NEW YORK — Signaling its commitment to growing the linchpin men’s business, Ralph Lauren Corp. has snared longtime Tom Ford International executive Tom Mendenhall to become brand president of men’s.
In this new role, all men’s brand functions will funnel through Mendenhall, including design and merchandising, and he will be charged with maximizing the potential of the Polo, Purple Label and Double RL businesses.
Prized for his merchandising skill, Mendenhall served as Ford’s chief operating officer for more than a decade, working alongside Tom Ford to build the brand from inception. On Tuesday, Ford named Brian Blake president and chief operating officer, taking over duties from Mendenhall.
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Prior to Ford, Mendenhall was a senior vice president at Abercrombie & Fitch, and before that, spent eight years as worldwide director of merchandising at Gucci. He starts at Ralph Lauren on March 29 and reports to Valérie Hermann, president of Global Brands.
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Ralph Lauren also hired Jonathan Bottomley its new chief marketing officer, another new post. He will be charged with “evolving Ralph Lauren’s brand voice,” leading the global marketing team and developing marketing strategies across the company.
Bottomley most recently was chief strategy officer of Virtue, a Vice Media Co. Prior to that, he was chief strategy officer and managing partner in the London headquarters of Bartle Bogle Hegarty where he led strategic brand-building efforts for clients across the luxury and consumer lifestyle sectors. He will be part of the company’s executive team and dually report to Hermann and Ralph Lauren, executive chairman and chief creative officer, on an interim basis.
Earlier this month, Stefan Larsson stepped down as president and chief executive officer of Lauren, effective May 1. Bottomley, who joins April 3, will report to the new ceo, once that appointment is made.
The key hires are part of a strategy to fortify the firm’s leadership in support of its Way Forward Plan.
“As we write our next chapter, we continue to add exceptionally strong leaders with the passion, energy and talent to lead our company into the future,” Lauren said. “Both Jonathan and Tom bring a fresh perspective and incredible depth of brand experience to Ralph Lauren. They each have impressive track records and we are looking forward to welcoming them into our leadership as our evolution continues.
Hermann, who was promoted to her current role in September, said, “Jonathan and Tom will play critical roles as we move forward in our evolution as a brand and company. Jonathan’s innovative, integrated approach will bring freshness and cohesion to our iconic marketing efforts, while Tom’s proven experience and recognized excellence in men’s will support our continued growth in this category.”
Last October, David Lauren, who had been executive vice president of global advertising, marketing and communications, was elevated to vice chairman and chief innovation officer. Previously, Lauren had been responsible for the global advertising and marketing campaigns for the group and all of its brands, as well as the firm’s corporate and fashion communications and strategic marketing partnerships. He also introduced one of the industry’s first luxury fashion web sites, created an e-commerce site optimized for mobile phones, and introduced QR scan technology to the U.S. for fashion, among other initiatives. At the time of Lauren’s move, the company said it was looking to name a chief marketing officer.
While Larsson is remaining at the company for several more weeks, he admitted on a conference call earlier this month that he was leaving because of disagreements — presumably with Lauren — over creative and consumer-facing parts of the business including product, marketing and store experience. Both the company and Larsson said it was a mutual decision. At the time, the company said it would continue to execute its Way Forward Plan, introduced last June. Chief financial officer Jane Nielsen is leading the execution of the plan until the new ceo is found.