PARIS — Signaling the importance of its men’s wear business, the Dior fashion house is reinforcing management and has named its second-in-command, Serge Brunschwig, president of Dior Homme, WWD has learned.
A key deputy of Christian Dior Couture president and chief executive officer Sidney Toledano since 2008, Brunschwig adds the new title effective Sept. 1, and is to continue in his current role as chief operating officer.
His new responsibilities include “the further development of Dior Homme in ready-to-wear and accessories,” according to the company.
Fabrizio Malverdi, who has piloted the men’s division since 2011 through a strong growth phase and driven the product range further upscale, is to report to Brunschwig, according to Dior Homme.
An affable, yet methodical executive much in the mold of Toledano, Brunschwig has long been making a mark on Dior’s men’s business as he helps oversee its retail network, with new units typically combining the complete women’s and men’s product universes.
The management addition comes as Kris Van Assche, Dior Homme’s creative director since 2007, recently shuttered his 10-year-old signature label, allowing him to focus full-time on Dior Homme.
Before joining Dior, Brunschwig was ceo of Céline, part of the luxury group LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton controlled by Bernard Arnault, who also owns Dior. Brunschwig has also worked for Louis Vuitton and Sephora, with a particular expertise in emerging markets like Asia and the Middle East.
A graduate of Ecole Polytechnique, Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Télécommunications and Sciences Po, Brunschwig joined the LVMH group in 1995.
Malverdi was ceo at Givenchy before joining Dior, and previously worked under Toledano when he served as managing director of John Galliano. Toledano recruited Malverdi, an Italian national, from the Mariella Burani Fashion Group in 2006.