IRVINE, Calif., May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Fosun, China's family-focused multinational company, today announced the appointment of Eran Cohen as Chief Executive Officer of St. John Knits, Inc. Mr. Cohen joined the company May 1, 2018. In this role, Mr. Cohen will be responsible for all aspects of St. John globally and will report to the St. John Board of Directors. Mr. Cohen succeeds Bruce Fetter, who has retired after more than 15 years with the company.

Mr. Cohen comes to St. John with more than 30 years of experience in the retail and fashion industries. Mr. Cohen is a highly creative and strategic leader with a proven track record in driving growth at global companies. With a passion for and a deep understanding of retail, including ecommerce, digital and mobile; customer experience; and data and analytics, Mr. Cohen will lead a bold evolution across product, marketing, and retail at St. John.

"St. John is an iconic American brand and a very important component in Fosun's fashion portfolio. Eran has invaluable experience in marketing and consumer experience, with exceptional management skills. We believe he can unlock the potential of St. John, driving acceleration and growth via a strategic focus on the demands of current and new clients.  Eran comes to St. John with a proven track record of success building and engaging teams and in driving global growth," said Joann Cheng, President of Fosun Fashion Group.

"I am thrilled by the opportunity to lead St. John, a legendary American brand," said Mr. Cohen. "I envision a bold evolution, building off the brand's iconic heritage in knitwear, bringing innovation in design and product, providing dynamic experiences at retail, wholesale and online, and delivering provocative and compelling content that speaks to the brand's current loyalists, while attracting new customer segments."

Fosun also announced the appointment of two new members of the Executive Leadership Team: Laura Vazquez and Tom Jarrold. Laura joined St. John as Executive Vice President, Chief Merchant in November 2017, bringing a wealth of experience establishing, reinventing and revitalizing some of the world's most visible brands including Belstaff, Jil Sander, and Adrienne Vittadini. Tom Jarrold joined the brand in March 2018 as Senior Vice President, Marketing, Branding, & Communications. Tom comes to St. John with proven experience transforming brands including Armani Exchange, Ralph Lauren, and Coach.

ABOUT FOSUN FASHION GROUP (FFG)
Fosun Fashion Group is a division of Fosun International Limited, a family-focused multinational company that is listed on the main board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (00656:HK) since 2007. Founded in 1992, Fosun's total assets exceed RMB530 billion (c.US$85 billion). As of December 2017. With its roots in China, Fosun's mission is to create customer-to-maker ecosystems in health, happiness and wealth, providing high-quality products and services for families around the world. Fosun Fashion Group has controlling interests in global manufacturers and distributors, including Lanvin, Wolford, St. John, Caruso Suiting, Tom Tailor, among others.

ABOUT ST. JOHN KNITS
St. John is an American luxury house founded in 1962 on the premise of a simple, elegant, and versatile knit dress. While the brand has evolved over the years, the foundation of the collection remains the same today as it did from the very start — great American design, understated and timeless elegance, unsurpassed quality and craftsmanship. The company, headquartered in Southern California now employs over 1,500 people and is vertically integrated with workshops, offices and stores around the world.  Its collection is sold by high-end specialty retailers in 26 countries, 29 company-owned retail boutiques and through the brand's ecommerce site at stjohnknits.com.

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SOURCE St. John Knits