Etail giant Amazon UK has appointed fashion trade magazine Drapers executive editor Jessica Brown as head of fashion for its fledgling clothing business.

Brown will join the etailer in the third week of July. It is understood her remit will include a research project about who Amazon’s target fashion customer should be and how Amazon fits in the competitive landscape.

Brown, who has worked at Drapers - Retail Week’s sister title - for over 10 years, will liaise with branded suppliers, head the fashion category’s marketing and lead site content, editorial and image.

Amazon took tentative steps into the fashion sector with the launch of a selection of performance clothing about two years ago. It has since developed category-specific shops online, focusing on denim, lingerie and swimwear, but wants to expand the category to compete with broader brush sites such as Asos.

Amazon UK managing director Christopher North said previously there was an opportunity to open further category-specific shops last month as he pinpointed clothing as one of the etailer’s top-performing areas in its first quarter to March 31.

Amazon UK stocks brands including Firetrap, Calvin Klein, Desigual, Princesse Tam Tam and Gossard. Retailers including Debenhams and USC are third-party sellers of fashion via Amazon.co.uk .

Brown will report into Amazon director of clothing Kes Nielsen. She will leave Drapers on July 15.

Amazon declined to comment further.

Topics