Executive search for fashion, leather goods and luxury brands.
Fashion lives or dies on the balance between creative authority and commercial discipline. Our retained executive search for fashion and luxury goods covers chief executive, creative director, brand and commercial leadership for maisons, fashion houses and apparel groups, where the two have to be held together.
The leadership brief
Fashion executive search for the leadership of the brand.
Fashion, apparel and leather-goods searches can call for very different leaders: a founder’s first external CEO, an international managing director, or a commercial, creative or operating executive. We establish the channels, ownership context and responsibility of the appointment. Our remit is senior leadership, with evidence assessed against the needs of the business.
Relevant appointment
Chief Operating Officer
Luxury fashion business · UK / Europe
An operating leadership appointment within the luxury fashion market.
Selected experience includes work undertaken in this practice and in previous search roles. Identities remain confidential.Leadership challenges in fashion & luxury goods
Fashion leadership requires clear responsibilities across product, brand, channels and operations. For a founder-led house, the brief should also explain how creative authority and executive decision-making will work together.
For a CEO, creative or commercial appointment, assessment should examine decisions made in a comparable business and the candidate’s personal contribution. The brand’s stage and operating resources matter as much as its category.
The roles we search in fashion
Our fashion and luxury goods mandates span creative, commercial and executive leadership:
- CEO, President and Managing Director of fashion houses and groups
- Creative and Design Director leadership
- Brand, marketing and communications leadership
- Commercial, retail and wholesale leadership
- Merchandising, buying and product leadership
- CFO, COO and functional C-suite roles
Market mapping in a fast-moving sector
The research scope identifies relevant fashion houses, groups and adjacent businesses. Candidate interest and availability are established through agreed engagement, rather than inferred from a title or public profile.
Defining this mandate
Define the brand’s stage, channels and relationship between creative and commercial leadership. A group role, a maison appointment and a founder’s first external executive require different authority and assessment.
How retained search worksFrequently asked
Do you search beyond CEO roles?
The remit can include creative, commercial, merchandising, finance and operating leadership. We establish seniority and responsibility before accepting the brief.
How is creative and commercial fit assessed?
Explore how candidates have worked across product, merchandising, brand and distribution. Examine specific decisions and contributions rather than relying on the reputation of previous employers.
Can the appointment support a founder transition?
Yes. The search should specify which decisions the founder retains and which the new leader will own, including the relationship with the creative function.
Appointing leadership for a fashion house?
Speak with us in confidence about a CEO, creative or commercial mandate in fashion.