The hunt for a new Vans global brand president is over with VF Corp. tapping Michelle “Sun” Choe to lead the Costa Mesa-based footwear firm.
Choe’s appointment ends a roughly six-month search for a new leader since Kevin Bailey stepped away from the position to serve as VF executive vice president and chief transformation officer.
“I am confident that Sun is the right leader to take Vans to new heights,” VF President and CEO Bracken Darrell said in a statement on the hire. “With Sun’s appointment. We are further transforming the VF leadership team to ignite growth across our brands and enhance value for our shareholders and other stakeholders.”
Darrell said Choe has a “proven track record of driving brand heat.” The lack of that for Vans on a consistent basis has been a common theme more recently from leadership and market watchers.
The new president will step into her role in late July.
In the meantime, she currently serves as chief product officer at Lululemon and has been with the company since 2016, initially joining as senior vice president of merchandising.
The executive has also served as senior vice president of merchandising for West Elm; senior vice president at Madewell; and several positions at Urban Outfitters, including executive director of women’s apparel and accessories.
Additional past experiences include Guess Inc., Levi Strauss & Co. and Gap Inc.’s Old Navy division.
Turnaround Work
Choe has her work cut out for her at Vans.
The incoming president joins a team that’s seen multiple rounds of layoffs across the organization, the most recent of which occurred in March when more than a dozen senior-level employees received notice of their layoff. Those cuts also came with news that Chief Product & Merchandising Officer Marissa Pardini was stepping down at the end of March, with Ashley Ahwah moving into the chief merchandising role.
Vans has been a laggard in the VF portfolio for some time. As one of the multi-brand portfolio owner’s largest divisions, it’s been a drag on overall VF results with a turnaround that’s been closely watched by analysts and retailers alike.
Vans generated sales of $2.8 billion for the fiscal year ended March 30. That was down 25 percent, excluding the impact of exchange rates, as the company’s sought to introduce new styles to the market to diversify its revenue streams away from what Darrell has called an overreliance on classic styles.
VF also owns The North Face, Dickies, Timberland and Supreme.
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