Apparel

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

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.  

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.

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.

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.

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.

New York -- An Irish fast-fashion leader is getting ready to make its U.S. debut.

Primark, known for its value prices and on-trend fashions for the entire family, leased a 677,000-sq.-ft. distribution center to support its entry into the United States.

Freeport, Maine -- The man who turned a folksy Maine mail-order outlet into a global billion dollar-plus multichannel business has died.