Laura Michael, senior vice president of marketing and brand creative at Madewell, is leaving the company, WWD has learned.
Michael’s departure, expected to occur in January, is considered a loss for Madewell, particularly because she has a reputation within the industry as a talented executive, and at Madewell she orchestrated a strategic shift in the marketing to help reinvigorate the brand’s image. She was also instrumental in establishing collaborations with Alexa Chung and Dakota Fanning.
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“I decided it was the right time for me to move on from my role at Madewell,” Michael said in a statement she provided to WWD. “I am incredibly proud of my work at Madewell, the team and what we accomplished together. I wish Madewell the very best in its next chapter.”
Also leaving Madewell is Emily Newnan, the styling director. Newnan reported to Michael and is expected to depart this week. Michael has been leading a team of nearly 60 individuals.
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“We wish Laura well in her future endeavors. Madewell has strong creative leadership in place to carry the work forward,” the company indicated in a statement provided to WWD.
Michael has been with Madewell for more than two years. She started as a senior vice president of brand creative in November 2023 and was promoted to her current role about a year later, according to LinkedIn. Before Madewell, she worked as creative director at Anthropologie. Earlier in her career she worked at Cuup, and was a freelance creative consultant.
Madewell’s spring 2025 brand campaign, titled “That One Pair,” took the marketing to a new level by blending digital storytelling with physical experiences. At the time, Michael said the campaign marked “a strategic shift in our evolved brand creative and marketing approach. We’re moving beyond a product-focused message to a richer, emotionally resonant narrative centered around finding that one pair,” Michael said, referring to jeans. “After a year of emphasizing our denim expertise, we’re now incorporating style and storytelling into every customer interaction. This integrated approach extends beyond digital channels, encompassing our physical stores and an experiential [out-of-home] experience to create a multifaceted brand experience. Every touchpoint is designed to connect with our customers on an emotional level.”
Madewell executives said the spring campaign “reimagined denim as more than a product, and as a lifestyle rooted in thoughtful design and the stories we create while living in our jeans.” Since Madewell was launched in 2006 by the J.Crew Group, denim has always been at the core of the collection. Decades before the launch, Madewell was originally a vintage workwear company.
As previously reported, Madewell’s president Adrienne Lazarus left the brand in September. The position remains vacant. Libby Wadle, chief executive officer of J.Crew Group, which includes the J.Crew, Madewell and Crewcuts stores and websites, and the J.Crew Factory Outlets, is believed to be filling in, at least temporarily. Before Lazarus joined Madewell in September 2023, Wadle oversaw both the Madewell and J.Crew brands.
In another key executive change, former LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton executive Gena Smith recently joined the J.Crew Group as chief human resource officer. She was chief human resources officer for LVMH North America.