Wolford has appointed a new chief executive officer, Regis Rimbert, to succeed Silvia Azzali, who is leaving for personal reasons, effective Friday.
This is a return to Wolford for Rimbert as he held senior management positions from 2009 to 2013 at the Austrian hosiery and innerwear company, driving its omnichannel transformation. He brings to Wolford more than two decades of experience in the fashion and luxury sectors, working at Prada, Lanvin and Dior.
In a statement, the company said Rimbert “excels in strategic planning, business development, crisis management and operational excellence. His achievements include restructuring investments, optimizing supply chains and establishing global distribution networks.”
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In his new role, he is tasked with focusing on international expansion, product line enrichment, and technological innovation to broaden the accessibility of Wolford products.
Azzali was previously chief commercial officer of Wolford and was named to the CEO role in July last year, but she and Wolford went way back. She first joined the brand in 2011 as managing director for south Europe, leaving in 2016 for Ermanno Scervino and then Moschino, rejoining Wolford in 2019.
She had set in motion a reorganization of the company, planning its expansion and inking a string of collaborations with brands ranging from No. 21, Jonathan Simkhai and Mugler to Adidas, Alberta Ferretti and Etro, among others, on collections that included jumpsuits or bodysuits in addition to hosiery. In February 2023, she named Nao Takekoshi artistic director, unveiled a new website in November that year, a new brand book and a new store concept, the Wolford Lounge.
“With 70 years of heritage, Wolford is an iconic skinwear brand renowned for its exquisite fabrics and top-notch innovations, as well as an integral part of the Lanvin Group family,” said Zhen Huang, chairman of Wolford parent Lanvin Group, which “will continue to support the brand in its transformation, growth and expansion. We look forward to working with Wolford’s new leadership to harness the brand’s legacy and utilize its archives as we evolve our product categories and offerings, making Wolford an important growth engine for Lanvin Group.”
Eric Chan, CEO of Lanvin Group, thanked Azzali for her “valuable contributions” to the brand and said that Rimbert’s “extensive experience and visionary leadership make him the ideal candidate to lead Wolford to success. His vision aligns perfectly with our commitment to pioneering new trends and meeting the evolving needs of our customers.”
Lanvin Group, which also controls the Lanvin, St. John, Sergio Rossi and Caruso brands and is publicly listed in New York, reported sales in 2023 of 426 million euros, compared to revenues of 423 million euros in 2022. Wolford is publicly listed on the Vienna Stock Exchange. As per the latest figures available, the company’s revenues in the first half last year came in at 58.8 million euros.
