Chris Knott Retires from Peter Millar

Chris Knott, the founder and head designer of Peter Millar has announced his retirement.

“I have spent the better part of 30 years in the industry pursuing the perfect swatch, but now is the right time for me to step back from this brand and start living the lifestyle it was founded upon,” Knott said in a statement released this afternoon. “I am so appreciative of our dedicated team, all of whom contributed to the success of this great brand. I have full faith in this company, its future, and it is because of the immensely talented design team in place that I feel confident and ready to take this time in my life to focus on my family and friends. I will always live the Peter Millar lifestyle and will consider myself a lifetime ambassador for this remarkable brand.”

“Chris is incredibly talented with an eye and taste level that is unmatched,” said CEO Scott Mahoney. “More important than his talent, he is a great friend, partner and person. No one deserves to enjoy the next phase of life more than he does. The legacy and principles that Peter Millar was founded on will continue to be our guiding principles from all areas of the company.”

Knott, a former Burberry rep, founded Peter Millar in 2001, naming the company after the inscription on a vintage lawn bowling ball he got as a gift from his mother. The brand initially focused on cashmere sweaters and expanded in sportswear and golf apparel—a move that was made possible by an alliance with the Georgia luxury resort firm the Sea Island Company. It added tailored clothing in late 2007 and is now a full lifestyle brand. It was acquired by Richemont in 2012 from majority stakeholder Winona Capital Management.

Peter Millar announced that it had hired former Ermenegildo Zegna Group executive Jason Cater as VP of design and merchandising at for its Peter Millar Collection division last month.