CHICAGO, Sept. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- HMX, LLC, home of iconic apparel brands such as Hickey Freeman, Hart Schaffner Marx, Coppley and Bobby Jones, announced today that it has appointed industry veteran Doug Williams as President and Chief Operating Officer, effective immediately.
Williams brings 25 years of experience as a senior apparel and accessories executive with broad expertise in wholesale, licensing, retail, mergers and acquisitions, product sourcing and international business development.
Most notably, Williams spent 17 years with Polo Ralph Lauren Corporation. During his time there, he rose to Group President and held senior sales positions in the men's wholesale group and leadership positions in licensing, international business development, global manufacturing, and new business segments.
"We are very happy to have Doug join us to lead the charge to re-establish HMX as a leading North American clothing company and restrengthen its brands," said Nitin Kasliwal, Chairman of HMX, LLC and Vice Chairman of SKNL, one of India's largest textile and apparel companies.
In 2006, Williams established W-Diamond Ventures, a business development consultancy, focused on assisting premium brands, as well as advising the investment community on the fashion industry. His clients have seen significant improvement in their financial performance, resource management, and core operations.
"Doug has built a reputation for strong leadership as well as developing and executing creative strategies in challenging circumstances," said Ajay Khaitan, CEO and Vice Chairman of HMX, LLC. "We want to preserve our tradition of 'Made in America' quality, offer innovation and excellence in design and manufacturing and vigorously pursue growth opportunities. Doug will be a key player to help us get there."
"I am thrilled to be part of a great team that will help restore Hartmarx and its family of brands to the iconic status they so deserve," said Williams. "The news owners not only bring a commitment to long term and sustainable growth but they have committed the investment to achieve our aggressive set of objectives. There is much work to be done, but this is a tremendous opportunity to capitalize on a rich brand history and refocus all of our brands for a global audience."
Williams will be based in New York City.
About HMX, LLC
HMX, LLC is America's leading tailored clothing company, with a diverse portfolio of brands, both owned and licensed, that are distributed through all domestic retail channels and internationally. HMX's most prominent brands include Hickey Freeman, Coppley, Monarchy, Christopher Blue, Bobby Jones*, Jack Nicklaus*, Austin Reed*, Sansabelt and Hart Schaffner Marx, the brand worn by U.S. presidents past and present. North American tailored clothing manufacturing is based in Rochester, New York; Des Plaines, Illinois and Hamilton, Ontario. The privately-held U.S.-based company acquired assets of the company formerly known as Hartmarx Corporation in August, 2009.
*The referenced trademarks are licensed to and not owned by HMX, LLC or an affiliated company.
SOURCE HMX, LLC
