Thomas Pink names ex-Dunhill and Gucci menswear head John Ray as new creative director

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Jun 8, 2017

Thomas Pink is looking forward to a brand "renaissance” after announcing that the former creative director of Dunhill is joining the high-end shirts and accessories brand.

John Ray left his job at Richemont-owned Dunhill back in February after three years there and will now be helping rival LVMH make more money. LVMH acquired control of Thomas Pink almost 18 years ago and Ray will play a “key role in the renaissance of the brand,” the company said Thursday.

President and CEO Christopher Zanardi-Landi praised his understanding of British craftsmanship and detail saying that it “is second to none” and added that “we share an emotional common vision on Thomas Pink’s future direction.”
He will be based in London at the 30-year-old brand’s HQ and joins at a time when menswear is a major growth category. He certainly has the kind of background that suggests he could add a new dimension to the label’s designs with his pre-Dunhill career senior posts at Gucci and at British label Katherine Hamnett.

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He trained at St Martins and The Royal College of Art, winning a job at Katherine Hamnett immediately after graduating, later rising to become head of menswear there. He joined Gucci in 1996 as a creative consultant, working with Tom Ford, and became VP of menswear in 2001. In 2004, the year Ford left, he was named creative director of menswear.           
Zanardi-Landi is himself a recent arrival at Thomas Pink having joined the brand in April after previously holding a number of senior roles at LVMH’s top brand Louis Vuitton.