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LONDON, United Kingdom — Today, BoF can exclusively reveal that Carmela Acampora has been appointed the first chief executive officer of London-based luxury fashion label Roksanda, founded by the Serbian-born designer Roksanda Ilincic.
Acampora, who will take up the position in January, joins the brand from luxury leather goods label Aspinal of London, where she held the position of chief operating officer. She previously spent 13 years at British luxury brand Burberry.
The announcement comes as part of the company’s business expansion plans, hatched after Roksanda received a minority-stake investment from Eiesha Bharti Pasricha. The amount of the investment was undisclosed.
“Brand performance today comes mostly through [Roksanda’s] wholesale business,” Acampora told BoF. “We are looking forward to securing strong partnerships with key wholesale and franchise operators across the world, which will give the brand further visibility and widen its customer base.”
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The label also plans to bolster its retail presence as well as launch direct-to-consumer e-commerce, a move planned for the first quarter of 2015. “The opportunity to consolidate the retail model, initiated with the opening of the store on Mount Street, is very exciting,” said Acampora, referring to Roksanda’s 2,500-square-foot David Adjaye-designed boutique on London’s Mount Street, the brand’s first, which opened in June. “E-commerce will be a focus as a new department on the first part of next year,” she continued.
“Carmela’s appointment is a hugely exciting and significant step in the continued growth of my label,” said designer Roksanda Ilincic. “I am delighted to bring on board someone with the vision, energy and expertise to propel the evolution and expansion of the Roksanda brand on a global level.”
“We are delighted to announce Carmela's appointment as CEO to the board. The board went through a thorough process in selecting the right candidate whose vision was aligned with ours,” added Eiesha Bharti Pasricha. “We are excited at the prospect of Carmela and Roksanda working closely together and wish them both every success.”
