Dive Brief:
- AG Jeans has named Glenn McMahon as its first CEO, the company announced Monday in a release sent to Fashion Dive. He will report to company owner and founder Yul Ku.
- McMahon was previously CEO at St. John Knits and has also served in senior executives roles at Giorgio Armani, Dolce & Gabbana, Ellen Tracy and DKNY.
- The California-based denim and knitwear brand has been without a CEO since its founding in 2000 and was run by Ku during that time. His son Samuel Ku serves as president.
Dive Insight:
McMahon spent six years as the CEO of St. John Knits. In 2013, he left the luxury knitwear company after leading the sale of the brand to Fosun Fashion Group, later rebranded to Lanvin Group, which acquired a 33.3% stake that year and a majority share in 2017.
He has since worked in a variety of logistics and consulting positions, including a stint as chief revenue officer at retail solutions company Happy Returns, and seven years running his own independent consulting firm.
“I have had the extraordinary opportunity throughout my career to work for owners and founders of leading global fashion houses and I am incredibly honored to be working with Mr. Ku and the team at AG to continue to build on the brand’s commitment to innovation and sustainability, strong market presence and rich heritage,” McMahon said in the release.
Ku has been in the denim business since 1985, when he opened denim factory Koos Manufacturing, which currently lists itself as the only vertically integrated blue jeans factory on the West Coast. In 2000, Ku co-founded AG Jeans with industry veteran and Diesel co-creator Adriano Goldschmied, who has been nicknamed the “godfather of denim,” and in 2004, Ku bought Goldschmied’s share of the business, including his namesake brand.
“Glenn brings a wealth of experience to our executive team and is the right commercial leader for this time in our business,” Yul Ku said in the release. He added that McMahon’s “deep subject matter expertise coupled with decades of executive leadership” had helped lead other brands through “periods of rapid growth and transformational change,” and he said he welcomed his McMahon’s leadership “as we continue to invest in the future of the company.”
McMahon’s appointment comes as several denim companies in North America are bringing in new executive talent. Just this month, True Religion tapped Kristen D’Arcy to be its chief marketing officer, and Suzanne Silverstein became CEO of Silver Jeans, taking the reins for company founder Michael Silver. Meanwhile, Rag & Bone’s co-founder Marcus Wainwright left his role as chief brand officer, and handed over the company’s creative duties to his staff.
