Eva Erdmann has been named chief executive officer and brand president of Kate Spade, a division of Tapestry Inc.
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She will join the brand in October, succeeding Liz Fraser , who is leaving the company next month.
A former beauty executive, Erdmann will report to Joanne Crevoiserat, CEO of Tapestry Inc. and will become a member of the company’s executive committee.
Most recently, Erdmann was with L’Oréal, where she served as the global president of Urban Decay Cosmetics since 2018, returning the brand to global revenue growth and strong profit gains.
In her new role, Erdmann will have oversight of all aspects of the Kate Spade business, with a focus on accelerating innovation, consumer connections and sustainable global growth.
“I am excited to welcome Eva to Kate Spade. She is a talented global brand-builder with a deep understanding of the rapidly evolving consumer landscape and a demonstrated ability to cultivate desire, cultural relevance and passionate communities for distinctive luxury brands. I am confident she is the right leader to unlock the significant runway for growth at the iconic Kate Spade brand,” Crevoiserat said.
She added, “On behalf of the entire organization, we thank Liz for her passion and dedication to Kate Spade and wish her well in her next chapter. Under her leadership, we advanced our strategies refocusing the brand on its distinctive DNA, and creating the foundation for the future.”
Erdmann said, “I am honored to join Kate Spade. It is a truly special and purpose-driven band with a unique position in the marketplace and significant expansion opportunities. I look forward to collaborating with the team to advance the mission of this powerful brand bringing joy an self-expression to consumers around the world and driving profitable growth for years to come.”
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Prior to her role at Urban Decay, Erdmann held a number of senior management posts within L’Oréal’s Luxury division. They included general manager of Lancôme France, where she reinvigorated the brand in the market, and global marketing senior vice president of makeup and perfumes at Yves Saint Laurent Beaute, which delivered strong growth during her tenure. Earlier, Erdmann spent several years in marketing at Christian Dior Beauty, where she helped implement international growth initiatives for Europe and the Asia Pacific region.
Fraser joined Kate Spade in March 2020 and guided the lifestyle brand through the pandemic, store closures and reopenings, a hybrid work schedule and new ways of working. Among some of her initiatives were a new retail design concept for its freestanding stores; a collaboration with Pantone for Kate Spade Green; a partnership with Thred Up, and jewelry-only boutiques. The company has also accelerated its work in women’s mental health and empowerment in recent years.
In a WWD story last year, Jaimee Marshall, managing director of Kirk Palmer Associates, the executive search firm, who didn’t place her in the Kate Spade role but has worked with her as a client, said, “Liz is really one of the special executives in our industry. She operates with transparency and high integrity and that is rare. She is strategic, disciplined, balanced, knowledgeable about the end-to-end process, brand-oriented and just a lovely person to work with.”
Prior to joining Kate Spade, Fraser was president of Lafayette 148, prior to which she was CEO of Anne Klein and president of Marc by Marc Jacobs.
She couldn’t be reached for comment on her plans.
In the quarter ended March 31, Tapestry reported that Kate Spade saw sales fall 5 percent in constant currencies to $280.7 million.
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