VANS
American outdoor sports brand group VF Corporation announced the appointment of Michelle (“Sun”) Choe as the global brand president of its subsidiary brand VANS, effective later in July.
Sun Choe recently left Canadian yoga apparel company lululemon. She joined lululemon in December 2016 as SVP of Merchandising and was promoted to Chief Product Officer in 2018.
During her tenure as Chief Product Officer (2018-2023), lululemon’s total sales tripled (from $3.29 billion to $9.62 billion). While traditional women’s wear remained strong, the brand also saw significant growth in the newer “menswear” and “other categories” including footwear. Menswear sales increased from $690 million to $2.25 billion, and other categories grew from $260 million to $1.22 billion, becoming two new major growth drivers for the brand.
Before joining lululemon, Sun Choe did not have experience in sports brands but held the position of Chief Global Product Merchant at American designer brand Marc Jacobs. She also accumulated rich merchandising experience working at apparel brands Gap, Levi’s, Guess, Urban Outfitters, and high-end home furnishings retailer West Elm.
For more about Sun Choe, read Luxe.CO’s dedicated article: “Why did Sun Choe’s departure cause lululemon’s market value to drop by nearly $3 billion?”
Louis Vuitton
French luxury brand Louis Vuitton (a subsidiary of LVMH Group) appointed Megan Grant as President and CEO of the Americas, effective June 3.
In her new role, Megan Grant will be based in New York, leading and developing the Americas team to drive performance growth, enhance customer experience, and increase brand awareness in the Americas region.
Megan Grant has extensive experience in the luxury beauty sector, having worked at French beauty giant L’Oréal for over two decades in various leadership positions across marketing and retail departments of several brands. Her most recent position was President of L’Oréal USA’s Luxe Division. She previously held leadership roles at Lancôme, Kiehl’s, Ralph Lauren Fragrances, and Armani Beauty under L’Oréal.
MAIA ACTIVE/ANTA Group
ANTA Group appointed Zhao Guangxun as President of the MAIA ACTIVE brand, reporting directly to ANTA brand CEO Xu Yang.
Zhao Guangxun is currently Vice President of Retail Operations at ANTA Group and has deep experience in retail strategy execution. This appointment marks a substantial step in ANTA’s strategic development plan for the MAIA brand.
In October 2023, ANTA Group announced the acquisition of a 75.13% stake in MAIA ACTIVE’s parent company, Maia Apparel, through an indirectly wholly-owned subsidiary. This acquisition made Maia Apparel an indirectly non-wholly-owned subsidiary of ANTA Group.
Calvin Klein
On May 30, Calvin Klein (a subsidiary of PVH Corp) appointed Veronica Leoni as Creative Director for its High-End Collections and announced its return to fashion shows.
As Creative Director for High-End Collections, she will combine her extensive industry experience with Calvin Klein’s modern aesthetics to design representative pieces for the brand. The high-end collection will include menswear, womenswear, underwear, and accessories, debuting in Fall 2025. She will collaborate with Calvin Klein Global Brand President Eva Serrano to bring the inspiration from the high-end collection into the mainline products and red carpet designs. Leoni will report directly to Serrano.
Veronica Leoni was a finalist for the LVMH Prize in 2023 and owns her fashion brand Quira. She has worked for several internationally renowned fashion brands, including Jil Sander, Celine, and Moncler.
| Sources: Agence France-Presse, official press releases
| Images: Official corporate websites
| Editor: LeZhi
