Tommy Hilfiger announced a huge change to their business Thursday, announcing Avery Baker will take over as President and Chief Brand Officer, with global responsibility for the brand’s products and marketing across all categories, regions and channels.
Baker replaces Michael Schreiner, who served as global chief marketing officer for the past year, but is leaving the company. The role of a global president for Tommy Hilfiger is a new position.
This marks a return for Baker, who originally joined Tommy Hilfiger in 1998 and has worked in a wide range of roles with the company, including Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Brand Officer. In mid-2019, Baker stepped away from her role to spend time focused on family. She now returns to head the organization at a time when Tommy Hilfiger has been struggling, like many other clothing brands.
The owners of Tommy Hilfiger, PVH Corp., clearly felt Baker’s deep experience with the brand and her long history of guiding successful growth was a key factor in choosing a leader in what has been a challenging period for the entire industry. During her tenure at the company, Baker was instrumental in evolving Tommy Hilfiger into one of the world’s most recognized premium lifestyle brands, and she established a decades-long track record of developing and implementing brand building strategies that drove the company’s business growth and brand equity.
“Avery has a deep sensitivity for the heritage and DNA of TOMMY HILFIGER, with a track record of launching impactful consumer initiatives that drive both the brand and business,” said Martijn Hagman, CEO, Tommy Hilfiger global and PVH Europe. “A commitment to aspirational products and world-class marketing sits at the heart of our vision to become a true global brand that leads with purpose. We’re excited to welcome Avery back into the Tommy Hilfiger family to lead the brand across both of these areas and unlock its full global potential.”
“In these challenging times, brands have an opportunity and a responsibility to make a difference in the lives of consumers,” said Baker. “I believe that Tommy Hilfiger can have an enormous positive impact as a company that is loved as much for our actions as for the outstanding products we design. I’m thrilled to embark on this new journey with Tommy, Martijn, and our leadership teams in Europe, Asia Pacific and the Americas, as we work to achieve the long-term potential in each region and transform the company from the inside out—from culture to consumer—to become a company built for the 2020’s.”
Baker was appointed the company’s Chief Brand Officer in 2014 and brought together creative and business management to deliver a new brand vision, leveraging a combination of pop culture, fashion, technology and entertainment. She has driven transformational programs including TOMMYNOW—the fashion industry’s largest and most successful “See Now, Buy now” runway show—and reignited the ‘90s-inspired TOMMY JEANS label, leveraging its heritage to emerge as a favorite among younger consumers. During her tenure, the high-profile partnerships established with influential tastemakers including Lewis Hamilton, Zendaya, Gigi Hadid, KITH and Vetements increased brand relevance and expanded the company’s appeal to a new generation of fans.
Baker is taking on the role at a time when Hilfiger’s revenues have been savaged by a variety of factors, chief among them the impacts of the pandemic on global retail. In Q2 2020 PVH Corp reported a 33 per cent decrease in overall revenue, down to $1.58 billion. The Hilfiger division declined by 28 per cent in the same period, with a particularly poor performance in North America where revenues declined 51 per cent among the chaos of the COVID-19 pandemic. Baker’s priority will clearly be to right and steady the ship, while preparing Hilfiger for recovery in what most experts see as a return to relative normalcy in the retail fashion market in late 2021.