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MILAN – OTB continues to invest in the American market.
The Italian fashion group has appointed Laura Dubin-Wander as Managing Director of Designer Brands for the North America region.
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The executive, who succeeds Monica Voltolina, will oversee the Margiela House, Marni and Jil sander brands, in conjunction with Staff International, which has exclusive global licensing agreements with a number of international labels, including Dsquared2 and Just Cavalli.
Dubin-Wander will be based at the group’s headquarters in New York and will spearhead the development of the North American market.
This decision shows how OTB sees the region as a high potential area for the company and its brands, where six store openings are already planned in the coming months.
Dubin-Wander brings to OTB more than 25 years of experience in the fashion industry.
For two years she has been President of Coach, North America, develop the brand’s omnichannel approach, its e-commerce and a customer-centric culture.
From 2016 to 2018, Dubin-Wander was president of Givenchy in New York, having held the positions of vice president, wholesale at Christian Dior Couture and president of the Martin + Osa division of American Eagle Outfitters.
Prior to that, she worked at Dana Buchman and Victoria’s Secret Direct.
Ubaldo Minelli, CEO of OTB, hailed Dubin-Wander as “a talented executive with great experience and a great capacity for innovation in the fashion industry, key factors for the development of our Group in the American market” .
He also underlined “the strategic relevance of the United States and the importance of investing in the best talent to lead our growth in the regionâ€. Minelli took the opportunity to thank Voltolina who, over the past 12 years, “has succeeded in laying the foundations for solid growth in a market which will be key to our future”.
In July, OTB founder Renzo Rosso told WWD that the US market “continues to be a priority for me. It is the country where I invest the most, along with China.
North America accounts for around 10% of the group’s sales and is expected to experience a growth rate almost double that expected for the rest of OTB around the world.
In a three-year business plan, OTB, which also includes Diesel’s main brand Viktor & Rolf and a stake in Amiri, as well as the production arms Staff International and Brave Kid, is expected to record annual revenue growth by 15%. North America is expected to grow 27% year-over-year, as reported.
Retail distribution of OTB in the United States will be critical over the next three years.
By the end of 2021, there will be 16 directly operated Diesel stores, six Marni and five Margiela House units in the United States
In the United States next year, both Marni and Margiela will be available on the omnichannel platform supported by Moon, an in-house designed operating model that also promotes the customer experience.
Rosso hopes to open a Jil sander store in SoHo in New York with a new concept conceived a year and a half ago. By the end of the year, he is preparing to open a Jil sander store in New York.
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