"Merchant Prince" Mickey Drexler was once asked by Bloomberg TV whether Jenna Lyons could one day succeed him. He replied, "Well how could you say no, right?" Lyons is J. Crew's president and executive creative director. She joined the company as an assistant designer in 1990 and worked her way up through the ranks. In March, private equity firms bought J. Crew for $3 billion. Shareholders have criticized the deal and fretted about the company's future, but with Lyon's exacting talents and the brand's strong recognition (President Obama's daughters are customers), Drexler says, "I sleep well at night."
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