Athleta has recruited a top Nike executive to lead its design function.
The athletic brand has named Tania Flynn as its head of design, parent company Gap Inc. confirmed to FN in an email. Flynn joins Athleta following an almost 20 year stint at Nike, culminating in her role as vice president of apparel design.
“Joining the Athleta team is an exciting step for me personally and professionally since I’ve long admired Athleta’s Power of She platform and unique positioning as the only major brand designing exclusively for women and girls,” said Flynn in a statement that was shared with FN. While at Nike, she also served the VP and creative director of women’s apparel.
Flynn is the latest Nike executive to depart the Swoosh this year. Longtime Nike executive Andrew Campion left his role as managing director of strategic business ventures earlier this year to join the UCLA Anderson School of Management as program director for the newly created Sports Leadership and Management Program. And in February, Deckers Brands hired Nike veteran Robin Green as president of the Hoka brand.
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At Athleta, Flynn will report to Athleta president and chief executive officer Chris Blakeslee. She starts her role in July.
“Welcoming Tania as our Head of Design sends a clear statement about how we’re reinvigorating the brand and solidifying Athleta’s position as the leader in performance and design innovation,” Blakeslee said in a statement shared with FN. “Her deep expertise across performance, lifestyle and collaborations will enable us double down on Athleta’s commitment to delivering unparalleled product designed specifically for women, by women.”
In 2023, Flynn was honored in FN’s annual “Women Who Rock” issue. She discussed her experience in the industry as a champion for diversity, especially as the first woman and woman of color to lead all of apparel design for Nike globally.
“As a designer and a leader, I’ve been on a mission to expand inclusive design,” she told FN at the time.
In Gap’s earnings call in May, Gap Inc. CEO Richard Dickson said Gap was “resetting” Athleta, a brand he said has “significant growth potential and a clear and distinct brand positioning.” Sales for Athleta were up 2 percent to $329 million in Q1 compared to the prior year and comparable sales were up 5 percent.
Notably, Flynn is not the first big Nike name to exit the Swoosh for Athleta. Former Nike athlete Allyson Felix, who has her own footwear line Saysh, has partnered with Athleta since 2019, when she joined as the brand’s first athlete partner after leaving Nike due to frustration with the Swoosh’s policies for pregnant women and mothers.
