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A Day in the Life of J.Crew's Mickey Drexler

CFDA Awards

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We've heard tales of the loudspeaker that Mickey Drexler uses to communicate with his team in the J.Crew offices, but this is the first on-screen evidence we've yet to come across. It surfaced last night at the CFDA Awards, where Drexler was picking up the Founder's Award for his lifelong work in retail. "Can I have your attention please, can I have your attention," Drexler's voice pipes through company-wide speakers. "The quote of the day: 'The master has failed more times than a beginner has ever tried.'"

And so starts a three-and-a-half minute long look into Mickey Drexler's typical, non-stop workday, from making a Madewell store visit to riding a bike through corporate headquarters. "There's this Yiddish term, 'shpilkes,' [meaning] ants in your pants," Drexler explains. "So I have shpilkes."

Watch the full video below: