Claiborne names Leavitt as Kate Spade coo

NEW YORK Liz Claiborne today announced that Craig Leavitt will join Kate Spade as co-president and coo, effective mid-April 2008. Leavitt, who was previously president of global retail at Link Theory Holdings, will be responsible for providing and driving business performance through the wholesale and retail channels. He will serve in this role along with co-president and creative director, Deborah Lloyd, on the management and overall leadership of the Kate Spade brand.

Prior to his tenure at Link Theory, Leavitt spent several years at Diesel where he was most recently evp of sales and retail. Previously, he spent 16 years at Polo Ralph Lauren where he held positions of increasing responsibility, the last being evp of retail concepts.

Commenting on the announcement, William McComb, ceo of Liz Claiborne, said, "We are thrilled that Craig has agreed to join Kate Spade. His retail experience combined with his strong strategic planning, leadership and communication skills are the perfect complement to Deborah's creative talent. Craig oversaw tremendous growth with Theory and Helmut Lang and he is eager to apply those learnings here. With Deborah and Craig at the helm, Kate Spade is poised to reach the next level and become a true, global lifestyle brand."