Cathy Beaudoin, the longtime Amazon executive leading the company's fashion division, is exiting the company.
Beaudoin joined Amazon eight years ago from The Gap and was tasked with improving the fashion industry's opinion of Amazon and courting popular name brands to sell on the mass-market e-commerce site.
Under her watch, Amazon has attracted contemporary fashion labels like Theory and Diane von Furstenberg, but still has work to do in convincing others that an association with Amazon won't dilute their brand.
"Cathy Beaudoin has decided to step down from her position as President of Amazon Fashion," an Amazon Fashion spokesperson said in a statement. "Given the momentum of the business and strength of the team, she's decided now is the right time to pass the baton. We thank Cathy for her tremendous contributions to Amazon Fashion and wish her all the best. An announcement regarding Cathy's successor will be coming soon."
While eight years in Amazon years is a very long tenure, the move comes at a surprising time. Amazon recently launched its own stable of fashion brands and just announced an Alexa-powered device with a built-in camera designed to give fashion advice and make recommendations on clothing to buy from the online retailer.
By some estimates, Amazon is the top apparel site among U.S. millennial shoppers, but it's better known for wardrobe staples like underwear and socks than dresses and high-end jeans.
Her departure was first reported by The Business of Fashion.
—By Jason Del Rey, Recode.net.
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