Gant has a new CEO as of this month. The Swedish-but-with-American-roots brand has named Fredrik Malm as its chief executive, effective December 1.
Gant CEO Fredrik Malm
It’s an internal appointment with Malm having joined Gant in 2024 as EVP Commercial, Brand & Product. He succeeds Patrik Söderström, who’d led the company for six years.
Before joining the firm, Malm was CEO of SNS, and had been president Europe & International at Coach, as well as president of sales EMEA at Ralph Lauren, and retail director at ECCO.
Gant has been owned by privately-owned Swiss business MF Brands Group (which also owns Lacoste, Tecnifibre and Aigle) since 2008. And MF’s CEO Thierry Guibert said of Gant’s new leader: “Fredrik has brought valuable and extensive leadership experience from global premium fashion and lifestyle brands.
“I have full confidence in his ability to support Gant in its next phase of development, which will notably involve the continued elevation of the collections and an accelerated retailisation across both physical and digital channels.
“I would also like to deeply thank Patrik Söderström for his commitment alongside us over the past 10 years. He has played a pivotal role in transforming and elevating the brand while delivering strong financial performances over the years.”
Gant has been expanding this year, and in late May it reopened its Regent Street, London flagship. It said the refurbishment of the 6,300 sq m space “represents a key milestone in the brand’s global retail investments in the UK and worldwide”. Söderström said at the time that the reopening “kicks off a global initiative to elevate our retail experience”.
The company has also been focusing on its licenses and in June announced the early renewal of its exclusive licensing deal for the design, manufacture, and global distribution of its eyewear with Marcolin.
