Harley-Davidson Taps Nike Vet and a Former Yeezy Collaborator to Help Revamp Apparel Business
Harley-Davidson is revamping its apparel division with the help of two new hires.
The Milwaukee-based company has tapped Nike veteran Erica Bullard as SVP of apparel & licensing and former Yeezy collaborator Louise Goldin as creative director. The news was first reported by WWD.
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Bullard joins Harley-Davidson from global sportswear brand Nike, Inc., having worked for over 20 years in various senior roles and business units across the company. Bullard most recently served as the VP and GM of Nike NYC and the East, where she was responsible for driving accelerated growth and a connected retail marketplace in New York City with impacts across the East territory, North America and the globe.
In this newly created role, reporting to CEO Jochen Zeitz, Bullard will lead the global apparel and licensing business for the Harley-Davidson brand.
“There are few brands as iconic as Harley-Davidson, a brand built on a unique combination of authenticity, adventure and self-expression,” said Bullard in a statement. “I am excited to extend the brand through apparel and invite new and existing consumers around the globe to the Harley-Davidson community.”
Courtesy of Harley-Davidson
Goldin joins the company after a decade of shaping influential global lifestyle brands in the United States and Europe. A graduate of Central Saint Martins School of Art and Design, Goldin has shown her eponymous collection on runways in London and New York. She also worked closely with Kanye West on the creation of his Yeezy line.
In her new role, Goldin will head the new studio and design teams in New York and Milwaukee, bringing her expertise in applying advanced technology and functionality to Harley-Davidson apparel.
“I feel a deep connection between Harley-Davidson’s design language and my own DNA as a designer,” added Goldin. “I’m inspired by the unique combination of engineering, functionality, craftsmanship and soul that lies at the heart of Harley’s iconic heritage and brand aesthetic. My goal is to work that spirit and purpose into new pieces that will carry the brand forward into the future.”
Today’s announcement sees the strategic renaming of Harley-Davidson’s “General Merchandise”(GM) division to “Apparel & Licensing” (A&L). This newly created division will leverage Harley-Davidson’s recently opened creative studio in Tribeca, NYC, in addition to its established design studio and archive in Milwaukee.
According to its latest corporate filing, general merchandise brought in $155.4 million in revenue in the nine months ended Sept. 26, up 14% on the same period in the previous year.
“As one of the most iconic brands in the world, the potential to grow our overall apparel and licensing business is significant and is one of the core pillars of our Hardwire strategy,” commented Zeitz. “We’re excited to have Erica and Louise join the team as we increase our focus on growing Harley-Davidson’s business, drawing from our 119-year heritage as one of the most desirable lifestyle brands that defines moto-culture in America and around the world.”
Courtesy of Harley-Davidson
