Kate Spade, a division of Liz Claiborne Inc., has made key changes at the top.
Craig Leavitt, co-president and chief operating officer, has been named chief executive officer, a new post. Deborah Lloyd, co-president and creative director, has been tapped as president and chief creative officer. Both will continue reporting to William L. McComb, ceo of Liz Claiborne, which has owned Kate Spade since 2006.
Leavitt and Lloyd have worked in tandem since 2008 to improve both the Kate Spade product and retail experience in an effort to create a global lifestyle brand. Kate Spade has begun a global push, including a new joint venture in Japan with partner Sanei, with plans to open stores in Japan, China and Korea. Kate Spade has 39 freestanding units and 29 outlets in the U.S. The company generated $141 million in volume in 2009.
In addition, Kate Spade has launched apparel, jewelry and a fragrance, Kate Spade Swirl, as well as evolving the handbag collection and the Jack Spade label. Leavitt, who joined Kate Spade in 2008, had been president of global retail at Theory. Previously, he worked at Diesel as executive vice president of sales and retail, and spent 16 years at Polo Ralph Lauren Corp., rising to executive vice president of retail concepts.
Lloyd, who also was hired in 2008, had been executive vice president of product design and development at Banana Republic since 2001. She was vice president of women’s design for Burberry London for five years.