Dive Brief:
- Suzanne Silverstein has been named CEO of Canada-based Silver Jeans Co. and Jag Jeans effective Monday, succeeding Silver Jeans founder Michael Silver, according to a news release sent to Fashion Dive.
- In her new role, Silverstein will also oversee operations, including growth strategies, profitability, sales, product innovation, marketing, finance and supply chain, for parent company Western Glove Works.
- Silver, who founded Silver Jeans in 1991 and has served as CEO since, will join a newly-formed advisory board of directors for the company.
Dive Insight:
Silver’s transition from the CEO role marks a large change for the company, which had been under Silver’s leadership since its launch.
“We are extremely excited to welcome Suzanne Silverstein to our ‘family of friends’ as the new CEO of Silver Jeans Co. and JAG Jeans,” Silver said in the release. “She brings an enormous wealth of experience and success in her career that I am certain will enhance the brands in their growth and prosperity for the future.”
Canada-based Western Glove Works was founded in 1921 as a denim workwear brand and today is one of the largest privately-owned denim producers in North America, per the release.
Silverstein was most recently the group president of the NYC Alliance, a vertical, multi-channel apparel company. Prior to that she was president of the JS Group, a holding company of multiple womenswear brands, overseeing brands Halston, ML Monique Lhuillier and Amur. She was previously president of 7 For All Mankind brand, and president of women’s sportswear brand Parker New York. Her retail background includes seven years at Saks Fifth Avenue, three of which were spent as VP and Divisional Merchandise Manager overseeing contemporary sportswear, including denim.
“I am thrilled to join the Silver Jeans and JAG team,” Silverstein said in the release. “There is an incredible brand story, a seasoned and talented team, and most important to me, there is a passion for perfection with product. It’s a winning combination and I am very excited about the future of the brands.”
Silver Jeans made a name for itself at the time of its launch by making jeans in a variety of rises, leg openings, inseams, washes and fits. Silver started in his family’s denim business in the production department, and then developed denim products for stores such as Gap and Nordstrom, according to a report from MR Magazine, before launching Silver for Western Glove Works with creative designer Allan Kemp. The vision was to create jeans that were made to suit women’s bodies, according to a report from WWD.
Clarification: This story has been updated with details about Silverstein's previous employment.
