Brooks Sports, Inc. Welcomes Anne Cavassa as Vice President of Global Apparel
OutdoorHub 04.25.13
Bringing extensive experience in the active lifestyle market, Anne Cavassa joins Brooks Sports, Inc. as Vice President of Global Apparel. In this new position, Cavassa will manage the Moving Comfort brand and business, as well as the Brooks Running Company apparel business. This alignment between Moving Comfort and Brooks apparel divisions supports recent executive leadership realignments as both brands scale their business and culture for global expansion.
Cavassa joins Moving Comfort, industry leader in sports bras and women’s fitness apparel, as the brand’s growth is at an all-time high. As category leader in sports bras, Moving Comfort impresses at 72 percent market share in the specialty running retail channel as of the latest Leisure Trends Group Running RetailTRAK. Product momentum continues as the brand’s apparel business experienced a 30 percent increase year-to-date, with a 50 percent increase in backlog for the past two seasons.
Similarly, Brooks, the leader in running footwear and apparel, has seen strong growth in its apparel business. Its U.S. business increased 25 percent year-over-year in 2012 and the growth continues into 2013. For the first two months of the year, Brooks apparel is up 28 percent in retail dollars across channels.
“Anne truly embodies the Moving Comfort brand spirit. Her proven history in the active and outdoor industry, along with her product acumen, make her a natural fit,” says Jim Weber, Brooks Sports, Inc. CEO. “Anne’s global business savvy, leadership skills, and product expertise nicely complement our executive team and offer the right mix of talent needed to scale our business for future success. Our global opportunity has never been brighter.”
Cavassa comes to Brooks Sports, Inc. as a product and business leader with a proven career steeped in leadership, strategy, and product design/management for several outdoor and athletic apparel brands. Most recently, Cavassa worked at Timberland, where she led the global apparel brand strategy and was head merchant for the North American footwear business. Prior to Timberland, robust experiences at Ibex, Nike, Eastern Mountain Sports, Reebok, Tommy Bahama, and Eddie Bauer round out her résumé. Cavassa earned a Bachelor’s degree from Loyola Marymount University.
“I could not be more thrilled to be joining the Brooks Sports, Inc. family. Moving Comfort and Brooks are two brands that I have a long-standing, personal relationship with. I feel fortunate to be joining the team at a time when there are so many good things happening in the organization and there is such momentum in the marketplace. I look forward to being part of the team that solidifies our global leadership positioning,” says Cavassa.
Cavassa will be based in Brooks Sports, Inc. headquarters. She is relocating back to the Pacific Northwest from New Hampshire with her husband and two young children. Cavassa considers Seattle her home and can’t wait to reconnect with the local fitness community.
