Outdoor Voices Names Gabrielle Conforti CEO

The veteran merchandiser comes from Urban Outfitters, where she was promoted to president of the brand in January following the exit of Trish Donnelly, who has since joined PVH as Americas chief executive and global head of Calvin Klein.

Given her expertise, Conforti’s appointment at Outdoor Voices, which has been searching for a permanent chief executive since investor and current chairwoman Ashley Merrill arrived in June 2020, indicates that the company and its board are focused on improving the brand’s product offering. Prior to Urban Outfitters, Conforti spent several years at J.Crew in merchandising.

When Merrill joined, taking a significant stake in the business, founder and former chief executive Tyler Haney indicated that she would once again play a creative role after stepping down earlier that year amid tensions with investors, including former chairman Millard “Mickey” Drexler, who also happened to be chief executive of J.Crew when Conforti worked there.

However, the Outdoor Voices marketing and product mix has changed dramatically over the past year, moving in a different, more mass direction from that of Haney’s original, high-concept vision.

For more on Outdoor Voices, be sure to read these stories:

Inside the Outdoor Voices Saga

Will Tyler Haney Save or Sink Outdoor Voices?

Outdoor Voices Says ‘The Exercise Dress’ Is a Hit. But Is it Enough?