Levi Strauss & Co. Hires New Chief Commercial Officer to Drive DTC Transformation
Levi Strauss & Co. (LS&Co.) has appointed Gianluca Flore as its new EVP and Chief Commercial Officer, effective July 29, 2024. Flore will report directly to President and CEO Michelle Gass and will support all Levi’s commercial operations and global channels, including stores, ecommerce and wholesale.
“I am delighted to welcome Gianluca to LS&Co. at this transformational moment for the company, as we pivot to become a DTC-led, denim lifestyle leader,” said Gass in a statement. “He is an industry veteran with an exceptional track record of delivering profitable growth at iconic fashion brands. His depth of experience in driving market relevance and consumer-centric, operational excellence makes him the right leader to help us usher in the company’s next chapter of stakeholder value creation.”
With more than 20 years of international commercial experience, Flore was most recently Chief Commercial Officer of Burberry, where he oversaw five regions and a network of more than 400 stores. Before that, he was the company’s president for the Americas and Global Retail Excellence, driving the expansion and productivity of Burberry’s retail footprint and elevating distribution and positioning across wholesale. Flore also has held leadership roles at luxury companies Kering and Bottega Veneta.
In a statement, Flore noted that he is especially excited to be part of LS&Co. during “this exciting time for the Levi’s brand, which continues to be the unequivocal category leader, firmly at the center of culture. I look forward to working with the immensely talented LS&Co. team.”
Levi’s has seen a surge in demand, including a nearly 20% boost in store traffic across U.S. locations as well as a 20% increase in share price, following the release of Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter album, which features the track “Levii’s Jeans.” The brand embraced this homage, going on to change its name to Levii’s on Instagram.
“I don’t think there’s any better evidence or proof point than having someone like Beyoncé, who is a culture shaper, to actually name a song after us,” Gass said during a conference call.
