Reed Krakoff, who served as chief artistic officer of Tiffany & Co. prior to that brand’s sale to LVMH, has been named creative chairman of John Hardy.
Krakoff will also become a minority equity stakeholder in the business.
Krakoff has also been named a strategic adviser to L Catterton, John Hardy’s majority shareholder, where he will weigh in on “select investments and future acquisitions.”
In April, Bloomberg reported that L Catterton was exploring a possible sale of John Hardy, which it acquired in 2014, when it was known as Catterton Partners. It was seeking $200 million for the business, the report said.
In 2016, Catterton Partners merged with the investment arm of LVMH to form L Catterton.
In his new role, Krakoff will “oversee the creative and artistic direction of the business with a focus on accelerating the growth of the John Hardy brand,” a statement said.
Krakoff served as chief artistic officer at Tiffany from 2017 to 2021. From 1996 to 2013, he served as president and executive creative director of Coach, where he is generally credited with transforming that brand. Krakoff was named accessory designer of the year three times by the Council of Fashion Designers of America.
Kareem Gahed remains the brand’s CEO, a position he has held since 2019.
“L Catterton has been a strong believer in the growth opportunities ahead for John Hardy, and we are confident that, with Reed’s artistic eye, the brand’s distinctive heritage will continue to be set apart,” said Michael Chu, the global co-CEO of L Catterton, as well as chairman of the John Hardy board of directors, in a statement.
Designer Hollie Bonneville Barden served as John Hardy’s executive creative director from April 2016 through April 2020, according to her LinkedIn profile.
Top: The John Hardy boutique at the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas (photo courtesy of John Hardy)
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