Jockey appoints marketing chief

Underwear brand Jockey has appointed former Ellesse UK managing director Gavin Sinclair as UK sales and marketing director. He is the US brand’s most senior UK marketer following the departure of UK brand manager Kirsteen White at the start of November.

White, who had been in the role for about two years, has left to go to an undisclosed role outside the fashion industry. Sinclair will take on all of her responsibilities for UK marketing, although the company is searching for a brand manager to join his team.

The appointment of Sinclair follows a reorganisation of Jockey UK to focus on increasing the range of Jockey products available in the UK and improving its focus on sales, marketing and customer services. He is the first dedicated marketing director since Jeremy Garmen left the company in November 2001 (MW November 8, 2001).

The brand’s focus for this year had been to introduce more consistency across its global brand. The strategy has included introducing the same packaging for each of its lines across the 120 countries in which the product is sold. It is planning to introduce a global marketing campaign, which will be developed in the US.

In recent years Jockey, which is credited as the inventor of the classic men’s brief, has been attempting to attract younger men to its Y-front range and to become a more fashion-conscious brand.