Stella McCartney president Frederick Lukoff quits for Scotch & Soda

By

Godfrey Deeny

Published
Jun 13, 2019

Frederick Lukoff, the long-time president of Stella McCartney, has quit the company to become CEO of Dutch brand Scotch & Soda, in a surprise move.
 
Lukoff oversaw the financial operation last year where McCartney bought back the 50% of her company that she did not already own from luxury group Kering.

 
The house of McCartney had already informed editors that Lukoff would be attending the presentation of the brand’s men’s and women’s collection in Milan on Friday evening in a medieval cloister, along with the designer.
 
Lukoff joins Scotch & Soda after a decade as both President and CEO of Stella McCartney. His new appointment is effective on September 1, 2019. This follows on from the announcement in January of this year that Dirk-Jan Stoppelenburg, Scotch & Soda’s current CEO, would be appointed chairman of the Board of Scotch & Soda, and that the Dutch fashion house had begun a search for a successor CEO. That search ended today.

Though considerably less hip than Stella McCartney, the Dutch brand is a good deal larger, boasting annual revenues close to €325 million, or roughly almost twice the turnover of the Beatles scion’s house.
 
“I am absolutely delighted to be joining Scotch & Soda and working together with the team to continue the international success story of this amazing Dutch fashion brand,” said the 49-year-old Dutch-born Lukoff in a release from Scotch & Soda.
 
The same company release bragged that: “Under his (Lukoff) helm, Stella McCartney grew exponentially in terms of revenue, brand recognition, and people, and is recognized as a frontrunner in making the fashion industry more sustainable.”
 
However, considering that McCartney was bankrolled for a decade by Kering, the world’s second largest luxury group; blessed with a massive celebrity following, and led by a design talent undoubtedly capable of creating cool and highly wearable fashion, the adjective “exponentially” will raise eyebrows among most seasoned observers.
 
Lukoff started as CEO of  Stella McCartney back in February 2009. Prior to that he held senior roles at Lanvin, Paco Rabanne, and Courrèges; after a techie career debut with stints at Apple and Cisco Systems.
 
Added Stoppelenburg: “I am delighted to announce the appointment of Frederick as my successor. Frederick has built a highly successful career in fashion, demonstrating his strong understanding of brands and creativity.”
 
Founded in 1985, Scotch & Soda is an Amsterdam-based marque that since 2016 has shown its collections at New York Fashion Week. Today, the brand operates over 250 fully-owned boutiques as well as retailing in over 8,000 doors worldwide. Despite its tagline as Amsterdam Couture, the brand aesthetic is primarily global bohemian traveler, created in unexpected fabrics.