Textile guru takes leap forward
Virginia Johnson forms partnership with J.crew
You may not have known it, but chances are you’ve seen Virginia Johnson’s vibrant prints on clothing, home décor and even stationery. The Toronto-born textile designer’s products can be found in more than 100 stores around the world. She’s recently joined forces with J.Crew, and chatted with us about her brand. Describe the Virginia Johnson brand and its esthetic.
Virginia Johnson creates colourful clothing, stationery and home products with her original watercolour illustrations. What is the core product of the brand?
The core products of the brand are the women’s accessories: tote bags and shawls. Tell us about the collaboration with J.Crew? Are there plans for more?
The collaboration with J.Crew is a very exciting partnership for us because J.Crew has such a complementary esthetic. They have such a great sense of colour and fun, and we are able to reach so many more customers than we would normally be able to. I personally have been a huge J.Crew fan since I was a teenager, and it’s always a shopping destination for me when I travel to the U.S. They approached us to do this collaboration last year. We sent them fabric designs from our archive, and they chose their favourites, which we sampled in their colours. We are working on more items with them for next spring.
Who is your main market?
We sell primarily to women who tend to be in creative fields, mainly in their 30s and 40s, though we also have many customers who are in their 50s and 60s. We make clothes that are all about ease, and can be worn in the city or for lounging around on the weekend. Where are your products manufactured?
We manufacture some of our products in India and the rest in Toronto where we’re based. How did you get into designing? I have wanted to design clothes since I was about 10. I sketched fashion figures all through my teenage years and eventually went to New York after university to study fashion design at Parsons. I then worked for several years in the fashion industry, first for a small fashion startup and then for Helmut Lang in the accessory department. What inspires you?
I am inspired by artists, by my travels, anything visual that I come across. I have boxes of inspiration and tear sheets in my studio, and vintage clothes. What are your ambitions for your label?
I feel that there is a real opportunity right now to expand the brand across more categories and with more accessible products. I would like to expand beyond a clothing and accessory brand and create products for everyday life. Collaborations are giving me an opportunity to do this, for example we are launching a stationery collection with Chronicle books this fall, and we have a collection of digital stationery with Paperless Post. What’s your price point?
Our price points range from $45 for a T-shirt to $195 for a shawl. Our clothing is between $150 and $350. Besides your website, (where are your products sold)?
Our products are sold across Canada and the U.S., including Holt Renfrew.