Reading text:
Hochstein to Be Headed by
Barrault Bondy Executive
February 10 - Recent movement of executives among the fashion industry's leading companies appears not to be ending anytime soon.
Hochstein Shoes, Inc. , Swiss-based retailer and manufacturer of men's shoes, announced today that its chief executive officer, Gerard Hullot, will retire,
and that Angelica Ferrara, current executive vice-president of Barrault Bondy, will take his place.
Experts say the succession represents a major upset within the industry, since Barrault Bondy, the Paris-based manufacturer, is one of Hochstein's leading competitors in the high-end shoe market.
Hullot's departure come as little surprise, however.
He had publicly indicated his desire to retire in order to write a memoir of his long career in fashion, over thirty years of which were spent at Hochstein.
Nevertheless, most experts had expected him to stay on until after November, when the company's winter collection is released.
Ferrara's move has generated much speculation about who will take her place at Barrault Bondy.
Sources there indicate that current design director Marcel Hugo will be named the new executive vice president in a press release later this week.