Latest news with #GardeDue
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
EXCLUSIVE: Sustainable Couture Label ArdAzAei Taps Ulrik Garde Due as CEO
PARIS — Sustainable couture house ArdAzAei is ramping up for its next step of development, with the nomination of Ulrik Garde Due as chief executive officer. 'Ulrik is a seasoned executive with a deep understanding of how to translate creative excellence into market opportunity,' says Johannes Falk, cofounder of ArdAzAei. 'This marks a pivotal evolution for our maison. His leadership will allow us to balance our uncompromising artistic standards with the operational strength required for growth.' More from WWD Balenciaga, Maison Margiela Among Highlights of Provisional Paris Couture Schedule StockX Taps Frequent Nike, LeBron James Collaborator Daniel De Jesus Krueger as Head of Creative EXCLUSIVE: Kizik Names Former Nike Exec Gareth Hosford as Its New CEO A trained gemologist, Iranian Swedish cofounder and creative director Bahareh Ardakani came to couture while taking a technical look at the supply chain combined with an old-world French craftsmanship. She and Falk founded the brand in 2018 in Stockholm and established it in Paris in 2022, with an off-schedule couture show followed by the opening of a showroom and atelier on Rue Saint-Florentin in the 1st arrondissement. From the start, the goal was to build a house complete with couture, ready-to-wear, accessories and high jewelry, all while making it sustainable. For her first Paris show, Ardakani told WWD her ready-to-wear would 'eschew trend-based consumption' — tackling the overconsumption problem of multiple 'must-have' collections a year — and be released in small, in-season drops. ArdAzAei became a guest member of the couture federation starting with the fall 2024 couture season. Its fall 2024 ready-to-wear was its first fully Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS)-certified collection. For Garde Due, who has served as strategic advisor to ArdAzAei since 2024, the company is 'building something truly exceptional.' 'ArdAzAei is answering a global demand for fashion that carries meaning — crafted with precision, driven by purpose,' the veteran executive declared. 'We're entering a chapter where emotionally intelligent design must meet commercial scale, and I'm excited to bring this vision to the global consumer.' On his roadmap is the brand's expansion into a 'complete wardrobe of ready-to-wear,' slated to be unveiled during October's Paris Fashion Week. Garde Due has extensive experience in the fashion and luxury space, most recently as operational chairman of the board of Cecilie Bahnsen, a position he has held for over nine years. He is also chairman of the board at sustainability reporting and consulting firm Positive Luxury. Previously, the executive served stints as president and CEO of American leather goods brand Mark Cross; president of the living division of Fiskars Corp., which operates Wedgewood, Waterford and Royal Doulton and other home labels; CEO of Temperley London, and president and CEO of Georg Jensen. Earlier in his career, he served as senior vice president of Burberry; global director of marketing and sales at Cerruti, and vice president of North America at Celine. Best of WWD EXCLUSIVE: Maje Names Charlotte Tasset Ferrec CEO Nadja Swarovski Exits Family Company Amid Ongoing Corporate Shakeup Aeffe MD Exits Fashion Group Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Fashion Network
3 days ago
- Business
- Fashion Network
Couture label ArdAzAei names Ulrik Garde Due as CEO
Garde Due, who has worked in Asia, Europe and America, is a highly experienced luxury industry executive, having held senior positions at several fashion and jewellery brands. After studying business and marketing in Copenhagen, Paris and London, he worked for Celine, Cerruti and Burberry. In 2007, he took charge of Danish jewellery brand Georg Jensen. Six years later, he was named CEO of British fashion label Temperley London, and in 2016 he took charge of a division of Finnish kitchenware producer Fiskars Group. At the end of 2018, he was named CEO of long-established US luxury leather goods brand Mark Cross. In parallel, Garde Due became chairman of the board of consulting firm Positive Luxury, a sustainability specialist, and operational chairman of the board at Danish label Cecilie Bahnsen, which shows in Paris. 'With this appointment, ArdAzAei is affirming its vision: to gear up for sustainable growth, transforming the brand with rigour and preparing the label for a new stage in its international expansion,' said the label in a press release. ArdAzAei was founded in Stockholm in 2018 and established a presence in Paris in 2022, opening a store and an atelier near place de la Concorde, at 11 rue Saint-Florentin. ArdAzAei's sophisticated minimalist style 'is a blend of French expertise, Persian heritage, and Scandinavian design principles,' and takes great care to respect the environment. Most of the items in its next ready-to-wear collection will be 'GOTS-certified and crafted from organic, custom-developed textiles. The garments will be produced in EPV-certified ateliers in France (entreprise du patrimoine vivant, or living heritage company), ensuring full traceability,' said ArdAzAei.
Fashion Network
3 days ago
- Business
- Fashion Network
Couture label ArdAzAei names ex-Temperley London chief Ulrik Garde Due as CEO
Garde Due, who has worked in Asia, Europe and America, is a highly experienced luxury industry executive, having held senior positions at several fashion and jewellery brands. After studying business and marketing in Copenhagen, Paris and London, he worked for Celine, Cerruti and Burberry. In 2007, he took charge of Danish jewellery brand Georg Jensen. Six years later, he was named CEO of British fashion label Temperley London, and in 2016 he took charge of a division of Finnish kitchenware producer Fiskars Group. At the end of 2018, he was named CEO of long-established US luxury leather goods brand Mark Cross. In parallel, Garde Due became chairman of the board of consulting firm Positive Luxury, a sustainability specialist, and operational chairman of the board at Danish label Cecilie Bahnsen, which shows in Paris. 'With this appointment, ArdAzAei is affirming its vision: to gear up for sustainable growth, transforming the brand with rigour and preparing the label for a new stage in its international expansion,' said the label in a press release. ArdAzAei was founded in Stockholm in 2018 and established a presence in Paris in 2022, opening a store and an atelier near place de la Concorde, at 11 rue Saint-Florentin. ArdAzAei's sophisticated minimalist style 'is a blend of French expertise, Persian heritage, and Scandinavian design principles,' and takes great care to respect the environment. Most of the items in its next ready-to-wear collection will be 'GOTS-certified and crafted from organic, custom-developed textiles. The garments will be produced in EPV-certified ateliers in France (entreprise du patrimoine vivant, or living heritage company), ensuring full traceability,' said ArdAzAei.
Fashion Network
3 days ago
- Business
- Fashion Network
Couture label ArdAzAei names Ulrik Garde Due as CEO
Swedish couture label ArdAzAei has reached a new milestone by appointing a CEO. The label, which shows at Paris haute couture week as invited member and is known for its sustainable design, has tapped the luxury sector expertise of Danish executive Ulrik Garde Due, who has taken charge of the label to fast-track its growth. 'Ulrik is a highly experienced luxury industry executive. He has a thorough understanding of the industry and is capable of transforming creative excellence in market opportunities. This is a decisive step for our label. His leadership will enable us to balance our uncompromising artistic standards with the operational strength we need to grow,' said Johannes Falk, who co-founded ArdAzAei with Swedish-Iranian designer Bahareh Ardakani, the label's creative director. ArdAzAei premièred on the official Paris haute couture calendar in June 2024. The label has also developed a ready-to-wear line, which it intends to strengthen by creating a more extensive collection which will be presented at the next Paris Fashion Week Women, in October. Garde Due, who has worked in Asia, Europe and America, is a highly experienced luxury industry executive, having held senior positions at several fashion and jewellery brands. After studying business and marketing in Copenhagen, Paris and London, he worked for Celine, Cerruti and Burberry. In 2007, he took charge of Danish jewellery brand Georg Jensen. Six years later, he was named CEO of British fashion label Temperley London, and in 2016 he took charge of a division of Finnish kitchenware producer Fiskars Group. At the end of 2018, he was named CEO of long-established US luxury leather goods brand Mark Cross. In parallel, Garde Due became chairman of the board of consulting firm Positive Luxury, a sustainability specialist, and operational chairman of the board at Danish label Cecilie Bahnsen, which shows in Paris. 'With this appointment, ArdAzAei is affirming its vision: to gear up for sustainable growth, transforming the brand with rigour and preparing the label for a new stage in its international expansion,' said the label in a press release. ArdAzAei was founded in Stockholm in 2018 and established a presence in Paris in 2022, opening a store and an atelier near place de la Concorde, at 11 rue Saint-Florentin. ArdAzAei's sophisticated minimalist style 'is a blend of French expertise, Persian heritage, and Scandinavian design principles,' and takes great care to respect the environment. Most of the items in its next ready-to-wear collection will be 'GOTS-certified and crafted from organic, custom-developed textiles. The garments will be produced in EPV-certified ateliers in France (entreprise du patrimoine vivant, or living heritage company), ensuring full traceability,' said ArdAzAei.
