JCPenney selected seven educators from around the U.S. to appear in its marketing campaign for its Abbott Elementary collection. One teacher is from Dallas. Anna Garza-Garcia, 25, is pictured on the left carrying the “Kindness” tote. She teaches fourth grade at the George Herbert Walker Bush Elementary School.
JCPenney/TNS
JCPenney hopes to earn an A+ on its partnership to create teachers’ wardrobe pieces inspired by ABC’s hit series “Abbott Elementary.”
The exclusive Abbott Elementary Teacher’s Edition, Volume 1 collection launched Thursday online and in select JCPenney stores, a collaboration with Warner Bros. Discovery Global Consumer Products. The plan was for the collection to debut with Season 3 of “Abbott Elementary,” but instead is moving forward with Seasons 1 and 2 streaming on Hulu and Max due to the Writers Guild of America strike.
The Plano, Texas-based retailer created 50 clothing pieces for men and women educators designed to be comfortable, washable yet still fashionable during a demanding day in the classroom.
“Abbott Elementary” clothing tries to capture characters’ personalities and the way they express themselves through fashion. There’s a “kindness” tote bag and sweater that are inspired by a necklace with the word worn by the show’s main character, Janine Teagues. The always optimistic second grade school teacher at the underfunded Philadelphia school is played by Quinta Brunson, who is also the show’s creator.
The middle-income department store has always focused on back-to-school and teachers are already customers of JCPenney, said Katie Mullen, the Plano-based retailer’s chief customer officer.
“Our broad strategy is to be authentic. We’re not trying to find someone else. Our customers are the backbone of society — teachers, nurses, first responders,” Mullen said.
JCPenney selected real teachers to be in the marketing campaign including Anna Garza-Garcia, a fourth-grade DISD teacher at the Herbert Walker Bush Elementary School in Addison, Texas.
“I like to spice up my outfits to show the students that I approach this job professionally and so I want to look like it,” said Garza-Garcia, 25, of Dallas. She said she’s wanted to be a teacher since she was in kindergarten and likes the show because it’s from the teacher’s point of view and portrays them as a team.
“We spend a lot of my money on books and things for the classroom so we don’t want expensive clothes,” she said.
The mix-and-match pieces have an Abbott Elementary collection tag sewn in.
Some of the featured teachers were found on social media. Barry White is a principal from Charlotte, North Carolina, whose student handshakes went viral. Mrs. Bo is a TikTok personality and mathematics teacher from Idaho. TikTok celeb Mr. Talcott is from Redmond, Washington.
All 50 pieces are regularly priced starting at $29.99. Teachers can stack rewards dollars to sale prices and a 10% teachers’ discount, Mullen said. The seasonal discount expires Oct. 8. The limited-time line includes colorful, patterned and neutral sweaters, jackets, dresses, knitted tops and woven shirts for both men and women in inclusive sizes.
JCPenney said in August that it would spend $1 billion over the next three years to invigorate the 121-year-old department store.
