How J.Crew Has Mastered The Designer Collaboration Game

Gayot first discovered Alighieri, whose collection launched with J.Crew on May 13 — fittingly — while scrolling her feed. “[Founder] Rosh Mahtani’s pieces are refined, but they’re also quirky and weird,” Gayot says, explaining what first attracted her to the jewelry designs. “J.Crew is a coastal brand. Summers for us are about being on the water.” With that in mind, the treasure-like quality of Alighieri’s collections, which often draw inspiration from the sea and its inhabitants, felt like an organic fit. There are gold-plated recycled bronze necklaces featuring fish motifs — an Alighieri signature — but there are also J.Crew touches, like a linen shirt dressed with bright gold buttons. “When you go on your summer break, you just want a capsule that you can throw in your bag,” Mahtani says, describing the collection as designed for women looking for ease as they navigate the “high seas of life.”