The LYCRA Company
US apparel and premium fabric supplier The LYCRA Company has appointed Hua Du as Chief Executive Officer, effective September 14.
Following the successful completion of its financial restructuring, The LYCRA Company is entering a new phase of development. Du succeeds interim Chief Executive Officer Dean Williams, who will continue in his role as Chief Financial Officer. The appointment has now taken effect.
Du brings 30 years of senior leadership experience in the specialty chemicals and biotechnology industries. Most recently, he served as CEO of animal nutrition company Grobest Group, where he led a comprehensive operational transformation that ultimately culminated in the company’s sale. Earlier in his career, he held senior leadership roles at French specialty chemicals group Rhodia and managed the electronic materials business across Asia for US specialty chemicals company Rohm and Haas.
Du holds a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from Peking University and a PhD in Organic Chemistry from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Gap Inc.
US fashion group Gap Inc. has appointed Kirsten Green to its Board of Directors, effective immediately.
Kirsten Green is a leading venture capital investor with more than 20 years of experience. Gap Inc. said she has demonstrated an ability to identify fundamental shifts in consumer behaviour and support founders in turning those trends into generation-defining companies.
She founded venture capital firm Forerunner in 2012 and has since led investments in more than 100 companies, supporting them from their earliest stages through to scale. Its portfolio includes OURA, Chime, Hims & Hers, Faire, Wispr Flow, Suno, Warby Parker, Dollar Shave Club and Town. Under her leadership, Forerunner has raised nearly $3 billion from institutional investors.
Kirsten Green has appeared on the Forbes Midas List for ten consecutive years and has received numerous other accolades, including being named among TIME’s 100 Most Influential People, Forbes’ World’s 100 Most Powerful Women, Barron’s Most Influential Women in Finance and The New York Times’ Top 20 Venture Capitalists.
Inditex
Spanish fast-fashion retail group Inditex, the parent company of Zara, is continuing a series of internal management changes at Zara:
- Marta Andreia Rodrigues will become the new head of Zara Woman;
- Eva Pérez Salgado will lead Zara Basic.
Both divisions sit within Zara womenswear, which comprises three main divisions: Zara Basic, Zara Woman and Zara Trafaluc.
Above: Marta Andreia Rodrigues and Eva Pérez Salgado
Marta Andreia Rodrigues has spent 14 years with Inditex and, for the past year and a half, has served as head of womenswear at the group’s Pull&Bear brand. Before that, she held a number of roles within the Zara Basic team under Alfredo Ferro. She will succeed Lorena Rodríguez Veiga, who has led Zara Woman since 2024. Rodríguez Veiga’s next position within the company’s organisational structure has not yet been announced.
The latest management changes follow the decision by Beatriz Padín Santos, formerly head of Zara womenswear and a member of the company’s Management Committee, to leave the group. Following her departure, Zara womenswear had been overseen on an interim basis since July by Alfredo Ferro Varela, who had previously headed Zara Basic.
Meanwhile, Eva Pérez Salgado, who has been with the group for 15 years, succeeds Alfredo Ferro Varela as head of Zara Basic. Pérez Salgado has spent 14 years working within Zara Basic and, before joining Inditex, worked at EY and Deloitte.
U.S. Polo Assn.
US polo-inspired brand U.S. Polo Assn. has appointed David Swetman as Global Design Lead, Men’s and Boys’, further strengthening the brand’s Global Product Leadership Team.
In his new role, David Swetman will oversee the global design vision and product direction for all U.S. Polo Assn. men’s and boys’ apparel. He will work closely with the brand’s licensing partners worldwide to deliver a consistent global design language while responding to opportunities across individual regional markets, further strengthening the men’s and boys’ businesses. His responsibilities will include setting product design direction, anticipating trends, concept development, shaping seasonal product narratives, and driving category innovation across all men’s and boys’ product lines.
David Swetman brings around 20 years of experience in menswear design and creative leadership, with expertise in developing global product strategies and shaping seasonal product narratives. Throughout his career, he has helped create apparel collections with broad appeal among consumers worldwide.
Most recently, he served as Senior Concept Designer, Global Menswear at Abercrombie & Fitch. During his tenure, he helped define the global creative direction for menswear, contributing to seasonal concept development, product strategy, design innovation, and category growth. He also served as lead designer for all third-party menswear collaborations, translating cultural insights and emerging consumer trends into product assortments with broad market appeal.
New Look
British high-street fashion brand New Look has announced the establishment of a broader Executive Committee ahead of Chief Executive Officer Lynda Petherick formally taking up the role on September 22.
The new Executive Committee will comprise ten members, with the new structure designed to “ensure New Look’s creative, commercial, data, people, retail, digital and operational functions are given direct representation at executive level, allowing for a broader range of perspectives to be reflected in senior decision-making.”
The executives promoted as part of the changes, all of whom will report directly to Lynda Petherick, include:
- Anica Wislawski as Chief Creative Officer
- Becky Pallas as Chief Operating Officer
- Dan Chasle as Chief Data, AI and Information Officer
- Lisa Nash as Senior Head of People
- Mark Matthews as Chief Retail and Digital Officer
- Matt Board as Chief of Staff
- Sarah Betts as Chief Commercial Officer
The other three members of the Executive Committee are Lynda Petherick, Chief Financial Officer Richard Collyer, and General Counsel and Company Secretary Nicola Lucas.
Before joining New Look, Lynda Petherick was a Managing Director at Accenture, where she led the firm’s retail and fashion advisory business in the UK and Ireland. She also served on the Board of the British Fashion Council from November 2022 to January 2026.
| Sources: Official press releases, Europa Press, TheIndustry.fashion, executives’ LinkedIn profiles
| Image Credit: Official press releases, executives’ LinkedIn profiles
| Editor: Luxeplace
