Rowing Blazers founder Jack Carlson has a new gig.

The 38-year-old Carlson, who exited the brand he founded in March, has been named creative director and president of J. Press. His first collection will debut on Thursday during New York Fashion Week, which will mark the brand’s first appearance on the fashion calendar.

“I grew up with J. Press,” said Carlson. “I used to go to the shop in Harvard Square, and many of the first suits, shirts, ties and belts I bought for myself were J. Press. I still have them. This role feels like coming home in many ways. I studied the classics (literally), and to me, a lot of what J. Press does is almost sacred: the button-downs, the khakis, the blazers, the Shaggy Dogs. J. Press has also had a slightly irreverent streak that resonates with me too. I want to celebrate all of that; to build seasonal collections and collaborations around it; and to share it with more people. J. Press is an institution — in many ways, the last of its kind.”

J. Press was founded on the campus of Yale University in New Haven, Conn., in 1902. Since then the company has become synonymous with Ivy League style such as navy blazers, soft-shouldered suits, oxford cloth button-downs, khaki trousers, repp ties, schoolboy scarves, and its signature Shaggy Dog sweater. 

J. Press was bought by its Japanese licensee Onward Holdings in 1986. Even so, the bulk of its collection is made in the U.S., augmented by England, Scotland, Ireland, Japan, Canada, Austria and Norway.

Carlson’s debut J. Press collection for fall 2025 is a colorful celebration of Ivy style and will include a red tailcoat and a Tyrolian Janker, nods to the time Carlson spent living in Oxford and Kitzbühel. Other editorial pieces will include boatneck knits and an assortment of accessories handcrafted in New York from vintage felt college pennants, some nearly a century old. Carlson has also brought back the original J. Press “Ivy” blazer format (with a patch, rather than set-in pocket on the chest) and reinstated the brand’s vintage, red-on-white label design across categories.

“Jack brings a rare combination of historical reverence and fresh perspective,” Onward said in a statement. “His ability to celebrate the brand’s heritage, and to also present J. Press through a modern editorial lens makes him the ideal leader for our next chapter. We believe this is the beginning of a new era for J. Press, one that will strengthen our position as the definitive name in American menswear.”

J. Press currently operates three stores in the States: New York City, New Haven and Washington, D.C. The plan going forward, Onward told WWD, is to expand the company’s footprint in the U.S.

“The appointment of Jack Carlson marks the first step in Onward Holdings’ vision to position J. Press at the forefront of American menswear, and sit alongside other historic leaders in the space.

“We plan to grow our current business roughly tenfold by 2030. Currently, we operate three stores. Our plan is to introduce two to three new retail locations in the U.S. in 2026 to expand our footprint and showcase our full lifestyle offering under Jack’s direction. Beyond brick-and-mortar, we plan to focus on investing and growing our e-commerce business.”

Carlson is not the first American to be creative director of J. Press. A little over a decade ago, the company brought the Ovadia Brothers on board as consulting creative directors. They created a line called York Street, a younger-skewed Ivy League-inspired collection. But that line, and a dedicated store on Bleecker Street, were shuttered after four seasons.

Carlson has a Ph.D. in archaeology from Oxford University, was a coxswain on the U.S. national rowing team and is the author of “A Humorous Guide to Heraldry” and “Rowing Blazers,” a coffeetable book about the “authentic striped, piped, trimmed and badged” jackets worn by oarsman around the world. He created the brand as an irreverent redefinition of what is generally viewed as the stuffy preppy aesthetic. His myriad collaborations with everyone from Gucci to Noah, Target and J.Crew also helped put the brand on the map. Carlson also used Rowing Blazers as a vehicle to relaunch several heritage brands, including British knitwear label Warm & Wonderful, best known for its sheep sweater worn by Diana, Princess of Wales.

In February 2024, Carlson sold a majority stake in his company to Burch Creative Capital, an investment firm founded by Tory Burch cofounder Chris Burch, as well as investors Tom Vellios, cofounder of Five Below, and Jason Epstein, partner at Stonecourt Capital. As part of the deal, Carlson continued to serve as creative director of the brand. But he exited the brand completely about a year later.