MANUFACTURING
NYDJ’s Leslie Singer to Head Kellwood’s New Sam Edelman Division
Former NYDJ executive Leslie Singer has been named president of Sam Edelman Apparel, a new division at Kellwood Co., formed through a new partnership between Kellwood and Sam Edelman, which is owned by the Brown Shoe Co.
The appointment marks Sam Edelman’s expansion beyond its footwear roots into a lifestyle apparel brand.
At NYDJ, Singer led sales and merchandising for women’s sportswear, covering all distribution channels, including department stores, specialty stores and e-tailers such as Zappos and Amazon.com. Her career includes serving as president of women’s sportswear for Tommy Hilfiger USA, executive vice president of Tommy Jeans and president of junior sportswear at Sean John. She has also held executive sales positions at Nautica and Guess and has served in the buying departments of Macy’s and Abraham and Strauss.
“When we inked our partnership with Sam Edelman, Leslie was the first person that came to mind when considering who would lead this new division,” said Lynn Shanahan, Kellwood’s chief executive officer, in a statement. “We are thrilled that she has joined us. She is one of the best merchants in the marketplace and has unparalleled retail relationships.”
The new Sam Edelman apparel line will debut for Fall 2014 and will be sold in better department stores and specialty stores as well as in Sam Edelman stores in New York and Beverly Hills.
In addition to Sam Edelman, Kellwood’s portfolio of brands includes XOXO, David Meister, My Michelle, Jolt, Democracy, Sangria, Jax, Sag Harbor and Briggs NY. Kellwood is also the parent company of Rebecca Taylor and is an affiliated portfolio company of Sun Capital Partners Inc.
