James Brett

Brett, in his seven years as president, transformed the company from an uninspired, money-losing brand to the fastest-growing division of Williams-Sonoma, its parent company. Brett appears to believe that J. Crew, which once had wide appeal, can be redeemed. On his path to West Elm, Brett took part in some of the hottest retail growth stories. As an executive for Anthropologie and later Urban Outfitters, he honed his taste. At J. Crew, Brett will have big shoes to fill, and a rocky road. Mickey Drexler is a retailing genius who had grown The Gap into a giant (before getting bounced as CEO in a sales slump) and had turned J. Crew into an All-American fashion brand worn by the likes of Michelle Obama. Drexler, who owns 10% of the company, stayed on as chairman.