Jacquemus Signals Continuity With Appointment of New Commercial Director
● Mélissa Ait-Ouakli will oversee the e-commerce, retail, wholesale and client experience divisions.
PARIS — Jacquemus has named former LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton executive Mélissa Ait-Ouakli commercial director, effective Tuesday, signaling continuity in the French independent brand's retail strategy following the surprise departure of its chief executive officer.
In the new position, Ait-Ouakli will oversee the e-commerce, retail, wholesale and client experience divisions and will report directly to Simon Porte Jacquemus. The founder, owner and creative director of the brand is also acting CEO while the company searches for a successor for Bastien Daguzan, who stepped down in December after less than two years in the role.
Ait-Ouakli is the latest member of the senior leadership team that Jacquemus has put in place to accompany its rapid growth and a brand elevation strategy that includes plans for an international retail rollout, following the opening of its first boutique on Avenue Montaigne in Paris.
She joins from LVMH Fashion Group, where she held the position of strategy and digital director, working with brands including Celine, Loewe, Givenchy, Kenzo, Marc Jacobs and Pucci.
A graduate of the prestigious Ecole Centrale engineering school and of Harvard Business School, Ait-Ouakli started her career at Louis Vuitton from 2007 to
2013, including postings in New York
City and Shanghai. She was head of retail development at Burberry from 2014 to 2017, before returning to LVMH later that year.
Jacquemus did not provide a reason for Daguzan's departure, which was revealed on Dec. 21. “Bastien has been a driving force behind the business and its leadership. We wish him well in his new endeavor,” the designer said in a statement at the time.
With Tuesday's announcement, the brand indicated that it's not planning any major strategic shifts. Over the last year it has appointed several executives to bolster its expertise in communications and brand management, human resources, visual merchandising, retail and product innovation.
Jacquemus, which celebrates its 15th anniversary this year, employs 250 people and is powered by the designer, who has cultivated an easy connection with customers via the brand's official Instagram account, which boasts 6.2 million followers.
Daguzan said last June that the company derives 40 percent of its revenues from its direct-to-consumer business and 60 percent from wholesale, with plans to reverse that split by 2025. It's scouting for permanent locations in the U.S. and the Middle East, with plans to open several stores overseas by 2026 as it seeks to rebalance its sales channels in the face of a global slowdown in e-commerce, he added.