Wacoal America announced that CEO Mitchell Kauffman will retire, effective immediately, following six years of leadership. James Wheatley, who has served as president of Wacoal America for the past year, has been named president and CEO.
Kauffman joined Wacoal America in 2016. Under his leadership, Wacoal America continued to strengthen its position in the women’s intimate apparel category.
“During my 40 years in the Intimate Apparel industry, I had the opportunity to watch the birth and growth of Wacoal in the U.S. from the outside, and, as a competitor, I genuinely envied the foundational principles the company was built on: Quality, Fit and Service,” said Kauffman. “When I joined Wacoal in 2016, I quickly came to understand that the company was driven by something far deeper than those product principles alone. Since its founding in Japan in 1947, Wacoal has operated on a set of core tenets, the most important of which is ‘mutual trust.’ My predecessors instilled that into the fabric of this organization, and it has been my greatest responsibility and privilege to maintain and build upon that culture. After six remarkable years leading this organization, the time has come for me to retire. I leave with tremendous confidence, knowing that Wacoal’s future is in the hands of an extraordinary management team and a new leader in James Wheatley, someone with the experience, drive and vision to take Wacoal America forward in a rapidly changing industry, while honoring everything this company has been built on.”
Wheatley brings nearly four decades of retail and intimate apparel experience to his expanded role. He spent 13 years with JCPenney before moving into the intimate apparel industry, where he has built his career over the past 26 years. His background includes leadership roles at Vanity Fair and Maidenform, followed by his six-year tenure as VP of Sales at Wacoal America.
The transition comes as Wacoal America recently completed its acquisition of Glamorise, expanding its portfolio and reach across the intimate apparel category. The company has also opened new retail locations in Columbus, OH, and Hilton Head, SC, with further expansion planned. Alongside these moves, Wacoal is launching a newly redesigned website “that signals a broader brand evolution, one centered on meeting women where they are, serving them across all life stages, and deepening the fit education and inclusive access that have long set the brand apart.”
“Wacoal has spent over 75 years earning the trust of women around the world, and 40 of those years building something truly special here in the United States,” said Wheatley. “This is a brand women have turned to for fit, quality, innovation, and comfort for decades, and that loyalty is not something you inherit; it’s something you work to deserve every day. We are entering a moment of real change in retail and our industry, and I see it as an opportunity to lead. I am deeply committed to the culture Mitch and his predecessors have built here and equally committed to pushing Wacoal America forward into what comes next.”
Kauffman will remain on board as an advisor to support the transition and new initiatives. Based in Japan, Wacoal’s brands include the CW-X performance apparel brand.
Image courtesy James Wheatley
