Loewe has lost its marketing chief, Charlie Smith, to London-based tech-meets-creative agency Nothing. From January he’ll be chief brand officer in charge of brand, image, marketing, comms and store design. He’ll also be part of Nothing’s executive team.
Charlie Smith
He’s been at Loewe for seven years, working alongside creative supremo Jonathan Anderson before his departure for the top design job at much bigger LVMH label Dior.
Smith was at Loewe during its recent crucial growth phase and stayed on as new creative directors Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough eased themselves into the brand.
Recognised this year by Forbes as one of the world’s most influential CMOs, he also oversaw key collabs for the label and was behind partnerships with big names such as Beyoncé and Rihanna. He also developed Loewe’s viral TikTok strategy.
He said: “Over the last 7 years, I’ve been fortunate to work with Jonathan Anderson, [CEO] Pascale Lepoivre, and a fantastic team at Loewe. A great new era has begun under Jack and Lazaro, and while my chapter draws to a close, the brand will continue to go from strength to strength.
“I can’t wait to join Nothing and another visionary, Carl Pei. I look forward to working with him to challenge the status quo and establish a brighter future for technology. I’m excited about moving from one creative, fast-growing company to another, and the challenge of taking what I have learned from luxury fashion and applying it to consumer tech.”
Five-year-old Nothing aims to offer an alternative to smartphone giants like Apple and Samsung with “design, excitement, and human connection” all key. Its latest funding round saw it valued at $1.3 billion.
Pei said that Nothing’s vision “is to create the most loved tech company for the next generation”.
