Roxy, a division of Quiksilver, has named Mary Kwan as Senior Vice President of Merchandising and Design. The accomplished executive will be responsible for supervision of product development, leading the identification and allocation of human and operational resources, budget control and staffing needs. She replaces Carol Christopherson, who was recently named President of Retail for Quiksilver, Americas.
Kwan will work with key retailers and suppliers while driving growth of the business and the exploration of profitable brand extension opportunities. She will supervise the development of seasonal product line plans, establish the seasonal line development calendar and manage inventory procurement. She has held senior positions with some of the apparel industry's largest and most influential brands, including Levi Strauss, Sears Roebuck & Co, The Limited Inc., Mervyn's, and JC Penney. Kwan will report directly to Steve Tully, President of Women's, Quiksilver Americas.
Kwan most recently served as Vice President of Merchandise and Licensing for the Levi Strauss Signature brand, where she was responsible for the start-up and execution of the Signature line. Some of her key clients included Wal-Mart, Target and ShopKo. Previously, Kwan was Chief Merchandising Officer for Factory 2-U Stores, where she managed the merchandising and marketing efforts for the $600 million extreme value discount retailer. Before that, Kwan worked as Executive Vice President and General Merchandise Manager for The Limited Inc.'s Lane Bryant division, the most widely recognized name in plus-size fashion. While there, she was responsible for women's lines with annual sales of $800 million, and drove the company's jeans business from $56 million to $100 million in only two years. At Sears Roebuck & Co, Kwan was Vice President and General Merchandise Manager, and was responsible for $1.5 billion in annual sales for children's apparel, furniture, toys and “funtronics.” While there, she created two private brands and won the prestigious “Chairman's Award” for best performance over plan in both top and bottom lines.
“Mary brings a wealth of senior experience at some of the biggest names in the industry, and we expect her contribution at Roxy to be enormous,” said Steve Tully, President of Women's, Quiksilver Americas. “She has excelled in every stage of her career, and I look forward to her joining the Roxy team and helping to spur the division's future growth and innovation.”
“I am really excited to join Quiksilver and work to continue the exciting growth of the Roxy Brand,” said Mary Kwan, Senior Vice President of Merchandising and Design, Roxy. “This represents a wonderful opportunity for me to leverage my experience with a vibrant brand like Roxy and its dynamic leadership and I look forward to making a big contribution.”
Kwan also served 10 years at Mervyn's, where she began as an Inventory Analyst/Inventory Manager for Cosmetics and Girl's Apparel, and rose to Director of Merchandise Planning and Distribution of Women's Apparel, Family Footwear, Cosmetics, Accessories and Intimate Apparel eventually achieving the position of Divisional Vice President of Children's Apparel. Prior to that, she was a Senior Merchandise Manager for JC Penney.
