Change is in the air at MCM.
At Milan Men’s Fashion Week, the luxury brand will unveil a new brand identity. In addition, MCM is concentrating on repositioning itself as a digitally driven, smart and sustainable luxury brand, which the Munich-based company will join on Friday.
This change is accompanied by a strategic realignment and some new personal details. Sabine Brunner is now at the helm. According to the announcement, she was recently appointed President of MCM Global AG and has been responsible for management ever since. Brunner is also a member of the Executive Committee and acts as Brand & Commercial Officer for the brand. In her role, she is responsible for the areas of Creative, Category Development & Planning, Marketing, Creative Interactive Space and License & Business Development.
Brunner has years of experience in the fashion industry. According to her profile on the LinkedIn careers network, before her time at MCM, she worked, among other things, as Managing Director for the Milanese brand La Double J and Roger Vivier in Paris and as Managing Director of Bonprix.
successor for Dirk Schönberger
Four months after the departure of fashion designer Dirk Schönberger, the brand has now also announced his successors. Tina Lutz and Katie Chung have been entrusted with the global design and creative direction of the Munich-based brand.
The duo will jointly lead the development of all of the brand’s categories, although the two women are based in different parts of the world and have different titles. As MCM’s Global Creative Lead, Tina Lutz will provide design and creative direction for the global design studio in Milan, while Katie Chung will assume the role of Creative Director. Chung currently resides in Seoul, South Korea. Together, the two designers will breathe new life into the brand’s signature DNA, translating conceptual design into a culture and lifestyle for today’s digital nomad.
As the founder and designer of the luxury handbag brand Lutz Morris, Tina Lutz already has a lot of experience in the product category, which is very important for MCM. According to her website, the native German lived in New York for 24 years and has already worked for well-known brands such as Issey Miyake and Calvin Klein. She is also a member of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) and the Fashion Council of Germany (FCG).
Chung, on the other hand, studied fashion design at Central Saint Martins in London, according to industry magazine Women’s Wear Daily, before working as creative director for brands Wooyoungmi and Solid Homme. Fashion seems to be in the designer’s blood, as the menswear brand Wooyoungmi was founded in 2002 by Woo Young Mi, Chung’s mother, and her sister.
The role of Chief Digital and Merchandising Officer will also be filled
The staff wheel keeps turning as Marie-Laure Lequain has been appointed to the role of Chief Digital and Merchandising Officer. In her position, Lequain will be responsible for accelerating commercial growth by capitalizing on market opportunities and maximizing profitability. In addition, “the new distribution model will highlight the brand’s digital first-party business with optimized online and offline consumer experiences through improved, impactful storytelling,” according to the release.
Lutz, Chung and Lequain will all three report directly to Managing Director Sabine Brunner, who in turn will report to MCM Group Chair and Chief Visionary Officer Sungjoo Kim.
“I am delighted to introduce the new leadership team who will start the next chapter of growth for the MCM business. This new cadre of talent will revolutionize the brand to introduce the next level of future luxury and become one of the industry’s leaders in design, experience and digital excellence,” said Kim. “They bring significant experience, knowledge and expertise across the luxury accessories and ready-to-wear segments, which is important to the Group’s rebranding and exciting new business direction.”
MCM’s spring/summer 2024 collection will be presented on June 18th at Milan Fashion Week.