Escada appoints Iris Epple-Righi, formerly with Calvin Klein, its new CEO

By

Bruno Joly

Translated by
Nicola Mira

Published
Apr 27, 2016

The interim arrangement at the top of Escada lasted a long time. The German womenswear label has been looking for a boss since summer 2015 and finally reached a decision, announcing the appointment of Iris Epple-Righi as CEO.

She will soon leave Calvin Klein, where she is President of Brand Management for Europe, and will start in her new role on 1st September. Jörg Wahlers, who was in charge ad interim, will return full-time to his role as CFO and COO.

Iris Epple-Righi, 50, worked at PVH for 13 years, both for Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein. She will face the tough challenge of putting a new shine on the German brand's image. Escada has been through several troubled years, marked by reductions in personnel. Negotiations are currently under way for 200 redundancies, 150 of which at its headquarters, which will have a staff of no more than 200.

According to the Süddeutsche Zeitung newspaper, Escada's revenue is currently estimated at about €275 million, compared to €300 million in 2012. Bruno Sälzer, Escada's former boss, who joined in 2009 at the time of the acquisition by Indian businesswoman Megha Mittal, was aiming for €500 million in the medium term.