Vuori Appoints Carey Collins Krug as New CMO

Effective Monday 5 October, Vuori has appointed Carey Collins Krug as its new Chief Marketing Officer.

She succeeds Karen Riley-Grant, who has been in the role since 2024 and brought over 25 years of marketing experience to the role.

Commenting on her new role, Carey says: “Vuori has a rare combination of brand clarity, product strength and deep consumer connection. The foundation is already there – a powerful brand and an engaged community. I am thrilled to build upon this momentum and scale globally with intentionality and consistency.”

Karen will begin the handover process with Carey who will now lead the company’s global marketing organisation.

She will be responsible for overseeing brand, creative, consumer engagement, digital, retail and integrated marketing.

The leadership shift reflects the next chapter of Vuori’s expansion.

“Carey brings the kind of brand-building, consumer engagement and cross-functional marketing leadership that will be instrumental as Vuori enters its next chapter of growth,” notes Joe Kudla, Founder and CEO of Vuori.

Carey’s retail legacy 

Carey is coming into her new role with over two decades of marketing experience which specialises in fashion retail.

Prior to joining Vuori’s leadership team, Carey worked at Abercrombie & Fitch for almost eight years, serving as its Chief Marketing Officer for four of those years. During that time, she played an instrumental role in repositioning the brand and drove a digital-first transformation. 

Reigniting cultural relevance with a new generation of consumers meant that Abercrombie re-emerged as one of the fastest growing fashion brands in the US.

Joe comments: “Her experience helping global lifestyle brands sharpen their storytelling and build deeper connections with consumers aligns closely with where we’re headed as we continue to scale.”

Carey has also held leadership roles at Donna Karan International (DKNY) and Ralph Lauren; within the roles she led brand campaigns, global expansion efforts and digital innovation initiatives.

She departs Abercrombie after driving the fashion retailer to a large scale of success through evolved brand positioning, influencer marketing and a disciplined test and learn approach strategy.

Carey is now bringing a passion for change with the determination to deliver commendable results to Vuori amidst its plan for growth.

Vuori embarks on brand visibility mission

As Vuori continues to become a core player in the athleisure industry, its leadership team is becoming stronger to reflect this expansion.

Earlier this year, the company appointed its first ever Chief Product Officer, Heather Archibald, who will oversee design, development, merchandising and sourcing.

Founded just over a decade ago in California, Vuori is now available in nearly 30 countries with stores and websites worldwide.

A large majority of Vuori’s rapid growth is established from its strategic focus on product quality and producing clothing items that can be worn at the gym as well as for everyday wear.

Offering fluidity with their styling capabilities and leading into the casualisation trend has paid off incredibly well for the brand, causing its sales to have consistently increased by 10.71% since 2023.

With Carey now its CMO, Vuori has the opportunity to take a different direction in its marketing or simply refine its current strategy.

Vuori’s current positioning is undoubtedly impressive – with speculation that it may have the capability to overtake athleisure giant Lululemon in the coming years if it retains a strong brand identity – despite Lululemon starting up more than a decade before Vuori.

Due to her expertise, Cary will begin to discover what it takes to achieve this. Her role will include aligning Vuori’s business goals with reflective strategies that will drive growth and enhance the brand’s positioning further.