STEFAN LARSSON OFFICIALLY TAKES OVER AT PVH

Stefan Larsson has formally become PVH Corp.’s chief executive officer and joined its board of directors, completing a previously announced transition plan. PVH’s former CEO, Manny Chirico, will continue in his role as chairman of the board of directors.

The company communicated in September 2020 this evolution in leadership to ensure a seamless and orderly transfer of the chief executive officer’s role. Together, Larsson and Chirico developed near-term actions and long-term strategies that will continue to leverage the power of PVH by remaining focused on the company’s core strengths, connecting them to where the consumer is going, and driving brand relevance and high performance to deliver long-term sustainable growth.

Larsson was first hired in June 2019 in the role of president. He has since led the company’s regional teams and branded businesses, including Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger, as they have navigated through the global COVID-19 pandemic, while steering PVH toward an accelerated recovery.

“This is a deeply humbling and exciting opportunity,” said Larsson. “I am honored to become CEO to build upon the industry-leading business and values-driven organization that Manny has shaped during his 15 years as CEO, and continue the exceptional people-first culture and purposeful commitment to corporate responsibility that he has championed at PVH. My focus is on building upon the core strengths that brought us here and connecting them closer to where the consumer is going than any time before, which will form the foundation to successfully deliver our next chapter of growth.”

Over the past two decades, PVH has transformed from a North America-based menswear company to one of the largest fashion and lifestyle companies in the world, with a team of almost 40,000 associates around the world.

“Leading PVH has been my proudest professional accomplishment,” added Chirico. “Not only have we grown our performance and solidified our reputation in our industry, but we have done it in a way we can all be proud of, striving to do the right thing. Given Stefan’s global experience, consumer focus, and high-performance track record, I have full confidence in his leadership, team-focused mindset, and strategic vision for sustainable growth to further realize the full power of PVH.”

In other PVH news, the company has teamed up with the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) to unveil the State of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in Fashion report, a definitive work of research and suggested next steps for the American fashion industry to be more representative and equitable in its workforce, talent pipeline and consumer base.

The CFDA and PVH began this collaboration in 2018, advocating for measurable change to increase workplace opportunity for all through representation, retention, and advancement of talent.

This work, which draws on research and analysis by McKinsey & Company, can be used as a framework to help advance the journey toward equality in organizations throughout the industry.

“We are grateful for PVH’s continued partnership with the CFDA, which allows us to address important needs within American fashion,” said Steven Kolb, CEO of the CFDA. “With the study’s findings and toolkit, we look to industry stakeholders to support us in creating an industry that is diverse, equitable, and inclusive.”

To drive this forward, the CFDA and PVH managed research over the past year to better understand how the fashion industry can be more diverse, equitable, and inclusive, particularly through the lens of racial equity as it relates to talent acquisition and retention. This research included a survey of over 1,000 working industry professionals across 41 companies, 20 stakeholder interviews, and three focus groups with students and emerging designers during fall 2020. A shared objective was to understand the experiences of employees and prospective talent from underrepresented communities across all industry disciplines and levels and to explore related themes such as allyship and intersectionality.

The tragic and senseless acts of racial injustice in 2020, including the loss of all victims of racism in the U.S., as well as the wide-reaching economic impacts of COVID-19, have made this work even more critical.

“The inclusion and diversity challenges in the fashion industry are real. This important research not only confirms that; the learnings from it will also help guide the work towards positive and lasting change,” said Larsson. “We have work to do at PVH, together with our larger industry, we have a collective responsibility to lean in and drive real impact. This is as important as any business strategy and speaks more broadly to who we are as human beings and the impact we can have on society.”

The report highlights the experiences and structural challenges of inequity in the industry. Through this research, the CFDA and PVH identified six key areas of opportunity: awareness, access, promotion, advocacy, compensation, and belonging. Addressing these areas provides a framework for companies to quantify their culture’s strengths and opportunities for improvement; provide insight into actionable steps towards a future more reflective of our citizenry; and foster a talent pipeline from underrepresented communities.

“The fashion industry, both in the U.S. and worldwide, has historically struggled with opportunities and pipelines for Black and Brown talent. We need to collectively address and change this. Our work with PVH will hasten the process and is key to CFDA’s overall DEI work around our IMPACT initiative, launching later this month to identify, connect, support, and nurture Black and Brown creatives and professionals in fashion,” said CaSandra Diggs, president of the CFDA.