Wendy Kahn

Chief Executive and Brand President

Stuart Weitzman

Born in South Windsor, Connecticut, Wendy Kahn’s interest in the business of fashion began at Long Island University ‐ C.W. Post where she studied Marketing and Sociology while holding jobs at both Banana Republic and Bloomingdales. Kahn started her career in the early 90’s as an Account Executive at Michael Kors. Three years later, Kahn was offered a position at Marc Jacobs as Wholesale Manager and eventually as the Senior Vice President of Sales, overseeing the business across all categories for the brand.

In 1997, Michael Kors was named the first Womens Ready‐to‐Wear designer at Celine, and personally requested Kahn to join his team as Senior Vice President of Sales. Over the course of the next 5 years, she grew to become the president of Celine and Pucci in the USA, where she was instrumental in the re‐launch of the Celine brand, an iconic French house under the new vision of an established American sportswear designer.

In 2004, Kahn joined Valentino as Senior Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Retail for the USA, Canada and Mexico. In 2008, the same year Maria Grazia Chiuri, and Pierpaolo Piccioli took the reins as Creative Directors, she was promoted to Chief Executive Officer. Since Kahn took control, the Valentino business has seen double‐digit growth in the US each year and the brand continues to be at the forefront of the industry across all divisions. In her current role, Kahn works closely with design and marketing teams in Italy, as well as with Chief Merchants of all the major U.S. and Canadian department stores to ensure Valentino is represented in the highest regard across all channels. In 2014, she spearheaded the successful opening of the brand’s largest global flagship store on New York’s iconic Fifth Avenue and continues to drive retail sales to exceed budget.

In September (2016), Coach Inc. named Kahn the Chief Executive and Brand President of the Stuart Weitzman luxury shoes business, which Coach purchased last year. Coach CEO Victor Luis described Kahn as a highly-regarded brand champion, known for her ability to drive growth in both the wholesale and retail channels and across categories including footwear, apparel and accessories.  The $574 million acquisition of Stuart Weitzman helped Coach increase sales and expand offerings to compete with rivals such as Michael Kors Holdings and Kate Spade & Co. The shoe business accounted for more than 8 percent of Coach’s sales last quarter.

Wendy Kahn currently resides in Scarsdale, New York with her husband and three daughters.