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It’s no secret that little boys aren’t always the most willing participants in the fashion follies of their stylish parents. But then, most little boys don’t have Jenny Cooper, head of design for crewcuts—J.Crew’s adorable kids’ line—for a mom. “My boys won’t go shopping—no way, no how—but I’ll sit down with them on the crewcuts website and say: ‘You need a shirt. Pick one,’” Cooper, whose son Walker is 11 and son Miller (who, according to Cooper, has a flair for incorporating plenty of bright colors into his personal style) is 8, explains of getting her boys to expand their wardrobe. “But I’m not afraid to say: ‘Well, that shirt will go nicely with those pants, so you could wear those two together.’”
Cooper, a Brooklynite by way of Canada—who has a background in studio arts as well as clothing design—knows a thing or two about putting together kid-friendly (and just as importantly, parent-friendly) ensembles. After designing sweaters at J.Crew for seven years, starting in 2000, Cooper found herself creating for the smaller set in 2006.
“When we started the crewcuts line, I think [my older son] Walker was 4…so I had an actual sample of a child to play with,” she recalls. “So, that’s how I wound up at crewcuts.”
And if the current popularity of the line’s diminutive duds is any indication, it seems that Cooper’s kiddos have proved to be pretty solid inspiration for their style-savvy mama. The crewcuts collection includes plenty of picks that are just as inspired, versatile, and wearable (both dressed up or dressed down) as their adult counterparts, and recently tacked on a baby line as well as notable expansions to its swim line. Of course, it’s not just the chic look that make Cooper’s designs a hit with both kids and parents.
“[I know] clothes have to be comfortable and functional… They have to meet both the kids’ demands and the parents’ demands, so I think comfort is huge,” she says. “Because if something’s not comfortable, an adult might say: ‘Oh, but it looks good, so whatever.’ But a child will just take it off and run away and never put it on again—so you’ll have wasted your money.”
It’s this form-follows-function philosophy that has inspired many of Cooper’s favorite looks for little ones—like crewcuts’ relaxed slouchy pants (in a pajama twill for boys and linen for girls), surfer-inspired rash guards, and beachy picks rife with neon splashes and bits of embroidery for spring and summer—and also informed how she approaches navigating as a busy mother in the city.
Cooper and her husband, photographer Holger Thoss, love making their home in Brooklyn less for the hipster cache and more for the sense of community and array of foodie delights (think Bien Cuit and Smith Canteen, as well as the new Whole Foods on 3rd Avenue—“They’ve got a bar upstairs… It’s the perfect combination of practical and entertainment!”). Not to mention the fact that there’s a schoolyard across the street for their sons to partake in regular games of pickup soccer (Walker and Miller’s sport of choice) and that the family has been able to watch their surroundings grow and evolve over time.
“We moved to Brooklyn when the only places to eat were Domino’s and Dunkin’ Donuts. Now we have such a wealth of selection,” Cooper explains. “And we have the Barclay’s Center and BAM and it feels like Brooklyn has grown up around us in a really amazing way. I feel so lucky to live there now.”
Given her glowing report about the state of family life in what is becoming the most buzz-worthy borough, it’s easy to see how Cooper is able to use crewcuts’ “easy, but also modern” aesthetic as sort of a mirror for her own family’s style. “I feel very fortunate that I am able to carry my work over into my home life, because being with [my kids]—I can use that experience in my job,” she says. “I think my favorite thing [about designing kids’ clothes]—and it’s very personal—is that I get to make things and I get to put them on my kids and see them, and see them wear them, and see their reactions.”
To shop the latest from crewcuts, visit jcrew.com.
