Halara names former DVF CEO Gabby Hirata president

Athleisure brand Halara has named Gabby Hirata, the former chief executive officer of Diane von Furstenberg, as its new global brand president.

The appointment signifies a new chapter for Halara, explains the brand in a statement, as it is poised for aggressive worldwide sales growth. In her new role as global brand president, Hirata will help to elevate Halara’s brand identity, “instilling a higher level of aspirational aesthetics across all platforms, spanning from its website to diverse social media channels”.

Hirata will also drive the brand’s efforts to leverage technology and innovation to reinvent athleisure to offer a vast selection of affordable, high-performance wear that is both stylish and durable, as well as introduce nationwide offline brand activations to fuel the brand’s global growth and become a leading choice in the global athleisure market.

The athleisure brand also added it is looking to expand its global workforce, situated in key locations such as Singapore, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Shanghai and Munich.

Commenting on her appointment, Hirata, said: "I’m profoundly grateful for the chance to be part of such a fast-growing startup like Halara and to engage in a marketplace of this magnitude.

“When I observe Halara’s rapidly growing customer base — over a million in less than 30 months — it truly feels like viewing a diverse tapestry of America. Every age group, every location, every walk of life is represented. We genuinely represent the wonderfully diverse and full breadth of everyday life."

Former DVF CEO Gabby Hirata joins Halara to drive global growth

Halara is hoping that Hirata will make a significant impact on its growth and creative identity by deploying the same innovative mix of “magic and math” that garnered so much success during her three-year tenure at DVF.

Joyce Zhang, chief executive and founder of Halara, added: "We are thrilled to welcome Gabby Hirata to the Halara family. Her in-depth knowledge in the international fashion industry and her passion for packing value propositions from quality textiles to flattering designs into well-priced products make her the perfect fit for Halara.

“We are confident that Gabby’s industry expertise and thoughtful leadership style will enable us to continue pushing boundaries and cement our position not only as a trusted activewear brand for customers but also as a global magnet for top talent.”

Halara, meaning “take it easy” in Greek, is a female-founded athleisure direct-to-consumer online brand that offers functional and stylish workout and loungewear with a focus on applying strong performance fabrics to attractive designs. It also operates a community-driven approach to design and leverages crowd-tested fabrics and quality sportswear manufacturers to produce affordable pieces.