LONDON — Roksanda has named Patricia Sancho chief executive officer to steer the brand through a new phase of growth and global expansion.
Sancho is the first CEO under Roksanda‘s new owners, The Brand Group, TBG, which acquired the label in May 2024. Ilincic, who founded the label in 2005, remains creative director.
Sancho has more than 20 years experience across luxury and premium fashion. She has worked in the U.K. and continental Europe for Temperley London; Tempe, the footwear and accessories division of Inditex, and as a strategic adviser for various brands.
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TBG said she is “known for her ability to balance creative integrity with business vision,” and is joining the company at a pivotal moment in the brand’s evolution.
Ilincic said “as we evolve as a brand, staying true to our creative codes and values is essential. Patricia brings strategic insight, commercial experience and a deep respect for creativity. I am very much looking forward to building the next chapter of Roksanda together.”
Sancho described Roksanda as “one of the most original and emotionally resonant voices in fashion. I have long admired Roksanda’s vision and artistry. My focus will be on driving thoughtful growth anchored in the brand’s core values — preserving its femininity, strength and emotion — while shaping a clear offering and business strategy for the future. This is about growing with intention and integrity.”
Her appointment is effective immediately, and she will report to the TBG board. She replaced Philip Bueno de Mesquita who had been serving as CEO prior to the sale of Roksanda, and in the subsequent months.
TBG is a global, consumer-driven brand development and operating business. It has offices in London and Hong Kong and says its aim is to grow “fashion and home brands on a global scale.” The group describes itself as having a “proven track record of success across various disciplines.”
Damian Hopkins, TBG’s CEO and cofounder, said in 2024 the group purchased Roksanda to secure the future of the brand in its next chapter “while celebrating British luxury, and supporting the impact that British creativity can have on the global stage.”
The intention is to build Roksanda and reach new audiences “while maintaining loyal customers,” Hopkins added.
A manufacturing and supply chain expert, Hopkins has worked in retail for more than 25 years and specializes in building consumer and celebrity brands.
Other brands in the group include Vivere, a contemporary daywear label, and Unhidden, an adaptive fashion brand founded by the disability campaigner Victoria Jenkins.
Before partnering with TBG, Ilincic had filed a notice of intent to appoint an administrator, which is similar to Chapter 11 in the U.S. Her label, and others, were hit hard after Matches went into administration in early 2024. Vendors were left with unpaid bills, and millions of pounds worth of stock was sold at cut-rate prices.
Ilincic has described TBG as a “valued partner at a time when Roksanda had been exploring new ways of operating in the existing luxury climate.”
She said in 2024 that TBG’s “experience and intention to champion British creativity makes them natural partners and will help Roksanda maintain its position as a British luxury brand, nurture its existing loyal customer base and support growth via new audiences.”
Roksanda is a fixture on the London Fashion Week schedule and stockists include Net-a-porter, Harrods, Liberty and Harvey Nichols.
Ilincic, who was born in Serbia, studied architecture and applied arts at college in Belgrade, Serbia. She moved to London in the late 1990s to study for her MA at Central Saint Martins under professor Louise Wilson.
There, she laid the foundations of her clothing and accessories business. She is best known for her dramatic, color-drenched silhouettes that draw inspiration from the worlds of art, dance and theater. She has collaborated recently with the five-star hotel Pulitzer Amsterdam, and with & Other Stories.