Nearly every company wants to grow, but in the specialty apparel market, it’s going to be fascinating to see who thrives and who declines in the next few years. A wide range of challenges—from fickle fashion trends to highly seasonal buying—has always made this category tough. But there are five even bigger barriers on the horizon that will make or break many specialty apparel retailers.

1. Appealing to a radically shifting customer base

While women’s apparel has always dominated retailers’ merchandise offer, men’s apparel is tell me more

Over the last five years, J.Crew has steadily gained market share and a base of loyal followers who aspire to embody the effortlessly chic aesthetic of J.Crew’s President and Creative Director Jenna Lyons. She’s become a media darling, strutting her style on red carpets and even doing a guest stint on the HBO series Girls. It’s a rise emboldened by her boss, the fearless Mickey Drexler, J.Crew Chairman and CEO.

These two prominent fashion mavens took the helm of the company a decade ago, and soon started driving tell me more