J. Crew Group on Thursday said it named Kathleen Van Nest Pierce as president of the J. Crew brand effective Aug. 4. The executive will lead the brand’s merchandising, design, marketing and retail teams, reporting to J. Crew Group CEO Libby Wadle.
Pierce brings a plethora of experience in the beauty industry, according to a Thursday press release. She most recently served as global president for beauty at Dyson, tripling the brand’s technology portfolio. Prior to Dyson, she worked at The Estée Lauder Companies for about two decades.
In a statement, Wadle said that Pierce's track record driving global growth is "exactly what this moment calls for" at the brand.
“Kathleen is a one-of-a-kind consumer brand leader with a proven ability to deliver outstanding results, build resonant brands, and forge meaningful connections with customers, and we are thrilled to welcome her to J.Crew,” she said.
Wadle previously served as the president of the J. Crew brand, and Victoria's Secret veteran Jan Singer took over the J. Crew brand leadership in 2020. Wadle continued as president and CEO of Madewell at that point before taking on the chief executive role for the entire retail portfolio later that year. Singer also left in late 2020.
The move comes about six years after J. Crew Group filed for and exited Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
The retail group sits under parent company Chino’s Intermediate 2, which in March reported full year net sales grew almost 8% year over year. S&P downgraded Chino’s Intermediate 2 in December after its Q3 comp sales drop of 8.2% impacted profitability.
