Jacquemus appoints Mélissa Ait-Ouakli as commercial director, bolsters PR and Influence team

By

Dominique Muret

Translated by
Roberta HERRERA

Published
Jan 11, 2024

Jacquemus is fortifying its managerial structure. Following the departure of CEO Bastien Daguzan in December, the label under the Parisian designer Simon Porte Jacquemus has created the role of commercial director, entrusted to Mélissa Ait-Ouakli, who hails from LVMH. Toward the year's end, the brand also bolstered its PR and influence team.

In her role, the manager will oversee the e-commerce, retail, wholesale, and customer experience departments. She will directly report to Simon Porte Jacquemus, who currently leads the company on an interim basis while he seeks a successor for Bastien Daguzan. Ait-Ouakli "joins Jacquemus' senior leadership team, playing a pivotal role in their strategy to expand and elevate the brand," the maison specified in a brief statement.

A graduate of Ecole Centrale and a Harvard Business School alumnus, Ait-Ouakli broadened her expertise before joining Louis Vuitton, where she held commercial and operational roles from 2007 to 2013, encompassing positions from New York to Shanghai. Following a three-year stint at Burberry in London, overseeing retail development, she rejoined LVMH in 2017 and since 2020 has held the position of strategy and digital director for the fashion group. This group comprises the relatively smaller luxury brands under the French luxury giant, including Celine, Givenchy, Loewe, Pucci, Kenzo, and Marc Jacobs.

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Over the past year, Jacquemus "has appointed several leaders, each bringing expertise in brand management, communications, human resources, visual merchandising, retail, and product innovation," reiterated the Parisian fashion house.

Notably, the brand's PR and Influence team has expanded, led by the incumbent manager Nabila Gabr. Her team now includes Susan King, managing PR and VIP dressing requests for the American and French markets; Jacques Edson Fonseca, as senior PR and VIP officer handling PR and VIP dressing requests for Europe (excluding France) and the British market; and Maxime Bui Van, as PR and VIP officer managing PR and VIP dressing requests for the APAC, China and Middle East markets.