Amandine Ohayon has been named chief executive at Stella McCartney, effective Dec. 1, the house said in a statement Thursday. She will succeed Gabriele Maggio, who is exiting the business next month “to pursue other opportunities,” the company said.
Ohayon joins the British label from luxury bridalwear brand Pronovias, where she served as CEO and managed the company’s sale to Bain Capital earlier this year. She has also worked at the likes of YSL Beauty and Armani Beauty. She will be based in London, reporting to the Stella McCartney board.
In her new role, Ohayon will be tasked with transforming the Stella McCartney business, which was hit hard by the pandemic and has been slow to recover despite the broader luxury spending boom. The brand reported sales of £32.5 million ($40.7 million) in 2021, up 14 percent year-on-year, but still below pre-pandemic levels, according to public accounts filed with the UK’s Companies House. Losses reached £32.7 million. (The company has not yet filed accounts for 2022).
Stella McCartney has the backing of luxury’s most powerful group, LVMH, which took a minority stake in the brand in 2019 after its namesake founder Stella McCartney ended a 17-year-long partnership with former parent Kering. As part of the transaction, McCartney became a special advisor on sustainability to LVMH chief Bernard Arnault and the group’s executive committee members.
Ohayon’s “leadership and wealth of experience across businesses and geographies will be strong assets to build a brilliant future for the company,” McCartney said in a statement.
Learn more:
Can Stella McCartney Clean Up Fashion?
The ethical fashion pioneer and LVMH sustainability advisor is trying to change one of the world’s most polluting industries from the inside.
