Dive Brief:

• Saks Fifth Avenue has named fashion consultant and retail veteran Roopal Patel as fashion director, the retailer said Thursday. She will report to chief merchant Tracy Margolies.

• Patel runs a much respected fashion consultancy and her Instagram feed is popular and watched closely by many in and out of the industry. 

• The position has been vacant since former Harrods chief merchant Marigay McKee left the job after just 15 months. McKee’s position as president was filled then by Marc Metrick, a veteran at parent company Hudson’s Bay.

Dive Insight:

The departure of McKee earlier this year, reportedly due more to her management style than to her fashion or merchandising vision, left a vacuum at the top for Saks’ fashion direction. Patel will have a key role in forecasting the fashion trends underpinning all of Saks' buying strategy, articulating the store's seasonal fashion message, and scouting fresh designers and collections, the retailer said in its announcement.

Patel’s experience at Neiman Marcus, where she worked for more than a decade, including as senior fashion director of Bergdorf Goodman and senior accessory market editor for Neiman Marcus, should serve her well at Saks. In addition to the creative consultancy she founded three years ago, Patel was executive fashion director of luxury retailer Moda Operandi.

"Roopal is a respected force in the industry with high energy and a deep understanding of today's luxury fashion consumer, and we are so pleased to welcome her to Saks," Metrick said in a statement. "I am confident that her demonstrated expertise in trend direction combined with Tracy's leadership in fashion merchandising, will be invaluable as we continue to elevate the brand and position Saks as a modern and relevant fashion authority in luxury retailing."

The venerable U.S. retailer has been working to regain its stature as a fashion-forward upscale department store in an era when department stores are searching for a new raison d’etre.