21 Mar Change in Fashion’s C-suite
Fashion has become a place rife not just with impossible people, but impossible situations. Big personality is something the industry self-selects, even thrives on. But the intoxicating mixture of executive charm and corporate jargon that many chief executive officers relied on to give near-sighted business plans their punch, seems to be finally wearing off as business turns south.
The same goes for the enthusiasm for business models that were good enough to churn out some money when things were good, but are now barely limping along or failing outright.
The rise of e-commerce, fast-fashion, off-price, social media and a generation that’s simply less interested in filling their closets has amplified the industry’s every weakness. And ceo’s are finally paying the price — some for screwing up, some for successfully getting a job they were wrong for and some for simply being there when things went bad.