Sports lifestyle label '47 announces new executive appointments

'47, a privately held premium sports lifestyle brand, has announced the new executive hires including Steven Monti as VP of design & development, Ryan Cross as VP of merchandising and Brooke Thornton as VP of marketing.

"We are thrilled to welcome Steven, Ryan, and Brooke to '47," said the company’s president Dominic Farrell, adding, "With their fresh perspectives and innovative thinking, combined with our brand's legacy of product excellence and unwavering commitment to quality, we are poised to further enhance our position in the market."

Monti, the company said in a release, joins '47 from Converse where he spent 16 years in leadership roles in design, development, and product innovation. He will be charged with leading '47's creative directors in the overall positioning and aesthetic of each category, pushing for new and innovative products through colour, fabrics, fit, graphics, trims, and silhouettes, and developing those designs into commercially viable products.

Cross joins the company from Goat Group, the innovative sneaker and fashion marketplace, where he led business development, as well as Puma Group where he was the VP of global basketball, playing a pivotal role in the successful relaunch of Puma into the basketball category. The company added that he will be charged with leading and creating '47's line architecture, go to market, global range, and overall merchandising strategy and processes.

Thornton has earlier served leadership roles at both Red Bull and the award-winning marketing agencies, Nue and Translation. In her new role at '47, she will be responsible for growing overall brand awareness, cementing the brand as a global leader who exists at the intersections of sports, fashion and culture.

Through new partnerships and collaborations with brands and leagues such as Kith, Rowing Blazers, Diet Starts Monday and, Nascar among others, the brand also continues its global expansion with a recent pop-up in London, an upcoming store opening in Tokyo, marking the third in Japan, and increased licensing across various new leagues and teams.