hush, the fast-growing women’s fashion and lifestyle brand, is delighted to announce the appointment of Melissa Dick as its new chief creative officer. Dick joins hush from renowned global lifestyle brand Coach, where she was VP global head of creative strategy & studio.
Dick brings more than 20 years’ experience in the fashion retail and media industries gained from senior roles at well-known brands Elle, Style.com, Dazed and ASOS as well as her five years spent at Coach.
Dick will assume the creative leadership role from Mandy Watkins, hush’s founder, who started the business with husband Rupert Youngman in 2003 after moving to the UK from her native Australia. Under Watkin’s direction, the business has grown very successfully to become one of Britain’s best-loved womenswear brands, delivering revenues of almost £70m during its most recent financial year. Watkin will work alongside Dick as she settles into the business, after which she will support Dick and the broader business in her new role as brand ambassador.
Dick’s appointment follows the news of hush’s appointment of Sarah Miles as CEO, announced in December 2022. Miles joined hush earlier this month from global prestige beauty group Sephora, having previously been CEO of Feelunique, the beauty e-commerce platform, where she led the team that grew revenues to more than £100m prior to its sale to Sephora in September 2021.
Dick commented: “I’m excited to join hush as Chief Creative Officer. It’s a brand that has become much loved for bringing fashion and functionality together with a laid-back attitude that is extremely compelling for women today. I am sincerely grateful to Mandy, under whose unique creative leadership hush has thrived, for trusting me with the future creative direction as we imagine the next chapter of hush’s story and set the direction for a bold and exciting future.”
Miles added: “I’m so pleased to welcome Melissa to hush as the business’s new Chief Creative Officer. Her decades of experience in building brand equity by leveraging content, culture and storytelling for well-known consumer brands will be of huge benefit to hush as it builds on the success delivered to date under Mandy’s creative leadership.”
