TAL Group Names Chris Nakatani as CEO of The Apparel Group, USA

NEW YORK, Sept. 2, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- TAL Group announced today the appointment of Chris Nakatani as Chief Executive Officer of The Apparel Group, Ltd. (TAG), a member of the TAL Group.

Reporting to Roger Lee, CEO of TAL Group, Mr. Nakatani will be based out of TAG's New York office and will be responsible for all aspects of U.S. operations for the Menswear, Womenswear, and 3PL divisions across New York and Dallas offices.

The Apparel Group, Ltd. designs and manufactures branded and private label collections for some of the largest apparel companies in North America, and is responsible for over $1.1 billion in annual retail sales. TAG's in-house brand portfolio features Foxcroft and Paperwhite for its women's division along with Enro and Damon for its men's division. In addition, TAG has majority stake in New York based Maker & Company.

Effective immediately, Chris will work closely with current TAG CEO, John Liu, during the transitional period for the remainder of the year. John Liu, who's been with TAG for twenty nine years, is stepping down to spend more time with his family but will remain as a non-executive Chairman on TAG Board of Directors.

"We are pleased to welcome Chris to The Apparel Group and extremely excited about the depth of experience in the brand-building and leadership that he carries, which will further enhance the strength of our Company," commented Roger Lee.

Nakatani brings over 25 years of experience in planning, wholesale, merchandising, licensing, corporate strategy and retail development to the role. Prior to joining the Company, Chris was the CEO of PLV Studio, where he was responsible for the growth of their Pour La Victoire brand, which lists Cameron Diaz as Artistic Director. Mr. Nakatani was also previously employed at Kenneth Cole Productions, where as President of Wholesale had full sales responsibility for all brands within the Kenneth Cole portfolio. Chris spent several years at Perry Ellis as the Corporate Executive Vice President of strategic planning, and eight years at Tommy Hilfiger in roles of increasing responsibility, accountable for over $700 million in retail sales for 32 licensed businesses. Prior to Tommy Hilfiger, Nakatani worked for Polo Ralph Lauren for nine years in Sales & Merchandising. He started his career at Nordstrom.

CONTACT:
The Apparel Group, Ltd.
Regina Gwynn, [email protected], 212.328.1264

SOURCE The Apparel Group, Ltd.