Rent the Runway, Inc., has appointed Bradford Shellhammer to the new role of chief product officer, effective Oct. 29.
As the company nears its 15th anniversary, Shellhammer will be responsible for leading Rent the Runway’s product strategy and innovation with continued emphasis on sustainable fashion, subscription-based wardrobes and seamless customer experiences.
In this role, Shellhammer will oversee Rent the Runway’s product management, user experience and design teams. He is expected to prioritize innovating its product stack with a focus on innovation to continue to drive growth and customer experience across the user journey.
Shellhammer will also collaborate closely with the technology, marketing and data science teams to support initiatives that leverage artificial intelligence personalization, social commerce and sustainability innovations.
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Jennifer Hyman, chief executive officer of Rent the Runway, said, “I am thrilled to welcome Bradford to Rent the Runway’s leadership team.” She said she first met him 15 years ago when they were both beginning their journeys in the “burgeoning New York City tech scene as mission driven founders.”
“To have this opportunity to work with a three-time founder-turned-product leader who is so visionary, design-centered and puts the customer at the heart of everything, is an honor,” said Hyman. “I look forward to Bradford innovating our customer experiences so that we can continue to significantly evolve and expand our platform. More than his incredible experience, Bradford has always lived and breathed Rent the Runway’s mission to revolutionize the way people get dressed and embrace more sustainable approach to fashion,” said Hyman.
Shellhammer has held senior roles at several leading consumer and technology companies. Most recently, he was chief product officer of Reverb (an Etsy Inc. subsidiary) and earlier was with eBay as vice president, buyer experience and eBay for Charity. He has also worked by Backcountry.com and three companies he cofounded, Fab.com, Bezar and Queety.
Rent the Runway said Shellhammer, who reports to Heyman, will play a critical role as it continues to expand and enhance its customer offerings.
“I am excited to join Rent the Runway at such a pivotal moment in its journey, and I am thrilled to return to work at the intersection of my two passions: fashion and technology. I believe that the company’s unique platform and passionate customer base offer incredible opportunities to innovate and redefine fashion consumption. I look forward to working with the talented teams at Rent the Runway to continue enhancing the customer experience and expanding our impact in the fashion industry.”
Rent the Runway experienced a couple of rough years after the pandemic began and subscribers paused or canceled their subscriptions. Despite the numerous challenges, the company took the company public on Oct. 27, 2021. After layoffs this past January, the company freed up cash to focus on marketing, inventory expansion and customer experience improvements and began refocussing on growth.
For the second quarter ended July 31, Rent the Runway had revenues of $78.9 million, a 4.2 percent increase over $75.7 million in the year-ago quarter. The company had a net loss of $15.6 million in the quarter compared to a net loss of $26.8 million in the year-ago quarter.
