Post by SMART FASHION COUNCIL

THE FORMER ALLBIRDS CEO IS BACK AT COLUMBIA SPORTSWEAR — RUNNING SOREL, FOUR MONTHS AFTER ALLBIRDS WAS SOLD OFF IN PIECES Joe Vernachio has been named President of SOREL, effective June 22. The appointment is a return to Columbia Sportswear Company — he previously served as President of the group's Mountain Hardwear label from 2017 to 2021. Before that: leadership roles in product, licensing, and operations at The North Face, Spyder, Roots, Calvin Klein, and Nike. The timing closes a loop that started just months ago. Vernachio joined Allbirds in 2021, became CEO two years later, and led the company until earlier this year when American Exchange Group acquired Allbirds' IP assets in partnership with WSG Brands — the brand that once symbolized the entire sustainable DTC footwear movement, broken apart and sold for parts after years of declining revenue and a stock that fell from a $1.7 billion IPO valuation in 2021 to functional delisting. The Allbirds story is the cautionary tale every DTC footwear and apparel founder needs to study. A genuinely innovative product — merino wool sneakers, a real sustainability thesis, B Corp certification — could not overcome a retail strategy built entirely around its own stores and direct channels at a moment when wholesale distribution and marketplace presence were the only paths to the scale investors expected. Vernachio inherited a structurally difficult position and could not reverse the trajectory before the IP sale. Sorel gives him a different kind of brief entirely. An established outdoor footwear brand inside Columbia Sportswear's portfolio — alongside Columbia, Mountain Hardwear, and prAna — with the institutional infrastructure, wholesale relationships, and balance sheet that Allbirds never had. Craig Zanon, EVP of Europe Direct, Asia Direct, and emerging brands: "Joe is a consumer-focused, collaborative leader with a deep passion for product and brand storytelling. His energy, expertise, and proven leadership will help fuel scalable growth and meaningful brand expansion for Sorel." 🏎️ Join the SMART FASHION COUNCIL Connect with like-minded builders, access real-time insights on how AI creates new layer value: https://lnkd.in/gBAp8s_h #ai #chrematistics #fashion #crypto #blockchain #innovation #defi #vc #angel #smart