Madewell’s NYPL collection is a love letter to library nerds

FastCompany: Earlier this week, Madewell dropped an Instagram post featuring a woman drinking a glass of wine and wearing a baby tee emblazoned with the words “Book Girl.” As a book nerd, I was immediately intrigued. It turned out to be a collaboration with the New York Public Library . I hopped on the website 20 minutes after the drop went live and that shirt was already sold out. (Madewell did a limited restock the day after launch and plans a larger restock for preorder.) The tote bag and pin pack also sold out on launch day. [Photos: Madewell] Books are having a moment in fashion.

Earlier this year, Coach partnered with Penguin Random House to create miniature, completely readable, book bag charms. They sold out within minutes. Sandy Liang, Coach, and Celine have all staged recent collections in libraries, while Marc Jacobs has repeatedly returned to the NYPL’s Fifth Avenue building for his runway shows. Miu Miu has gone so far as to launch its own book club, whose most recent gathering took place at a library in Milan. Madewell’s creative director, Steven Cateron, believed that the brand’s customers would also be drawn to book-themed products, and he began searching for the right partner.

The NYPL seemed like the ideal collaborator. As a New York-based label, Cateron and his design team have frequently used the library as a resource for researching upcoming collections. They often tap into the picture collection, a vast archive of images they mine for styling cues and vintage references. “It’s always been this fixture in New York that’s so significant and special,” he says. “But for me and my team, it’s always been a source of inspiration.” [Photo: Madewell] Madewell approached the library last year, and the two teams joined forces to create a product line that perfectly represented both brands.

“The library represents access to ideas and inspiration,” Cateron says. “It’s also a physical place where creatives go. Our customer is very much in the creative set.” It’s curious that brands are tapping into reading now, particularly when Americans are actually reading less. A study published last year found that the share of Americans who read for pleasure on an average day fell from 28% in 2004 to about 16% in 2023. But that decline may be part of the appeal. Now that reading is more niche, it has become a marker of identity and a way of signaling your values. It might also be a way to find community.

Cateron says he’s noticed younger members of his own team form book clubs. “They’re not talking about how they’re going out; they’re talking about how they’re home reading,” he says. Each item in the collection is designed to channel the coziness and nerdiness of people who love libraries. In addition to many tees and hoodies that simply feature the NYPL logo, there are lots of little inside references. One T-shirt says “picture librarian,” as a nod to the library’s picture collection. A baseball cap says “Rose Reading Room,” the iconic Beaux-Arts space with murals of skies and clouds.

[Photo: Madewell] Cateron has a soft spot for the “Book Girl” tee. It’s a nod to Party Girl , the 1995 cult film in which Parker Posey plays a fashion-obsessed downtown party girl who takes a job at the New York Public Library after being arrested for throwing an illegal rave. She ends up falling for the library. “The movie has made such an impression on so many designers that I’ve known,” Cateron says. But even if customers don’t get the reference, they identify with the idea of choosing a book over a party. The collection translates the library’s history, including vintage graphics and typography, into pieces that feel distinctly Madewell.

Article truncated for readability. Read the full piece →

The collaboration reflects a significant cultural trend and brand strategy, though similar themed collections have been seen before, making it moderately impactful and relevant for brand strategists.