Modes’ New CEO Has a Track Record in Fashion, PR and Talent Management
MILAN – Italian luxury retailer Modes has found a new chief executive officer in Simon Whitehouse, the former JW Anderson CEO.
The executive, who most recently held the same role at communication agency Reference Studios, is joining Modes as the latter gears up to unveil a new international outpost in London.
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He quietly joined on March 1, succeeding founder Aldo Carpinteri in the role and marking the first external CEO the company has hired. Carpinteri is taking on the president title.
“I am invigorated and thankful to Aldo Carpinteri and the whole team at Modes for the opportunity to join this visionary company. An exciting multibrand concept store omnichannel operation, with a refreshing blend of established luxury brands and emerging creative talents, Modes’ network is unparalleled in its ability to curate and provide a platform to its brand partners,” Whitehouse said.
Before helming the Berlin- and Milan-based Reference Studios for one year, the executive was CEO of consultancy Eco-Age, following a three-year stint with the same title at Art Partner and, before that, at fashion house JW Anderson between 2014 and 2018.
He has also worked with labels including Matthew Williamson, Diesel Black Gold and DKNY.
Whitehouse is the founder of a creative collective and purpose-driven brand called EBIT, which stands for Enjoy Being in Transition. EBIT taps the creativity of designers, musicians and artists to provoke conversations around mental health in the fashion community, and has teamed with the likes of Glen Luchford, Soo Joo Park, Indya Moore and the M/M Paris agency.
“I am extremely pleased to announce Simon Whitehouse — a businessman and well-known personality of the fashion scene of recent years — as the new CEO of Modes. I am strongly convinced that he will bring his noteworthy experience and background, giving a relevant contribution for the international growth of the company,” said Carpinteri.
Modes is to open its first door in the U.K. in the second half of 2024, having secured a space on Conduit Street to be revamped by the Berlin-based architectural firm Gonzalez Haase AAS, which has already designed concepts for Modes’ stores in Milan, Porto Cervo, Forte Dei Marmi, and Cagliari, Italy, and Paris.
“The imminent London store will create a unique axis of concept stores across the key international fashion capitals of Milan, Paris and London. Modes is a journey, with incredible destinations,” Whitehouse said.
Modes additionally revealed that Caterina Ercoli joined the company as its chief commercial officer as of December 2023. A former buying director at Milan luxury boutique Antonioli, she most recently served as head of buying at Level Shoes, Dubai.
Established in 1971 by Carpinteri, Modes currently operates 19 stores in addition to its own e-commerce platform. Flagships comprise Modes concept stores and Minimodes multibrand childrenswear shops, in such locations as Milan, Forte dei Marmi, Cagliari and Portofino, as well as Paris and Gstaad and Saint Moritz in Switzerland, among others.
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