Italian clothing group Ermenegildo Zegna NV has appointed Lelio Gavazza as CEO of its recently acquired Tom Ford Fashion division. Gavazza will take up the newly created position on September 18 and will report directly to CEO Gildo Zegna, the company announced on Tuesday. His future area of responsibility includes all activities of Tom Ford Fashion from collection development through production and marketing to wholesale and retail sales.
Gavazza comes from Bulgari, a brand owned by French luxury goods retailer LVMH, where he has held various management positions over the past few years. Among other things, he temporarily managed the label’s China and European business. He currently serves at Bulgari as Executive Vice President, Sales & Retail.
The Zegna Group had secured Tom Ford’s clothing segment as part of the takeover of the fashion house by the cosmetics group The Estée Lauder Companies. As part of an initial twenty-year license partnership with Estée Lauder, the Italian menswear specialist, which also owns the labels Zegna and Thom Browne, will develop, produce and market the Tom Ford brand collections.
As head of this division, Gavazza will work closely with Guillaume Jesel, Estée Lauder-appointed CEO of Tom Ford, to “ensure the fashion’s alignment with the label’s holistic luxury strategy,” the Zegna Group said.