Jack Carlson is exiting Rowing Blazers, the brand he created in 2017.
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.
Three months after the acquisition, the company named its first chief executive officer, former J.Crew executive Laura Willensky, who was charged with expanding Rowing Blazers into new categories and markets.
Since the sale Carlson has been credited with creating several collaborations, including those with Spanish women’s brand La Veste, and The Explorers Club in New York. Rowing Blazers’ Paddington Bear capsule that launched in December was Carlson’s last project with the brand, the company said.
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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 coffee-table 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.
Carlson did not return calls for comment further on his next move, but the company said he is working on a new book exploring the history and cultural significance of the rugby shirt and also plans to pursue design projects in watches, cars and interior design.
“I’ve checked off so many of the things I dreamed of doing with Rowing Blazers — collaborations with my favorite brands, photo shoots with my favorite actors and musicians, designing pieces and collections for myself and then seeing them resonate them with people all over the world,” Carlson said. “When I started the brand, people thought ‘preppy’ meant stuffy, static, elitist. Old, dead, white clothes basically. I think we’ve shown it can be creative, inclusive, edgy, even fun. Selling last year meant that I could begin the process of stepping back and starting to explore new ventures and new creative outlets, and now I’m ready to begin that next chapter.”
