La DoubleJ, the Milan-based lifestyle brand best known for its exuberant, joyful prints and cheeky sense of humour, has named Maureen Chiquet its new chairwoman as it looks to ramp up global growth. Her appointment is effective immediately.

Chiquet is a seasoned executive and former global chief executive of Chanel, where she spent almost 10 years bolstering its reputation as one of luxury’s top couture houses before exiting in 2016. She’s also worked at beauty conglomerate L’Oréal and fashion group Gap Inc.

“She comes with all this incredible experience and has such an impeccable track record,” said brand co-founder JJ Martin, noting Chiquet initially contacted her through a headhunter friend. “I felt truly honoured that someone of her calibre would be interested in what we were doing.”

In the newly created role, Chiquet is tasked with helping scale the brand, working closely with co-founders Martin and Andrea Ciccoli to capitalise on current momentum and spearhead global growth. Category development, international expansion, new stores and optimisation of the brand’s marketing are all on the agenda. Chiquet’s experience will also be an asset to the brand’s organisational development as it looks to scale.

“I think what JJ and Andrea have done is nothing short of extraordinary. And while we may be small right now, I think we’re going to be a tremendously large success,” she said. “Meeting JJ and talking to her, and also just being surrounded by this world of DoubleJ and this brilliant colour — I like to think of it as chic eccentricity — made me say, ‘I want to be a part of this.’”

Los Angeles-born, Milan-based Martin — a former fashion journalist for publications like Harper’s Bazaar and The Wall Street Journal — first launched La DoubleJ as a content-driven website selling vintage clothes in 2015. Soon she pivoted to release her own line of colourful printed dresses adorned with vintage patterns and made from Italian silks.

Since then, the brand has expanded into a range of categories, including homeware, knitwear, outerwear and accessories, but its signature vibrant dresses remain the driver of the business, Ciccoli said. Today, it’s available at key luxury retailers like Matchesfashion, Le Bon Marché and Harrods. Recently, the brand opened its first flagship store, located in Milan’s Golden Triangle, and while Ciccoli declined to share figures for the business, he noted the brand had more than doubled its revenues over the past three years, posting growth throughout the pandemic period.

“What’s amazing is this brand has a cult following,” said Chiquet. “I think the potential is enormous. We are at the very, very beginning — not that many people know what DoubleJ is, but I can tell you, as soon as they see the homeware, the accessories, the dresses, the shirts, they want them.”

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