Converse announced the appointment of Chris Manley as General Manager, Premium Products.  Manley will oversee sales, design, merchandising and production for premium apparel and footwear including the Converse by John Varvatos men’s and women’s collections.

Additionally, Converse will realign the category management overseen by Michael Spillane, President North American Footwear to include Global Apparel.  Manley joined the company January 22, reporting directly to Michael Spillane and will work out of Converse’s New York City office.

For the past seven years, Manley was the President of Menswear at Theory overseeing sales, design, production and merchandising where he was instrumental in driving the overall growth of Theory’s men’s apparel business.  Manley was also integral in leading the growth and development of new categories including tailored clothing, dress shirts and ties. Before joining Theory, Manley spent three years at Hugo Boss as Senior Vice President, Product Development.  Prior to Hugo Boss, Manley worked for over 10 years in the apparel industry with brands including Lacoste, Donna Karan, Barneys New York and Benetton.