Apparel

Niwot, Colo. -- Footwear marketer Crocs is on the hunt for a new CFO.

The company announced that Jeff Lasher, senior VP and CFO, is leaving the company to join boating supplies and accessories retailer West Marine Inc.

Lasher, who joined Crocs in 2009, will remain with the company through early November. He plans to join West Marine as CFO in November.

Mike Smith, Crocs senior VP for finance, has been named interim CFO effective Oct. 1 and will work closely with Lasher during a transition period.

Long Island City, N.Y. -- Steve Madden has made two key executive promotions.

The company announced that Amelia Newton Varela has been named to the newly created position of president, and Karla Frieders has been appointed to the newly created position of chief merchandising officer.

Varela has more than 17 years of experience with Steve Madden in various roles, most recently as executive VP of wholesale.

Edison, N.J. -- Aerosoles has appointed a retail and footwear veteran with more than two decades of experience as CEO.

The company named retail and footwear industry veteran executive R. Shawn Neville as CEO, effective Sept. 8. He takes over from interim CEO Caryn Lerner, operating partner of Palladin Consumer Retail Partners, which acquired privately owned Aerosoles in June 2014.

Philadelphia – Five Below is opening its largest location to date, in its home city of Philadelphia.
 
The extreme-value retailer, which targets tweens and teens with goods priced at $5 or less, will open a two-story, 13,000-sq.-ft. store next to its headquarters on Thursday, Sept. 10.

Recently an investment banking colleague from HT Capital Advisors mentioned to me that Bombfell, an online men’s clothing subscription service, received $1 million in venture capital funding. Under the business model, an online personal stylist personally selects each member’s items and sends them to the shopper, with free shipping. The shopper only pays for what he keeps (he has 10 days to decide) and then returns the rest, also with no shipping charge. On the heels of that chat, I read about MM.LaFleur, a similar model for women.  

Kohl’s is looking to get a leg up on the competition this holiday season with an early lineup of the hottest toys this December.

The retailer’s top toys for the holiday season include an exclusive assortment from Star Wars and trusted national brands, including Barbie, Fisher-Price and Melissa & Doug.

Five Below is opening its largest location to date in its hometown.

New Jersey-based women's shoe company Aerosoles has named a retail and footwear industry veteran as its next CEO.

On the heels of the most successful Jurassic Park movie ever, Gymboree is looking to leverage the popularity of dinosaurs with a new collection inspired by a new dinosaur-themed series on Netflix.

Multi-channel retailer HSN is parterning with a tennis legend and fashion icon for an innovative shopping event during New York Fashion Week.

HSN Inc. has announced that Williams will be live-streaming her fall Signature Statement Collection during a special HSN.com "Front Row" event during New York Fashion Week on Sept. 15. The retailer aims to transform the way designers bring their collection to market by allowing fans of Williams's fall collection to shop the runway online immediately after the show.