DODGEVILLE, United States — The chief executive officer of Lands' End, recruited from the New York fashion house Dolce & Gabbana in a bit of a culture clash, has stepped down after less than two years.

Federica Marchionni was brought to the Dodgeville, Wisconsin, company with its button-down shirts and casual clothing in February 2015. Her employment agreement specified that she would not have to move to the small southwestern Wisconsin city and that her primary workplace would be in New York.

Marchionni's call to feature feminist and abortion rights advocate Gloria Steinem in a Lands' End catalog drew the ire of some customers, causing the retailer to issue a public apology and remove Steinem from its website.

The board has appointed two vice presidents to lead the company while it searches for a new chief executive officer.