North East luxury leisure firm END Clothing has sealed a catwalk coup by enlisting former Gucci CEO Patrizio di Marco as its new chairman.
Mr di Marco, who led the global fashion house for six years, has taken the chairman role at the premium streetwear retailer.
After leaving the Italian label, di Marco joined the board of Dolce & Gabbana and also spent two years as chair of luxury shoe brand Golden Goose before leaving last year.
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Mr di Marco’s lengthy career within high-end luxury and streetwear will help END’s founders as they look to scale the business.
END co-founder Christiaan Ashworth said: “We are delighted to announce the appointment of Patrizio Di Marco as the new chairman of the board. Patrizio brings a wealth of experience within the luxury, fashion and business world and with a proven track record of helping grow companies will be a great asset to END.’s board of directors.
“With a distinguished career history to date, we are confident Patrizio will be a passionate and adept ambassador for END.”
END was founded in 2005 in Newcastle by university graduates Christiaan Ashworth and John Parker, quickly gaining a following for its rare trainers.
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The company is best known in Newcastle for the queues it draws – sometimes camping out overnight – outside its city centre store when it sells limited-edition designer trainers from some of the world’s best-known designers.
As well as its Newcastle store the company also has shops in London and Glasgow, and it will also soon add a second Newcastle shop after successfully applying for planning permission to take on the former Byron restaurant shop in Grey Street.
END is one of the region’s most hotly tipped companies, having won inclusion on a number of national league tables for fast growing businesses in recent years, mostly through the success of its international online operation.
The company boasts sales of more than £170m, two thirds of which is overseas, and now has a workforce of more than 650 people.
In March of this year, the founding pair sold a majority stake to Carlyle for £750m and they remain at the company as co-CEOs, while also retaining a significant minority stake.
Mr Ashworth and Mr Parker said at the time: “We are thrilled to welcome Carlyle as our new partner. Their experience and strong track record in luxury and streetwear will be invaluable to us in supporting END’s long-term and sustainable growth strategy.
“Carlyle’s industry knowledge and truly global platform will be instrumental as END continues to reach an increasingly international audience.”
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