Dive Brief:
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Several fashion retailers, like Gap Inc., Coach, and Nike have recruited top tech talent, while Burberry’s former CEO Angela Ahrendts is now Apple’s head of retail.
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Meanwhile, Wal-Mart Stores, Target, American Eagle Outfitters, and others are poaching employees from tech firms and setting up shop in Silicon Valley.
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Technology and fashion are intersecting for a variety of reasons, from fabric and design considerations to digital advances in e-commerce and m-commerce.
Dive Insight:
The Wall Street Journal has unveiled a curious phenomenon that indicates that tech "nerds" may have finally arrived: Fashion and tech firms are competing for the same technology expertise.
"We are at a critical juncture for fashion, technology and retail," Karen Harvey, who leads retail and fashion executive search firm Karen Harvey Consulting Group, told the paper. "The war just got bigger for talent. Neither sector is necessarily at a place where you are grooming the right talent to build a sustainable brand for the future."
