LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton has named Sylvie Colin chief executive officer of Kenzo, effective 25 September 2017.
Colin, formerly of contemporary fashion brand Maje – which belongs to SMCP group — replace Eric Marechalle, confirmed as CEO of Marc Jacobs International, from 1 October 2017.
“We would like to welcome Sylvie to Kenzo. In partnership with Humberto Leon and Carol Lim, Sylvie will further pursue and amplify the very strong momentum of the brand,” said Pierre-Yves Roussel, chairman and CEO of LVMH Fashion Group, which spans a host of brands from Givenchy and Céline to Emilio Pucci, along with Kenzo and Marc Jacobs.
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“I would like to warmly thank Eric Marechalle for his instrumental leadership in the successful relaunch of Kenzo and wish him lots of success in his new position as ceo of Marc Jacobs,” he added.
Colin is the third female to arrive at the helm of an LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton fashion house in the past year. As Kenzo’s new chief executive officer, she is expected to accelerate the brand’s expansion across China and Japan.
“The objective is to really continue the momentum,” Pierre-Yves Roussel, chairman and CEO of LVMH Fashion Group, told WWD.
Her appointment to the brand helm comes after Kenzo successfully transformed its distribution agreement with Hong Kong-based specialty retailer I.T into a joint venture, which now allows the brand to “scale up” its presence in China, where there already more than 45 stores.
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“We really believe there is a lot of potential there, given the size of the market and our price point,” Roussel told WWD.
The company is also in the throes of relaunching the brand in Japan, he said.