SKIMS has announced the appointment of Dawn Vitale as its new Chief Merchandising Officer, bringing on board a seasoned industry leader with extensive experience in scaling global fashion and lifestyle brands.
Vitale joins SKIMS from Levi Strauss & Co., where she spent six years and most recently served as Chief Merchandising Officer for Levi’s. In her new role, she will oversee SKIMS’ global merchandising strategy — focusing on innovation across core product categories, refining assortments, and supporting the brand’s continued international expansion.
During her tenure at Levi’s, Vitale led initiatives that expanded the brand’s presence across women’s and lifestyle segments, strengthened its global reach, and diversified its portfolio beyond denim. Her earlier career includes leadership roles at PVH Corp. and nearly a decade at Gap Inc., where she built a reputation for merging data-driven insights with creative product development.
Jens Grede, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of SKIMS, said the company was delighted to welcome Vitale to its leadership team, noting that her deep understanding of both analytics and design made her an ideal fit for the next stage of SKIMS’ evolution. He added that her expertise would help advance the brand’s core offering while enabling thoughtful expansion into new categories and markets.
Vitale said she was honoured to join a brand that had “redefined innovation in fashion,” and expressed enthusiasm for advancing SKIMS’ merchandising vision, curating assortments that resonate with consumers, and contributing to the brand’s next phase of global growth.
Her appointment follows a series of recent strategic hires as SKIMS accelerates its global expansion. Earlier this year, Robin Gendron, formerly of Michael Kors, joined as President of Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), leading the region’s operations and spearheading the launch of SKIMS’ first standalone store on Regent Street, London, scheduled to open in summer 2026.
In addition, Diarrha N’Diaye, founder of inclusive beauty brand Ami Colé, was recently named Executive Vice President of Beauty & Fragrance, SKIMS Beauty, where she will oversee product development and brand strategy for the rapidly growing division.
