Robert Norton, president of Moncler Americas, has been named chief commercial officer of Skims, the innerwear, loungewear and swimwear brand, a new post.
Skims was cofounded in 2019 by Kim Kardashian, Jens Grede and Emma Grede, with a focus on body positivity and inclusivity.
Since May 2017, Norton has been president of Moncler Americas, where he presided over the brand’s retail expansion and concession model transition while helping to position it within the luxury sector. Before that, he was with Roberto Cavalli as chief executive officer of the Americas.
Earlier in his career Norton spent 14 years at Ralph Lauren, rising to vice president, divisional merchandise manager of men’s, prior to which he was vice president, Ralph Lauren Retail, North America.
Related Galleries
Norton reports to Jens Grede.
“I am thrilled to join Skims as the brand embarks on its expansion into new channels and territories. The energy of the team and the cultural force of the brand are unmatched, and I’m looking forward to bringing this immense momentum into scaling the business,” said Norton.
Jens Grede, cofounder and CEO, added, “I have been a fan of Robert’s for several years and believe him to be a rare, creatively minded executive who knows how to build both a brand and a business. We are excited to have Robert on the team as we continue the evolution of Skims into a global retail brand.”
Last January Skims raised a Series B funding round of $240 million led by Lone Pine Capital with additional participation from D1 Capital Partners and existing investors Thrive Capital, Imaginary Ventures and Alliance Consumer Growth, valuing the company at $3.2 billion.
Earlier this month, Kardashian, cofounder and creative director, and Jens Grede, gave a presentation to a class at Harvard Business School. The presentation marked the Skims’ cofounders’ first public brand presentation, focused on dissecting the success story of Skims and addressed the challenges the brand may confront following three years of significant growth.
The brand has had a 98 percent increase in sales over last year, sold more than 7.5 million units year to date and acquired 2 million new customers in 2022.
Skims benefited during the pandemic as customers gravitated to loungewear and became comfortable ordering underwear online and because the “Fits Everybody” garments were forgiving enough. Their return rates are lower than average. The brand has expanded into swimwear, has offered an adaptive collection, and launched a new bra system with three collections addressing shape, construction and wear, as reported.
Last week Skims launched a Valentine’s Day campaign featuring Beatrice Grannò and Simona Tabasco, two of the stars of “The White Lotus,” titled the Valentine’s Shop, as reported. It was photographed by Donna Trope.