Chris Blakeslee is to be the new President and CEO of Athleta as of Aug. 7, parent company Gap Inc. has announced.
Blakeslee has most recently served as President of sister companies Alo Yoga and Bella+Canvas since 2017. Under Blakeslee’s leadership, Alo Yoga focused on a fashion-forward approach to wellness, building community and brand awareness, as well as store and category expansion. During his tenure, Alo Yoga grew to over $1 billion in sales in 2022, nearly doubling its year-over-year growth. At the same time, Blakeslee led the expansion of premium apparel wholesaler Bella+Canvas into the retail space.
In his new role, Blakeslee will “drive strategic growth” for the women’s active and lifestyle brand.
“I see incredible runway for the brand to capitalize on its unique, purpose-led positioning and performance product innovation, leveraging its assets across marketing, stores, product and community to deliver consistent growth,” said Blakeslee.
Mary Beth Laughton, former president and CEO of Athleta, left the DTC retailer in March 2023. In the interim period, business was managed in part by Chief Creative Officer, Julia Leach.
In its most recent call, Q1 sales fell by 11 percent as Athleta continued to face consumer pushback to certain products. However, revenues were 45 percent higher than in Q1/19 before the pandemic commenced.
Gap senior management told analysts in May it will take several quarters for the business to make “meaningful changes” to its assortments. In the meantime, Athleta management is working on strategies that emphasize the brand’s “performance DNA.”
