For more updates about the The BoF 500 subscribe to the Daily Digest newsletter

For more updates about the The BoF 500 subscribe to the Daily Digest newsletter

{alt missing} intothegloss.com

Shirley Cook

Former Chief Executive, Proenza Schouler

Having guided Proenza Schouler from start-up to superstar brand, she stepped down following the company's sale of a minority stake to private equity firm Castanea Partners.

Biography

A co-founder and the first chief executive officer of Proenza Schouler, Shirley Cook oversaw the label’s rapid ascension from school project to lucrative luxury brand with sales of over $50 million, a strong accessories division, and a total of five CFDA awards, including three for best womenswear designers. Under her leadership, the brand became the hottest ticket at New York Fashion Week.

In June 2015, Cook exited the 13-year-old brand as part of the deal made with Castanea Partners, a private equity firm that purchased a minority stake in the label. Ron Frasch , an operating partner at Castanea, has assumed the role on an interim basis.

Along with negotiating the terms of a 2007 investment by private equity firm Permira and subsequent investment by a group of 12 private investors, Cook has also oversaw the brand's international retail strategy. In 2012, the brand launched its first flagship store in New York. A revamped e-commerce presence was launched in May 2013.

Cook was originally introduced to designers and co-founders Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez through a mutual school friend. An alumnus of New York University, where she obtained a Bachelors of Arts in religious studies in 2001, Cook began helping the young designers with sales receipts and business questions whilst working as a PR assistant at Helmut Lang and was officially brought on board to oversee the label’s business operations after Barneys New York purchased the entirety of McCollough and Hernandez’s school thesis collection.

Career

Proenza Schouler

Proenza Schouler

Chief Executive

2002 - Present

New York, United States

Education

New York University

New York University

Vital Statistics

Nationality

United States

Location
United States
Member since
2013

Similar Profiles

Iris Apfel

Muse & Businesswoman

Phillip Picardi

Former Editor-in-Chief, Out

Jack McCollough & Lazaro Hernandez

Co-Founders & Creative Directors, Proenza Schouler

Emily Weiss

Founder & Chief Executive, Glossier & Intothegloss.com


What is The BoF 500?

The people shaping the global fashion industry, curated by the editors of The Business of Fashion, based on nominations and on-the-ground intelligence from around the world.