By Elissa Strauss January 29, 2010

There are big changes at America’s most overtly Jewish fashion line. Gela Nash-Taylor and Pamela Skaist-Levy, founders of Juicy Couture, are stepping down as creative directors — leaving the company in the hands of its parent company, Liz Claiborne, which bought Juicy three years ago. The buzz is that Nash-Taylor and Skaist-Levy, both Jewish, aren’t thrilled with the direction Liz Claiborne has been taking company, and decided it was time to leave their brand behind.

While Jews have never been strangers with the fashion business, Juicy is the first line that felt Jewish. A 180-degree turn from Ralph Lauren’s (né Lifshitz) adoption of the WASP lifestyle, Juicy represented a flashy and flamboyant full-on embrace of the newly-moneyed JAP lifestyle. The culmination of this, likely being their 2007 Juicy American Princess advertising campaign, which Sisterhood contributor Rebecca Honig Friedman wrote about here.

The Juicy line rose to fame during the late 1990s with their once-ubiquitous velour tracksuits — form-fitting glamorized sweats that simultaneously messaged comfort and wealth. Plus, they gave zaftig bodies a little wiggle room. As the tracksuits have become largely passé, the collection features clothing and accessories that are decidedly girly and loud. (Sequined halter or hot-pink charm necklace, anyone?)

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Fashion sites are reporting that Juicy’s cultural era is over, that Liz Claiborne’s attempt to make the company more upscale failed, and that department stores are cutting back on the real estate given to the line.

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount