Data-driven online personal styling service Stitch Fix has hired Julie Bornstein as COO, overseeing strategy, marketing, styling and client experience.
Prior to joining Stitch Fix, Bornstein served as the CMO & digital officer at Sephora. Under her seven years of leadership, Sephora quadrupled its ecommerce business, developed a leading loyalty program—Beauty Insider—and launched Sephora as an early leader in mobile retail, establishing the brand as an innovative retailer leading in the digital space. Prior to joining the team at Stitch Fix as COO, Bornstein served as a member of Stitch Fix’s board of directors through two-and-a-half years of unprecedented growth.
“I’ve seen many companies at the intersection of fashion and technology, but I’ve never seen a retail company with momentum like this,” said Bornstein. “Stitch Fix has a unique combination of factors—a female-led business serving a large female market, and a network of expert stylists armed with smart technology built by a group of 20 Ph.D. statisticians and a star group of engineers. The result has been a new model for serving women and disrupting fashion retail. The team is exceptional and the product market fit is clear. The opportunity for this business is more exciting than anything I’ve seen in this space.”
Founded by CEO Katrina Lake in 2011, Stitch Fix combines the art of fashion and the science of technology to serve the fashion needs of women all over the country. Stitch Fix also recently hired CFO Michelle Weaver, who previously ran investor relations at Gap, and more recently held senior finance and operational roles at Electronic Arts and Axiom. These additions round out what the company is calling an extraordinary management team of executives from Nike, OPower, Netflix, lululemon athletica and Walmart.com
“We are thrilled to have both Julie and Michelle on board as members of our executive team,” said Lake. “Julie has been a valued board member for over two years, and I couldn’t be happier to have her or more confident in her ability to effectively lead and scale our end-to-end client experience as Stitch Fix continues to grow.”
Weaver joined Stitch Fix in January 2015, and Bornstein is slated to join the team full-time in April 2015.
[Images courtesy of Stitch Fix]
