The Business of Fashion
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
LONDON, United Kingdom — Frederik Dyhr, head of menswear at British luxury brand Belstaff, has stepped down from his role to pursue "new opportunities" effective immediately.
Current head of womenswear Delphine Ninous has been named collection creative director, overseeing both men's and women's lines as well as all other categories in the company's portfolio, as part of a wider plan to streamline the creative team.
The move allows the company to accelerate its strategy to create more cohesion between its women and menswear segments and further develop its expansion plans, chief executive Gavin Haig told BoF.
“Appointing Delphine is within our strategy to accelerate and to have a very singular pair of eyes across all of the collection development,” Haig said.
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"By having a single design head, I think that can go faster and can be more cohesive," he continued, adding that he was considering combining both women and menswear into one show next year following in the steps of other brands like Burberry and Gucci.
Ninous joined the company in October 2014 and has been responsible for overseeing Belstaff's womenswear collections. She was formerly design director at Paul & Joe, and has worked for brands like Isabel Marant, Comptoir des Contonniers and Diane Von Furstenberg.
Belstaff, whose latest campaign features Magnum photographer Paolo Pellegrin, was founded in 1924 by Eli Belovitch and his son-in-law Harry Grosberg in Longton, Staffordshire.
It was acquired in 2011 by the holding company JAB Group, which is owned by billionaire German industrialists the Reimann family and also has investments in Jimmy Choo and Bally.
Belstaff, which does not disclose its financial results, reported revenue grew by 20 percent for the 12 months ending January 31st, 2016.
Haig said he expected the company to continue to grow at double-digit rates this year, adding that he expected to see a rise in international shopping due to the dramatic drop in the pound’s value after Britain voted to leave the European Union last week.
“I think that what is happening in the UK with sterling will encourage international shopping for sure, so I feel pretty confident about the rest of the year,” he said.
Two years ago, Belstaff moved its operations to the UK from New York, as part of plans to align itself more closely with its British heritage. It has also embarked on a global expansion push, opening stores in new markets like South Korea and Japan.
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