Designer Tim Hamilton has been named vice president of men’s apparel design at Nike, a spokesperson for the company confirmed to Fashion Dive.
Before accepting this position, Hamilton spent the past five years as global creative director at VF Corp.-owned outdoor brand The North Face, during which time he orchestrated collaborations with multiple brands including Gucci and Supreme. He has also helmed his own label and won a CFDA award for Menswear Designer of the Year in 2009.
In a LinkedIn post from earlier in March about his new role, Hamilton said he was looking forward to the role.
“After 5+ years of leading global creative at The North Face, I am thrilled to announce my next chapter at NIKE!,” Hamilton wrote. “It is an honor to join such an innovative and inspiring team.”
The hire comes as Nike rethinks its overall brand strategy following flat Q3 earnings.
In an earnings call with analysts last week, Nike CEO John Donahoe said the athleticwear brand wants to increase its focus on sport, a better flow of product innovation, “bolder” brand marketing and a reinvestment in wholesale partners.
“We know Nike is not performing at our potential,” Donahoe said. “While our consumer direct acceleration strategy has driven growth and direct connections with consumers, it’s been clear that we need to make some important adjustments.”
On the same call, Matt Friend, the company’s chief financial officer, stressed an interest in exploring different retail channels and focusing on product development.
“The consumer is still clearly shopping in multibrand retail and we need to elevate our brand and our positioning to be able to serve the consumer and to have the maximum impact from the new innovations that we’re bringing to market,” Friend told analysts.
