Vuori Taps Abercrombie & Fitch Turnaround Veteran Carey Collins Krug as CMO
18/August/2026
Premium performance apparel brand Vuori has taken another decisive step toward enterprise scaling, naming former Abercrombie & Fitch Chief Marketing Officer Carey Collins Krug as its new Chief Marketing Officer, effective October 5, 2026.
The hire represents a major talent acquisition for the coastal California-founded activewear brand. Collins Krug played a central role in Abercrombie & Fitch’s widely praised brand turnaround, spearheading a digital-first repositioning, influencer-led storytelling, and a test-and-learn marketing strategy that transformed the legacy retailer into one of the fastest-growing apparel brands in the U.S.
Orchestrating the Next Phase of Global Scale
At Vuori, Collins Krug will take direct ownership of the global marketing organization. Her operational purview spans brand strategy, creative direction, consumer engagement, digital commerce, retail marketing, wholesale integration, and international expansion campaigns.
Prior to her tenure at Abercrombie & Fitch, Collins Krug built an extensive luxury and lifestyle marketing background, serving in senior marketing leadership roles at David Yurman, Ralph Lauren, and Donna Karan International.
"Carey brings the kind of brand building, consumer engagement, and cross-functional marketing leadership that will be instrumental as Vuori enters its next chapter of growth. Her experience helping global lifestyle brands sharpen their storytelling and build deeper connections with consumers aligns closely with where we're headed as we continue to scale." said Joe Kudla, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Vuori
The Broader C-Suite Playbook
The appointment of Collins Krug is not an isolated move; it is part of a deliberate, multi-year executive build-out engineered by Kudla to transition Vuori from a high-growth DTC darling into a mature, multi-channel global powerhouse.
In recent quarters, Vuori has systematically fortified its executive leadership and corporate governance:
Chief Product Officer (April 2026): Hired Heather Archibald, former President and COO of Rothy’s, as the brand’s first CPO to oversee product design, development, merchandising, and global sourcing.
Board Governance (September 2025): Appointed former Nike Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer Andrew Campion to its Board of Directors and Audit Committee.
Retail Expansion: Surpassed its target of 100 owned brick-and-mortar retail stores six months ahead of schedule, anchored by international flagships in key global fashion capitals like London and Shanghai.
Executive Move | Leadership Role | Executive Profile | Strategic Focus |
Carey Collins Krug (Oct 2026) | Chief Marketing Officer | Ex-CMO, Abercrombie & Fitch; Ralph Lauren, David Yurman | Global marketing, channel integration, digital-first engagement |
Heather Archibald (Apr 2026) | Chief Product Officer | Ex-President & COO, Rothy's | Merchandising, sourcing, design, and product lifecycle management |
Andrew Campion (Sep 2025) | Board Member / Audit Committee | Ex-COO & CFO, Nike | Governance, supply chain optimization, and global retail scaling |
Trade Takeaway: From California Lifestyle to Global Empire
Founded in 2015 in Encinitas, California, Vuori’s initial success was anchored in a distinct product proposition: soft, technical activewear designed for a "coastal California lifestyle." Backed by a high-profile $400 million investment from SoftBank Vision Fund 2 in 2021 (which valued the company at $4 billion), the brand has systematically expanded its wholesale and direct distribution footprint into nearly 30 countries.
By stacking its executive ranks with veterans from Abercrombie, Rothy's, and Nike, Vuori is signaling to wholesale partners and investors alike that its operational infrastructure is being built to sustain long-term, enterprise-level growth across direct-to-consumer, wholesale, and international retail channels.
