Profile: Santiago Cucci, the man behind IKKS revival

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Santiago Cucci. Credits: IKKS.

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Santiago Cucci, current president of the holding company HoldIKKS, is one of the two new buyers of French ready-to-wear group IKKS. His offer, led alongside co-shareholder Michael Benabou, comes at the cost of a human tragedy, according to the CFDT union, as nearly 50 percent of employees will be made redundant. This vision contrasts sharply with his profile as a "happy entrepreneur," as he describes himself on his LinkedIn account. So who is Santiago Cucci? And what is his vision?

From Quiksilver to Levi Strauss

Before taking on the role of chief executive officer at IKKS, Santiago Cucci, a native of the Basque Country, began his career as sales director at Quiksilver. He subsequently moved to Marc Jacobs and Kaporal before taking the helm of globally renowned American brands Levi Strauss and Tommy Hilfiger.

"My main responsibility is to manage the American operations profitably while ensuring sustainable and optimised growth," he stated in a 2018 interview published on the Levi Strauss website, regarding his new role as senior vice president USA Levi's & Dockers.

Under his leadership, both brands within the Levi's group were revitalised. The Levi's teams reinvented and opened 120 boutiques and created stores dedicated to women. Later, in 2020, when he was appointed CEO of Dockers, the somewhat neglected brand was on the verge of being acquired by Bluestar Alliance. A bespoke position was created to enable him to build a team and refresh the image. The figures followed, with results on the rise.

This nearly ten-year experience within the American group led him to join denim brand G-Star Raw as chief growth officer in 2024.

Football enthusiast

Beyond his profile as a fashion leader, Santiago Cucci is a passionate football fan. In September 2025, he told the newspaper Sud Ouest that he was a fan of the beautiful game, "not for having played it, but for having been a supportive father to his children." He added: "I'm a 'footivore'. I watch all the matches. It was upon returning here, following my sons through the good regional clubs, that I completely rediscovered this highly accessible football. It's very close to the players, the very essence of this sport that brings together 200 to 300 people on Saturday evenings in Mauléon, Ustaritz or here in Bayonne. It inspires dozens of volunteers to give their time to proudly represent their colours. I love that."

He served as president of Olympique Lyonnais from 2023 to 2024 and became president of Aviron Bayonnais Football Club in 2025. In this role, he stated in a press release that he would bring his "experience and energy to financially secure the club, give it all the visibility it deserves, and build a sustainable project combining sporting performance, training and regional influence." This statement resonates with his approach in fashion: seeking performance, sustainability and brand visibility, starting with financial solidity.

Santiago Cucci therefore appears above all as an experienced leader in international fashion, with solid expertise in brand turnaround and optimised growth. His decisions are guided by an imperative of sustainable profitability, even if this involves painful social choices. His acquisition of the IKKS brand comes at the cost of a radical reduction in the workforce: 546 direct jobs will be retained out of 1,094 in France.

The future of IKKS is thus expected to follow an "operational clean-up" plan aimed at eliminating unprofitable activities or points of sale to focus solely on a profitable core business. Cucci notably told Fashionnetwork about the suspension of the brand's junior activity. The plan also includes a new product strategy featuring "more functional, qualitative and desirable" items, stock management for greater flexibility and a communication plan to clarify the brand's identity.

This article was translated to English using an AI tool.

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