March 30: Berluti has parted ways with creative director Haider Ackermann after just three seasons, marking the latest high-profile change in menswear at parent company LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton. Berluti said it would reveal Ackermann’s successor shortly.
March 26: Virgil Abloh has been confirmed as the new artistic director of Louis Vuitton Homme. He will present his first collection in Paris in June during Men’s Fashion Week. The announcement ends months of speculation following news of the departure of artistic director Kim Jones, who has moved to head up Dior Homme. In 2015, Abloh’s own label, Off-White c/o Virgil Abloh, was a finalist for the coveted LVMH Prize.
March 23: Southern California-based lifestyle and skate brand DC Shoes Inc. has announced the appointment of Cory Long as VP of footwear. Long, who served as a global merchandising director for the brand earlier in his career, will now oversee the brand’s global product creation strategy including footwear marketplace positioning, storytelling and overall design aesthetic. He will be based in the brand’s global Huntington Beach, Calif. headquarters reporting to Mike Jensen, global GM and head of brand. Most recently Long served as VP of product at Mitchell & Ness. Prior to that, was the senior brand manager of Asics.
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March 23: Tapestry Inc. today announced the appointment of Anna Bakst as CEO and brand president of Kate Spade. She is expected to join the company on March 26 and will succeed Craig Leavitt, who in the wake of the Tapestry Inc. acquisition made the decision to exit the brand in 2017. Bakst will report to Tapestry CEO Victor Luis, who has been leading the brand in an interim capacity since Leavitt’s departure. Bakst most recently held the role of group president of accessories and footwear at Michael Kors before exiting the post in January 2017. She joined that company in 2003, leading the launch of its accessories and footwear businesses. Prior to Michael Kors, she had a 12-year career at Donna Karan International, ultimately as president of accessories and footwear.
March 22: Lanvin is parting ways with creative director Olivier Lapidus and GM Nicolas Druz in the first big moves by Fosun International since the Chinese conglomerate bought the French label last month. Joann Cheng, president of Fosun Fashion Group and chairman of the board of directors of Lanvin, has been appointed CEO of the house for an interim period, effective immediately. Druz, who had led the brand since 2017, will take up the new position of managing director of Fosun Fashion Group, where he will support its business expansion in Europe. Lapidus, who showed his sophomore collection for the house during Paris Fashion Week last month, is exiting his role as artistic director. The women’s collections will be designed by an in-house team in the interim, and Lapidus will resume designing under his own brand.
March 21: Esprit Holdings announced today that CEO Jose Manuel Martínez Gutiérrez will step down from his post, effective June 1. He will be succeeded by Anders Kristiansen, former CEO of New Look Retail Group. Former Esprit independent non-executive chairman Raymond Or Ching Fai will become the executive chairman and executive director on April 1 in order to play “a more active role” in the company’s plans for expansion in China.
March 20: Erica Vilkauls has been named CEO of the British footwear and accessories brand L.K. Bennett. Vilkauls, formerly merchandise director of the company and most recently CEO of the high-street label East, will replace Darren Topp, who’d been in the role since September 2016. He will leave the company in April.
March 19: The house of Dior has announced the appointment of Kim Jones — previously the men’s artistic director at Louis Vuitton — as artistic director of Dior Homme for the ready-to-wear and accessories collections. Van Assche will exit Dior Homme after leading the brand for 11 years and is expected to take up a new assignment within LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton.
March 16: Nina Ricci has appointed Charlotte Tasset as GM of fashion and fragrances. Tasset, previously chief merchandising officer of womenswear, lingerie, beauty and childrenswear at French department store chain Printemps, will take on the newly created role on May 22. She succeeds Sophie Templier, who joined Nina Ricci in 2014 and held the position of GM, fashion, since 2016.
March 16: Jayme Martin, VP and GM of global categories at Nike Inc. is no longer with the company, a spokesperson confirmed.
March 15: Nike CEO Mark Parker announced today that president Trevor Edwards has resigned effective immediately. Parker will remain as CEO and chairman, as well as take on the role of president “beyond 2020,” according to a press release.
March 15: Guillaume Henry has left Nina Ricci after three years as creative director. Pending the arrival of a new creative director, the label’s next collections will be designed by the in-house studio.
March 8: Salvatore Ferragamo S.p.A. has announced the appointment of president Ferrucio Ferragamo as interim CEO following Eraldo Poletto’s exit. Poletto had held the role for less than two years. Scion of the Italian fashion house, Ferragamo also serves as the chairman of its board, managing the brand and its operations. He helped oversee the company’s initial public offering in 2011.
March 7: Victoria Beckham Ltd. has tapped Ralph Toledano as chairman, effective immediately. The industry veteran will help nurture the fashion house’s creative vision and prepare the business for growth with the company’s plan to expand in Asia. Prior to his new post, Toledano had held the title of president of the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode since 2014. This year marks Beckham’s 10th anniversary as a fashion designer, who will show her spring ’19 collection at London Fashion Week in September.
March 6: VF Corp. has appointed Velia Carboni to the new position of chief digital officer. She will report to VF chairman, president and CEO Steve Rendle and will serve on the company’s senior leadership team. In this newly created position, Carboni will be responsible for the integration of digital capabilities into all aspects of business across VF and its brands and functions globally, from channels, processes and data to operating models, incentives and culture. Carboni joins VF following a 25-plus year career at Fidelity Investments, where she held a series of leadership roles, most recently serving as SVP of mobile and emerging platforms for the company’s personal investing/retail division. She will be based at VF’s world headquarters in Greensboro, N.C.
March 5: Wolverine World Wide Inc. has announced Greg Tunney will be joining the company as president of Hush Puppies, reporting to Todd Spaletto, president of the Outdoor & Lifestyle Group. Prior to joining Wolverine, Tunney served as president, CEO and director of RG Barry Corp. Tunney also serves as chairman of the Two Ten Footwear Foundation.
March 2: As part of a strategic realignment of its leadership team, J.C. Penney Co. Inc. has announced several management appointments. Joe McFarland has been named EVP and chief customer officer, a newly expanded role that includes responsibility for merchandising, as well as leading all JCPenney store operations. Jodie Johnson has been promoted to head of merchandising for women’s, beauty and family footwear; and James Starke has been promoted to head of merchandising for men’s, children’s, home and jewelry, both reporting to McFarland. Additionally, Therace Risch will assume the combined titles of chief information officer and chief digital officer to reflect her added responsibility for omnichannel retail, JCPenney said. As a result of this appointment, Mike Amend, EVP of omnichannel, will be leaving the company.
March 2: Helen Ashton has resigned from her post as CFO of Asos. She will remain employed with the firm until August 31 to ensure a smooth transition, the company said. Nick Beighton, CEO and previously CFO of the company will cover the CFO post until a replacement is identified. Ashton will also retire from the company’s board, effective April 30.
March 1: Burberry has tapped Riccardo Tisci as chief creative officer, effective March 12. Tisci will replace Christopher Bailey, who said last year he would step down. The appointment will see the reunion of CEO Marco Gobbetti and Tisci, who worked closely together at Givenchy, where the former served as CEO and the latter as its couturier. Tisci was with Givenchy from 2005 to 2017. He left the French brand in February 2017.
March 1: The Yoox Net-a-Porter Group has appointed Giuseppe Tamola as the global brand and marketing director for Yoox. This is a newly created position. Tamola will be based in Milan, tasked with developing the e-tailer’s brand and marketing mix and increasing commercial efficiency. Tamola has spent the last seven years working for Zalando in Berlin.
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