New Man In at Seven For All Mankind
Seven For All Mankind, the Los Angeles manufacturer of high-end denim and casualwear, has a new president.
The apparel company, which was bought by giant apparel maker VF Corp. last year, has named Topher Gaylord to lead the blue-jeans venture. He will report to Michael Egeck, who had been both president of Seven For All Mankind since 2006 as well as president of VF Corp.’s contemporary brands coalition. Egeck will keep his contemporary brands title.
Gaylord, who currently is president of VF Corp.’s international outdoor and action sports business from the company’s office in Lugano, Switzerland, will be responsible for all of Seven’s business in the Americas and report to Egeck.
“Topher has established strong business development, strategy and leadership skills throughout his career. I have great confidence in his ability to lead the execution of Seven For All Mankind’s growth initiatives as the world’s premier brand of luxury denim-lifestyle products. He will be a tremendous asset to our organization,” Egeck said.
When Egeck came on board in 2006, his goals for Seven were to increase the core denim business, increase the assortment and volume of the sportswear business, grow international markets, open company-owned stores and sign new licensing agreements.
Seven For All Mankind was started in 2000 by Peter Koral, Michael Glasser and Jerome Dahan. The three parted ways after a court battle over profits. Glasser and Dahan went on to form Citizens of Humanity, a successful contemporary blue-jeans company that Glasser later left.
In 2005, Koral sold half of Seven For All Mankind to Bear Stearns Merchant Banking for $100 million. In 2007, VF Corp. bought the company for $775 million, adding the contemporary line to its mass-market blue-jeans labels, Wrangler and Lee. —Deborah Belgum
