Disruption Spotlight: Draper James collaborates with strategic partners to grow their product line

​Highlighting the success of our community is a key tenet at Remodista. (We’re incredibly lucky to be surrounded by people who deserve highlighting!) In our new series, “Disruption Spotlight,” we will take a closer look at what makes our collection of professionals so special. In our first installment, we’re highlighting Draper James, a lifestyle brand launched by actress Reese Witherspoon. We spoke with Katherine Brodie, Draper James’ Director of Ecommerce to find out more about the challenge they faced and how they solved it. 

Draper James Finds a Gap

The Draper James website describes the brand as “a nod to Witherspoon’s Southern upbringing.” The company aims to “emphasize Southern roots and personal style.” They’re focused on bringing contemporary, timeless Southern style to your wardrobe and your home. Although the company’s main focus is on women’s clothing, it became apparent, through an ongoing dialogue with their customers  both on social channels and through customer service, that there was demand for a children’s line. After brainstorming  about how to meet that demand, it became clear that the best solution was to partner with a highly innovative group that would think outside  the typical design process. 
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One of the biggest challenges the Draper James design team encountered was meeting the strict guidelines and safety specifications that children's clothes need to meet.  Draper James recognized the need for an experienced, established partner who could reduce any potential hazards and liabilities. 

Establishing the Goals

After identifying the customer demand for children’s clothing, Draper James embarked on the project by first establishing two goals:

• Find someone who had the infrastructure and knowledge to help them efficiently ramp up production on a children’s line, and
• Leverage fresh, innovative, and Southern perspectives to help create a “Mommy & Me” capsule collection that would fit into the lives of current and prospective customers. 

Picking the Partners

Draper James started this project in August of 2017 and launched the collection in June of 2018, with a strategy to create the best collection to fit the needs of their customer through strategic collaboration. Students from the Savannah College of Art and Design provided innovative design concepts with a unique Southern perspective. Rockets of Awesome lent their expertise in designing for the modern child, plus a deep knowledge of the specifications needed in order to produce kids’ clothes. Rockets of Awesome then produced the  kids’ clothes, and Draper James produced the coordinating dresses for Mom. The result was a high quality product that launched with the added bonus of exposure from their industry partners. ​

The Journey Towards Expanding An Offering

The timing was perfect when SCAD reached out to the Draper James  team, to see if they wanted to teach a course at the Collaborative Learning Center — what better way for students to learn than to help develop a real-life clothing line? Draper James knew this was the perfect opportunity to help solve their challenge of designing clothing for kids. The Collaborative Learning Center (CLC) at SCAD is a department that brings the top students from across majors together to solve real world problems. Recent CLC projects include helping UBER tackle air travel and new ways to recycle Heineken bottles. 

Draper James was delighted to provide SCAD students with real-world design experience to help them become more eligible and effective job candidates. Draper James’ head of design and Katherine Brodie visited SCAD 3-4 times (at the beginning, middle, and end of the class) to introduce them to  the design challenge and to help guide them through the process. 
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One important thing to note: In the midst of the collaboration, Draper James shifted their corporate strategy. After surveying their customers, they lowered their prices and broadened their product assortment to include a more casual and less event-driven offering. The SCAD CLC class had to adapt  their designs and product plans halfway through the course to meet the new corporate plan. This offered students an additional layer of real world experience. ​

Insights & Learnings

​Draper James was able to successfully launch a buzzworthy and compelling collection for their discerning customer. Brand searches soared thanks to press pick-up and partner support. And along the way, they learned the ins and outs of producing and selling kids’ clothing. From regulations to sizing, now the road to growing this line will become more streamlined and efficient.

Be Featured in A Disruption Spotlight

Have you tackled a challenge in an unusual way?  Have you leveraged partnerships or ideas in a way that broke the mold? We encourage you to share it with us!   

GET in Touch

About Katherine Brodie
Katherine Brodie is the Director of Ecommerce at Draper James. Prior to working at Draper James, Katherine wielded her marketing expertise at Club Monaco and CWonder. She is an honoree on Remodista's 2018 Women2Watch List.

About Draper James
Draper James is a retail brand focusing on fashion, accessories, and home decor by Reese Witherspoon.

About SCAD
​The Savannah College of Art and Design exists to prepare talented students for professional careers, emphasizing learning through individual attention in a positively oriented university environment.