Dive Brief:
- Fresh off its recent acquisition by Burch Creative Capital in February, DTC apparel brand Rowing Blazers has appointed Laura Willensky as its chief executive officer, per a news release sent to Retail Dive.
- Willensky succeeds brand co-founder Jack Carlson, who retains his role as creative director, the company said.
- Willensky comes with experience from J. Crew, Victoria’s Secret Beauty, Talbots, Janie & Jack, Madewell and Away. At Away, where she held the role of chief commercial officer, Willensky and about 20 others were impacted by layoffs in May 2023.
Dive Insight:
Just months after being acquired by Burch Creative Capital, Rowing Blazers has ushered in new leadership.
“We are so excited to have Laura join Rowing Blazers as our CEO,” Chris Burch, founder of Burch Creative Capital, said in a statement. “I am confident that her track record in apparel and deep experience as a merchant will have an incredible impact on our customers, our community and our business.”
Willensky’s appointment follows that of Grant Simm, previously CFO at Aimé Leon Dore, being named chief financial officer at Rowing Blazers upon the sale to Burch.
In addition to beefing up its executive staff, the brand has plans to broaden its women’s collection, expand its core offering and increase distribution through a new brick-and-mortar flagship, per the release.
The company was founded in 2017 by Carlson, a former U.S. rowing team member, and David Rosenzweig. Rowing Blazers has collaborated with a wide variety of brands, including limited-edition collaborations with Gucci, Target, Tudor, Seiko and Tag Heuer in the past 12 months before the sale to Burch.
“There is something special about the way Rowing Blazers combines a reverence for nostalgia, history and quality - with an irreverence for the rules,” Carlson said in an email. “Rowing Blazers is helping to re-define ‘preppy’, celebrating the colors, stripes and fabrics that define the collegiate look, but helping to jettison the stuffiness that has been associated with it. I think the wide ranging celebrity fans and diverse partnerships we’ve done reflect this idea of ‘a club for everyone.’”
The appointment of Willensky comes after other companies have issued changes to the top leadership position. Just this month, Funko named a new chief executive officer, which came as the company reported sluggish Q1 earnings results. Hello Bello named a new CEO in January after emerging from bankruptcy at the end of last year. Additional CEO changes include Deckers Corp. promoting their chief commercial officer and Spanx promoting its president to the top spot.
