All Saints raids Burberry for new chief executive William Kim

Kim, who joins on October 15, has over 14 years’ experience in the luxury fashion industry, with stints at brands including Gucci Group. He has also worked at Abercrombie & Fitch.

Kim replaces Stephen Craig who left All Saints in September 2011. Since that time Peter Wood, formerly the chief financial officer of All Saints, has been acting as interim chief executive since. Wood will now revert to his financial role.

At both Gucci and Burberry he held “senior roles across a range of retail, wholesale and digital channels in three global markets – Asia, Europe and the Americas”, All Saints said.

He also has digital experience and helped lead Burberry’s ecommerce strategy.

All Saints owner Lion Capital partner Lyndon Lea said: “William is the ideal choice of chief executive for All Saints.

“His experience of working at leading global fashion brands in the core retail markets of Asia, Americas and Europe coupled with his expertise in the digital space will be invaluable as All Saints enters the next phase of its evolution.

“We are confident that his unique set of skills and dynamic, innovative outlook will help to unlock the full potential of the All Saints brand.”

Kim said: “All Saints is a vibrant brand with an incredibly exciting future.

“Having gone around the globe twice with Burberry and Gucci and having worked across different channels, I am very excited to bring this background to All Saints. 

“In particular, my global digital and Asian branding experiences will help All Saints capitalise on the opportunities that exist for it at this juncture. More than anything, I look forward to working with the excellent team already in place to create further an innovative culture that will enable us to expand the company’s global footprint, as well as its digital presence, and ultimately take the All Saints brand to the next level.”