MILAN — Swiss footwear company Hidnander has tapped Adam Kakembo as its first chief executive officer. In his new role Kakembo will work alongside the brand’s founder and creative director Alessandro Vigano.
Kakembo counts former experiences in both the beauty and fashion industries. Prior to joining Hidnander, he served as global chief product and marketing officer at Aesop.
During his tenure at the Australia-based cosmetics brand from 2019 to 2022, he drove the integration of creative marketing, product, R&D and compliance to meet the ever-evolving needs of the global customer through Aesop’s omnichannel presence and also sat on the board of the Aesop Foundation.
Before that, Kakembo was chief marketing officer at contemporary brand Scotch & Soda and vice president of design, product and marketing of Wrangler at VF Corp. His résumé includes experiences as head of trade marketing at Levi Strauss & Co., brand director at Timberland and retail and web marketing manager at Loewe.
At Hidnander, Kakembo will be tasked to scale the business launched by Vigano in 2019, which is best known for its Made in Italy sneakers for men and women infused with a retro feel and unexpected details.
“This is an exciting time for Hidnander: the brand is uniquely positioned for expansion. The products are progressive and have international appeal,” said Kakembo, praising the label’s “ideal balance of originality, sustainability and aesthetics.”
Key styles include the Threedome retro running silhouette, the Stripless low-top sneakers designed to have shoelaces reaching the sole on the sides and their high-top, basketball-inspired evolution, dubbed The Cage.
The brand, which also offers Western boots, ballet flats and sandals, is mainly distributed in Europe at the moment. The goal is to expand the wholesale distribution to the U.K., the U.S. and South Korea next.
