Joey Rodolfo to leave Tommy Bahama

Joey Rodolfo, the Senior Vice President of Men's Design at Tommy Bahama for the past ten years, has announced that he will be leaving his post after a fairly lengthy tenure. He is actually expected to launch a new venture in the near future, although few specific details have been provided yet. Rodolfo came to the company in 2005, and was the driving force behind the Relax by Tommy Bahama division, the division that single-handedly put an end to Tommy Bahama's reputation as only being a "Hawaiian shirt company."

Before Rodolfo joined Tommy Bahama he was the founder of Double R Corp, the company that outfitted the 2001 Ryder Cup Competition and developed the JR 1987 and Resort Two brands. Early on his career he was Senior Vice President of Design and co-founder at Cutter & Ruck, a men's golf collection. He held the same title at Bench Co. Ltd., where he served for two years between 1987 and 1989.

His resume also includes stints at Catalina swimwear and Unionbay Sportswear. While Rodolfo wasn't immediately available to comment on his plans, several sources say that he plans on starting a Seattle-based consulting agency that will address merchandising, visual merchandising, and branding. Many are hoping that he will return to the design world and create a new line, however.

In regards to his departure, Rodolfo said in a statement, "I am proud of the accomplishments my team and I made in extending the brand. Together we created an iconic island lifestyle collection that expertly brought casual sportswear to the island.”