<img class="size-full wp-image-678" title="Christina Papale_Blog_Thumb_nb" src="/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/Christina-Papale_Blog_Thumb_nb1-e1271798258107.jpg" alt="" width="40" height="40" /> By Christina P.
<img class="size-full wp-image-577" title="JCrewarticle pict" src="/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/JCrewarticle-pict.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="300" />

Timex® … Redwing® … Levi’s® … quintessentially American brands that in their current state fall within a spectrum of relevancy.  They all have the polish (or valuable tarnish) that age gives them.  And J.CREW is banking on it with a co-branding strategy that rehashes classic items—hence, brands—nearly from the dead to pepper its own brand with a skewed, vintage authenticity that actually (gulp) works.

J.CREW may not own 100 years of brand cache or iconic pieces built into the American lexicon, but they know their audience well.  By exclusively reissuing classic apparel and accessories from here and across the pond—hello Belstaff® and Baracuta®—J.CREW is post-modernly celebrating the borrow with a bizarrely fresh “In Good Company” collection.

Maybe you’ll fall in love with the reissued pieces, or maybe you’ll fall for J.CREW’s oddly charming and transparent brand honesty.  There’s never been a more authentic approach at something so completely inauthentic.