Industry Moves: September 2017
Sept. 29, 2017: Dr. Martens CEO Steve Murray has stepped down from his role after three years. The current chairman, Paul Mason, will take over during a search for a new chief executive.
Sept. 27, 2017: John Johnson has been promoted to president of Reliable of Milwaukee, Muk Luks and Quietwear Divisions. Johnson, who has been with the company since 1984, has played a significant role in the reinvention of the Muk Luks brand.
Sept. 25, 2017: K-Swiss Global Brands (KSGB) has appointed Steve Harden as president of Supra Footwear and KR3W Denim Co., effective immediately. Harden will be based in KSGB’s headquarters in Los Angeles and will report to company chairman and CEO Phillip Jeong. In addition to spending time at Adidas and VF Corp., Harden most recently served as VP of North American sales for footwear and personal protection equipment at Honeywell.
Sept. 8, 2017: LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton has named Sylvie Colin CEO of Kenzo, effective Sept. 25. She will replace Eric Marechalle, who becomes CEO of Marc Jacobs International, effective Oct. 1. Colin joins from the contemporary fashion brand Maje, which belongs to SMCP group.
Sept. 7, 2017: Columbia Sportswear Co. has announced several executive changes. Russ Hopcus will be appointed president of the prAna brand, reporting directly to Doug Morse, SVP of emerging brands and APAC. Hopcus has served as SVP of North America sales for the Columbia brand since joining the company in 2013. Joe Craig will succeed Hopcus and as SVP of North America Sales for the Columbia brand, reporting directly to Franco Fogliato, EVP and Americas GM. Craig first worked Columbia in 1995 as an independent sales representative. He rejoined the company in 2009 and has served as VP of U.S. apparel sales for the Columbia brand since 2013. Dean Rurak will be appointed VP of U.S. apparel sales for the Columbia brand. Rurak joined the company in 1996 as a Columbia brand sales representative in Canada and has held various roles in Columbia brand sales and product management. He most recently served as VP of apparel merchandising since January 2017. Joe Boyle, EVP and Columbia brand president, will oversee merchandising for the Columbia brand while the company carries out a search to fill the brand’s global apparel merchandising role. In addition, Stu Redsun, SVP and chief marketing officer, has departed the company. Boyle has appointed interim leadership for the Columbia brand marketing group while the company launches a search for the redefined global Columbia brand marketing role.
Sept. 6, 2017: J.Crew Group Inc. chief design officer, Somsack Sikhounmuong, is leaving the company, Bloomberg reports. A spokesperson for J.Crew told the publication that Sikhounmuong’s current responsibilities, which include the oversight of all product design and development, would be transitioned to other members of the company’s teams. This is just the latest in a wave of top-level changes at the fashion brand. In June, J.Crew CEO Millard “Mickey” Drexler also exited the company but retained his role as chairman. Meanwhile, Sikhounmuong had just recently replaced 26-year J.Crew veteran Jenna Lyons, who stepped down from her role as president and executive creative director in April.
Sept. 5, 2017: Genesco Inc. has named 38-year company veteran Mario Gallione president of its Journeys retail division. Gallione most recently served as chief merchandising officer of The Journeys Group and has been associated with the teen mall staple since 1994. In his new role, he assumes responsibility for all aspects of the Journeys and Journeys Kidz retail operations, including stores in the U.S. and Canada, as well as journeys.com and journeys.ca. He will report to James Estepa, who will continue to serve as CEO of The Journeys Group. Estepa remains a SVP of Genesco. Gallione’s appointment is intended as the first step in a succession plan to prepare for Estepa’s eventual retirement, the company said.
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