forerunner Ventures.[5]

In October 2015, Draper James launched its first brick and mortar store in Witherspoon’s hometown of Nashville, Tennessee.[6] The second store opened in Dallas, Texas in September 2016.[7] The Dallas location was moved to a popup in Southlake, Texas in September 2019.[8] In May 2017, the Lexington, Kentucky location opened at The Summit at Fritz Farm.[9] In December 2017, a opened in Atlanta Georgia at the Shops Around Lenox in Buckhead.

Draper James has been featured in PEOPLE,[10] Vanity Fair,[11] Oprah Magazine,[12] and Coveteur,[13] among others, and the signature "totes y'all" bag was seen in the Gilmore Girls Revival.[14]

In March 2017, Draper James was voted "Best Shop in Tennessee" by Southern Living.[15] That same month, Draper James launched a partnership with beauty-subscription service Birchbox.[16]

In April 2017, Draper James partnered with sandal brand Jack Rogers (Footwear Retailer) to launch three different styles of the classic Jack Rogers sandal.[17] Draper James and Net-a-Porter announced a partnership in May 2017.[18]

In September 2017, Taylor Rettig replaced Hyde as the company's CEO.[19]

Draper James hired Kathryn Sukey as the new head of design, whose first collection debuted[20] in Spring of 2019. Sukey also designed the first in-house plus size collection for the brand.[21]

Products

The line features a wide range of clothing, accessories and home decor designed to “embrace the beauty and style and excitement that embodies what is happening in the South today,”[22] with prices geared more toward high-end shoppers.

Products often feature slang common to the Southeast United States, such as a tote bag with the phrase “totes y’all” imprinted on the bag.[23]

Controversy

In March 2016, Florida-based jeweler Jordann Weingartner sued Draper James for copyright and trademark infringement, due to the similarity between its trademark and logo and Weingartner's design.

[24]

References
  1. Duboff, Josh. "Will Reese Witherspoon's Draper James Unite Blake Lively and Gwyneth Paltrow?". Vanity Fair. Vanity Fair. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
  2. Malkin, Marc; Rosenbaum, Claudia. "Reese Witherspoon's Lifestyle Company Gets a Name, Plans to Open a Retail Store". E! Style. E! Entertainment Television. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  3. O'Connor, Claire. "Reese Witherspoon Scores $10 Million Investment For Lifestyle Brand Draper James". Forbes.com. Forbes. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  4. Medina, Marcy. "Reese Witherspoon Hires C. Wonder President Andrea Hyde". Women's Wear Daily. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  5. Dave, Paresh. "Reese Witherspoon has a startup, and it just got a $10-million check". LA Times. LA Times. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  6. Mitchell, Heidi. "Reese Witherspoon's Draper James To Open Brick And Mortar Locations". Fast Company. Fast Company. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  7. "Reese Witherspoon Had the Most Instagrammable Day Ever Opening Her Dallas Store!". PEOPLE.com. 2016-10-12. Retrieved 2017-05-10.
  8. www.bizjournals.com https://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/news/2019/09/13/draper-james-southlake.html. Retrieved 2019-09-30. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  9. "Reese Witherspoon's retail store Draper James opens at The Summit". kentucky. Retrieved 2017-05-10.
  10. "PHOTOS: See Inside Reese Witherspoon's Classic-Chic Dallas Draper James Store!". PEOPLE.com. 2016-10-10. Retrieved 2017-05-10.
  11. "Step Inside the Charming, Star-Studded Dinner for Feed and Reese Witherspoon's Draper James". Vanities. Retrieved 2017-05-10.
  12. "Reese Witherspoon Showed Us How to Throw a Classic Southern Party". Oprah.com. Retrieved 2017-05-10.
  13. "Reese Witherspoon". Coveteur. Retrieved 2017-05-10.
  14. Silverstein, Noah. "The 7 Most Fantastic Fashion Moments from the *Gilmore Girls* Reboot". Glamour. Retrieved 2017-05-10.
  15. "Why Y'all Love Draper James So Much". Southern Living. Retrieved 2017-05-10.
  16. "Reese Witherspoon Teams with Birchbox to Curate a Limited Draper James Inspired Beauty Box". PEOPLE.com. 2017-02-22. Retrieved 2017-05-10.
  17. Allen, Rachael (2017-04-25). "Reese Witherspoon's Brand Draper James Is Collaborating With This Iconic Sandal Brand". Footwear News. Retrieved 2017-05-10.
  18. "Reese Witherspoon and Net-a-Porter Launch Exclusive Draper James Capsule Collection (Start Shopping Y'all!)". PEOPLE.com. 2017-05-10. Retrieved 2017-05-10.
  19. Medina, Marcy (2017-09-12). "Draper James CEO Andrea Hyde to Exit; Taylor Rettig Named Interim Chief". WWD. Retrieved 2019-09-30.
  20. "Reese Witherspoon's Draper James announces new designer and expanded assortment". Magid. 2019-01-28. Retrieved 2019-09-30.
  21. "Draper James Introduces a More Inclusive Shopping Experience with the Launch of Its New Extended-Size Offerings". www.businesswire.com. 2019-02-01. Retrieved 2019-09-30.
  22. Murray, Rheana. "Check out Reese Witherspoon's new Southern-inspired fashion line". Today. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  23. Schmidt, Ingrid. "Reese Witherspoon's Draper James collection has Southern charm". LA Times. LA Times. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  24. Johnson, Richard. "Reese Witherspoon accused of ripping off logo in $5M suit". Page Six. New York Post. Retrieved 3 March 2016.
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