Amazon to hire former M&S head of womenswear for own fashion brand

By

Barbara Santamaria

Published
Feb 18, 2016

Amazon’s own-label apparel seems now more imminent than ever, after the retail giant was rumoured to be in talks with former Marks and Spencer head of womenswear, Frances Russell, for a senior role.

It is not clear whether Russell, who left M&S in August last year, would be based in the UK or overseas.

Amazon also began posting recruitment ads on its jobs site earlier this month. Some of the jobs advertised include ‘Director, Private Label’, ‘Technical Designer & Fit Specialist’ and ‘Head of Marketing, Fashion Accelerator’ for its Amazon Fashion Private Label team.

“When you think of buying new clothing, shoes, watches and jewellery, do you think of Amazon? Not yet? Well, we are going to change that,” begins the description of an advertisement for a ‘Software Development Engineer’ position.

Amazon has been rumoured to be gearing up to launch its own fashion brand since last year, after an executive revealed the company was considering its own-branded apparel.

The company’s fashion push continued with the opening of a photography studio in London’s Shoreditch and a partnership with Suki Waterhouse to front its first fashion campaign. Most recently, the firm named fashion blogger Chiara Ferragni as European ambassador.

The online shopping destination carries more than 30 million items in its fashion division, which belong to brands such as Ben Sherman, Desigual, French Connection and Hunter. However, the company has struggled to attract high-end labels, who feel that retailing via Amazon would aggravate their shopping experience. With its own private label, Amazon could explore this and other price segments, as well as tap into a highly profitable market.