Jack Wills
Encyclopedia
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Jack Wills is a mid-range British
clothing brand aimed at university students. The fashion label uses the brand and registered trademark "Jack Wills – University Outfitters" to reflect the heritage and inspiration behind the brand.
The original Jack Wills store opened in Salcombe
, Devon
in 1999, before expanding to include a current chain of forty nine stores throughout the UK and Ireland, three of which are outlet stores. Nine stores are located in London
, with the remainder typically found in university towns and seaside resorts. Four stores can also be found in Scotland
and two in Ireland
. Jack Wills' first stores in the US opened in Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard
and Boston
in July 2010.
The Jack Wills brand is partly owned by Jack Wills Ltd, a private limited company registered in the UK, whilst a minority stake is held by the private equity firm Inflexion after an investment deal in 2007.
: Kildare
and Dublin. There are eleven stores in the US. Jack Wills usually uses navy blue and pink for their products!For both labels, Jack Wills often picks authentic historical buildings to house its stores, trading from old pubs (Kings Road) to town houses (Marlow). Although Jack Wills retail stores are currently only in the UK
and the US, the website provides international shipping to Europe, America, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Hong Kong.
In May and July 2010, Jack Wills opened three American stores in Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard
and Boston
In the summer of 2011 JW opened eight further stores on the East Coast in the US, for example New Haven, Southampton
, Newport
and Philadelphia. Despite this new venture, CEO Peter Williams stated the brand will remain "British, British, British".
Both opening 1st Dec. 2011
, rugby
, and also rowing
, such as the J.W.R.C (Jack Wills Rowing Club). Jack Wills' "University Outfitters" title reflects its target market: university students. However, the label is popular in both Secondary schools and colleges
. Jack Wills does not use a conventional advertising model, instead relying on word of mouth viral marketing
. This is often stimulated by the events they hold such as the Jack Wills Varsity Polo, JW Unsigned and JW Seasonnaires. In April 2011 the ASA upheld complaints about the Jack Wills 2011 Spring Term Handbook. The handbook contained some controversial images of young adults in a state of undress. In their ruling, the ASA said that "we concluded that the catalogue was sufficiently provocative as to present a risk to younger teenagers." A previous campaign in 2009 had also produced complaints but escaped a ban.
and are in full-time employment.
There are currently 10 stores:
There is also an online store offering mail order to customers who are unable to reach a retail store. Aubin & Wills offers both male and female ranges, as well as homeware.
store in collaboration with British artist and curator Stuart Semple
. The program will feature various guest curators, new art talent and in-house art projects to create a "unique inter-disciplinary platform". The 7500 sq ft (696.8 m²). concept space also includes The Aubin Cinema which is run in collaboration with the members' club Shoreditch House and is a new social hot spot in East London’s Redchurch Street.
Jack Wills Outlet has adopted a "no frills approach" and does not offer gift wrapping, fancy packaging or guaranteed delivery times. Returning items to the outlet store is by mail order only; goods cannot be returned to a Jack Wills retail store. The outlet store offers the same range of products as the regular site: Ladies, Gentlemen and Homeware are all accessible.
Jack Wills is a mid-range British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
clothing brand aimed at university students. The fashion label uses the brand and registered trademark "Jack Wills – University Outfitters" to reflect the heritage and inspiration behind the brand.
The original Jack Wills store opened in Salcombe
Salcombe
Salcombe is a town in the South Hams district of Devon, south west England. The town is close to the mouth of the Kingsbridge Estuary, built mostly on the steep west side of the estuary and lies within the South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty...
, Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
in 1999, before expanding to include a current chain of forty nine stores throughout the UK and Ireland, three of which are outlet stores. Nine stores are located in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, with the remainder typically found in university towns and seaside resorts. Four stores can also be found in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and two in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. Jack Wills' first stores in the US opened in Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard
Martha's Vineyard
Martha's Vineyard is an island located south of Cape Cod in Massachusetts, known for being an affluent summer colony....
and Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
in July 2010.
The Jack Wills brand is partly owned by Jack Wills Ltd, a private limited company registered in the UK, whilst a minority stake is held by the private equity firm Inflexion after an investment deal in 2007.
History
Jack Wills was founded in 1999 by Peter Williams and Robert Shaw, the former who named the company after his grandfather, Jack Williams. The original store was in Salcombe, Devon located at 22 Fore Street. This original address is often written into the Jack Wills handbook, clothing labels and in-store signs. In 2008 the Aubin & Wills brand was launched, designed to appeal to older customers. The majority of Jack Wills stores are in the UK, however there are two branches in the Republic of IrelandRepublic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
: Kildare
Kildare
-External links:*******...
and Dublin. There are eleven stores in the US. Jack Wills usually uses navy blue and pink for their products!For both labels, Jack Wills often picks authentic historical buildings to house its stores, trading from old pubs (Kings Road) to town houses (Marlow). Although Jack Wills retail stores are currently only in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and the US, the website provides international shipping to Europe, America, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Hong Kong.
In May and July 2010, Jack Wills opened three American stores in Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard
Martha's Vineyard
Martha's Vineyard is an island located south of Cape Cod in Massachusetts, known for being an affluent summer colony....
and Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
In the summer of 2011 JW opened eight further stores on the East Coast in the US, for example New Haven, Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
, Newport
Newport
Newport is a city and unitary authority area in Wales. Standing on the banks of the River Usk, it is located about east of Cardiff and is the largest urban area within the historic county boundaries of Monmouthshire and the preserved county of Gwent...
and Philadelphia. Despite this new venture, CEO Peter Williams stated the brand will remain "British, British, British".
London
- Chelsea
- Clapham
- Covent Garden (The Flagship Store)
- Islington
- Notting Hill
- Richmond
- Soho
- Wimbledon
- Kingston Upon Thames
- Selfridges
- Plumstead
- Balham
United States
- Boston
- Charlottesville, VA
- Georgetown, DC
- Greenwich, CT
- Martha's Vineyard
- Nantucket
- New Haven, CT
- Newport, RI
- Philadelphia, PA
- Southampton, NY
- Westport, CT
Hong Kong
- Leighton Centre, Causeway Bay
- Ocean Terminal, Habour City
Both opening 1st Dec. 2011
Products
Jack Wills' products can be viewed online, in their publication the "Jack Wills Handbook" and in-store. The "Handbooks" are released each season: the Autumn Term Handbook, the Christmas Handbook, the Spring Term Handbook, the Easter Handbook, the Summer Term Handbook and the Summer Holiday Handbook. Jack Wills’ slogan "Fabulously British" is written into most of the clothes tags and the designs are marketed as classically ‘British’ in style, inspired by traditional British heritage. Jack Wills clothing ranges from traditional British heritage formal wear, such as shirts, tweed jackets and blazers, to more contemporary fashion casual clothing: hooded tops, sweatpants, t-shirts and polo shirts. Less common products are also sold, such as rugby shirts and leather and canvas holdalls. Homeware goods, like mugs, bed linen, stationary, bags, purses, belts, USB drives and make-up can also be found in-store and online.Marketing
Jack Wills’ ranges are given a ‘public school’ and ‘preppy’ branding, as the Jack Wills pricing strategy means the clothes may not be considered affordable to everyone. Jack Wills feature sports-oriented, collegiate branding, for example apparel relating to poloPolo
Polo is a team sport played on horseback in which the objective is to score goals against an opposing team. Sometimes called, "The Sport of Kings", it was highly popularized by the British. Players score by driving a small white plastic or wooden ball into the opposing team's goal using a...
, rugby
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
, and also rowing
Rowing (sport)
Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...
, such as the J.W.R.C (Jack Wills Rowing Club). Jack Wills' "University Outfitters" title reflects its target market: university students. However, the label is popular in both Secondary schools and colleges
Sixth form
In the education systems of England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and of Commonwealth West Indian countries such as Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Belize, Jamaica and Malta, the sixth form is the final two years of secondary education, where students, usually sixteen to eighteen years of age,...
. Jack Wills does not use a conventional advertising model, instead relying on word of mouth viral marketing
Viral marketing
Viral marketing, viral advertising, or marketing buzz are buzzwords referring to marketing techniques that use pre-existing social networks to produce increases in brand awareness or to achieve other marketing objectives through self-replicating viral processes, analogous to the spread of viruses...
. This is often stimulated by the events they hold such as the Jack Wills Varsity Polo, JW Unsigned and JW Seasonnaires. In April 2011 the ASA upheld complaints about the Jack Wills 2011 Spring Term Handbook. The handbook contained some controversial images of young adults in a state of undress. In their ruling, the ASA said that "we concluded that the catalogue was sufficiently provocative as to present a risk to younger teenagers." A previous campaign in 2009 had also produced complaints but escaped a ban.
Aubin and Wills
Aubin & Wills was launched by Jack Wills in September 2008. The label is aimed at a more mature customer than Jack Wills, namely age 25 and up, who have recently graduated from higher or tertiary educationTertiary education
Tertiary education, also referred to as third stage, third level, and post-secondary education, is the educational level following the completion of a school providing a secondary education, such as a high school, secondary school, university-preparatory school...
and are in full-time employment.
There are currently 10 stores:
- Brighton
- Bicester Village (Outlet)
- Birmingham, Selfridges
- Edinburgh, Scotland
- Liverpool (coming soon)
- London, Covent Garden
- London, Selfridges
- London, Marylebone
- London, Notting Hill
- Manchester, King Street
- Manchester, Selfridges
- Shoreditch (flagship store)
There is also an online store offering mail order to customers who are unable to reach a retail store. Aubin & Wills offers both male and female ranges, as well as homeware.
The Aubin Gallery & Cinema
On 20 May 2010, The Aubin Gallery was launched, situated on the top floor of the ShoreditchShoreditch
Shoreditch is an area of London within the London Borough of Hackney in England. It is a built-up part of the inner city immediately to the north of the City of London, located east-northeast of Charing Cross.-Etymology:...
store in collaboration with British artist and curator Stuart Semple
Stuart Semple
Stuart Semple is a contemporary British artist and curator, based in London and Dorset. Semple's practice addresses ideas sparked by immersion in popular culture and combines contemporary figurative painting with pop art.-Life and career:...
. The program will feature various guest curators, new art talent and in-house art projects to create a "unique inter-disciplinary platform". The 7500 sq ft (696.8 m²). concept space also includes The Aubin Cinema which is run in collaboration with the members' club Shoreditch House and is a new social hot spot in East London’s Redchurch Street.
Jack Wills Outlet
At the end of 2009, Jack Wills launched a new website, Jack Wills Outlet. The outlet store acts as a medium for a "limited number of the Jack Wills community" to purchase last seasons' clothes at a discounted price, normally the end-of-sale price or less, up to 75% off. Access to Jack Wills Outlet is strictly by invitation only; membership is obtained by submitting a regular Jack Wills account to the waiting list on the outlet website and waiting for an invitation. Membership is reviewed every three months and Jack Wills revokes access privileges to those who have not activated their membership or who have not made a purchase during that period. This is so that the "privilege of the JW Outlet is restricted to the most valued members of the Jack Wills community."Jack Wills Outlet has adopted a "no frills approach" and does not offer gift wrapping, fancy packaging or guaranteed delivery times. Returning items to the outlet store is by mail order only; goods cannot be returned to a Jack Wills retail store. The outlet store offers the same range of products as the regular site: Ladies, Gentlemen and Homeware are all accessible.
External links
- Jack Wills website
- Jack Wills Outlet website
- Aubin & Wills website