MILAN — Swiss company Hidnander has tapped Adam Kakembo as its first chief executive officer. In his latest role Kakembo will work alongside the brand’s founder and artistic director Alessandro Vigano. 

Kakembo counts former experiences in each the wonder and fashion industries. Prior to joining Hidnander, he served as global chief product and marketing officer at Aesop.

During his tenure on the Australia-based cosmetics brand from 2019 to 2022, he drove the mixing of creative marketing, product, R&D and compliance to fulfill the ever-evolving needs of the worldwide customer through Aesop’s omnichannel presence and likewise sat on the board of the Aesop Foundation.

Before that, Kakembo was chief marketing officer at contemporary brand Scotch & Soda and vp of design, product and marketing of Wrangler at VF Corp. His résumé includes experiences as head of trade marketing at Levi Strauss & Co., brand director at Timberland and retail and web marketing manager at Loewe.

At Hidnander, Kakembo shall be tasked to scale the business launched by Vigano in 2019, which is best known for its Made in Italy sneakers for men and ladies infused with a retro feel and unexpected details.  

“That is an exciting time for Hidnander: the brand is uniquely positioned for expansion. The products are progressive and have international appeal,” said Kakembo, praising the label’s “ideal balance of originality, sustainability and aesthetics.”

Key styles include the Threedome retro running silhouette, the Stripless low-top sneakers designed to have shoelaces reaching the only real on the perimeters and their high-top, basketball-inspired evolution, dubbed The Cage.

The brand, which also offers Western boots, ballet flats and sandals, is principally distributed in Europe in the intervening time. The goal is to expand the wholesale distribution to the U.K., the U.S. and South Korea next.