Forte Gabriella
Gabriella (1949). A top-tier manager and president, since 1994, of Calvin Klein Inc. She was able to globalize the company by emphasizing the strategic development of the brand and focusing on the expansion of the different lines of products in North America, Europe, and Asia. She signed important license agreements for eyewear, perfumes, and leather goods. Under her management, the turnover almost doubled, going from $2.1 billion in 1994 to $5.3 billion in 1998. Born in Formia, she graduated from Hunter College with a thesis on the conflict between the USSR and China. She then worked in the luxury goods field, starting and managing a consulting company. She also worked for Condé Nast Italy and as a market analyst at the Italian Institute of Foreign Commerce in New York.
Before Calvin Klein, she worked from 1979 to 1994 for Giorgio Armani Inc., where she directed world-wide sales development, public relations, and international communications, in addition to all the operations in the U.S. Her amazing career is the result of an excellent combination of a sharp eye for fashion and a practical business sense.
She leaves Calvin Klein in order to become president of Dolce&Gabbana USA and director for accessories and licenses at Dolce&Gabbana S.p.A. Her arrival, at the beginning of February, coincides with the record boom of the D&G griffe and with the subsequent need to strengthen and expand the management.
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