Important People, New Places

The month of July was rife with new appointments in the world of fashion. Notables include the installment of Glenn McMahon (of Dolce & Gabbana USA) to CEO at St. John, following a 16-month search; Stuart Vevers, formerly at Mulberry and now creative director at Spanish leather and luxury label Loewe; and Glenn Murphy as the new CEO at Gap Inc. Canadians should take pride in this last tidbit, as Murphy was born in Montreal and served for six years as chairman and CEO of Shoppers Drug Mart and for 14 years at Loblaw Companies Ltd.

The Kate Spade company, owned by Liz Claiborne Inc., also saw some changes, as husband-and-wife team Kate and Andy Spade announced that they will be stepping down as head designer and CEO, respectively. The duo cited personal reasons for leaving the company, including travel and spending time with their two-year old daughter. It has not yet been announced who will take over in their stead.

Also just released was Graeme Black’s departure as head womenswear designer for Italian fashion house Salvatore Ferragamo.