Manolo Blahnik has found a new leader for its Americas business.
On Monday, the luxury brand named Kimberly Mimnaugh as managing director of the Americas, effective immediately. She will report to chief commercial officer Elodie Bougenault.
Mimnaugh will be responsible for the delivery and execution of the commercial strategy for Manolo Blahnik Americas, the New York-based subsidiary of the brand, across all channels including retail, wholesale and e-commerce, as well as overall accountability for operations in the region.
The executive will also serve as brand ambassador for Manolo Blahnik in the U.S., with the goal of “nurturing the company’s family culture and values” while overseeing the senior management team to “drive the commercial side of the business from a strategic perspective,” the company added.
Mimnaugh joins Manolo Blahnik from Chloé, where she most recently served as vice president of North America retail. In this role, she oversaw merchandising and buying, retail operations, learning and development, store planning and visual merchandising. She also led the evolution of the brand’s initial wholesale to retail conversion launching the maison’s concession model with handbags in a leading U.S. department store.
Before her time at Chloé, Mimnaugh was senior vice president of North America retail at Theory and Helmut Lang, where she led retail operations, store design, visual merchandising and financial retail planning. Prior to that, she was managing director of North America at Brunello Cucinelli, where she drove market expansion and commercial growth focusing on controlled brand distribution and the retail footprint transformation.
Kristina Blahnik, chief executive officer of Manolo Blahnik, said in a statement that Mimnaugh “brings an exceptional combination of luxury retail expertise and commercial leadership.”
“Her proven ability to accelerate direct-to-consumer growth while maintaining a strong wholesale business makes her ideally placed to lead this next phase of our growth in the Americas,” Blahnik noted. “I look forward to working closely with her.”
Mimnaugh said she is eager to join the company at “such a pivotal moment” for the brand in the Americas.
“Manolo Blahnik holds a rare and enduring position within luxury, built on unparalleled craftsmanship, and I am excited to help shape its next chapter of growth across the region,” Mimnaugh said. “Having spent my career working with luxury brands to build controlled, sustainable market positions, I understand both the opportunity and the discipline required to grow direct-to-consumer channels while strengthening the wholesale and retail balance. I look forward to partnering with the team in New York and across the region to elevate the brand’s presence and deepen its connection with consumers in North America.”
North America remains an important growth market for Manolo Blahnik, with a total of four stores in the region. Last September, the company opened its most recent boutique in the Americas at South Coast Plaza shopping center in Costa Mesa, Calif.
The company opened its third store in the U.S. and first in Florida, in the heart of Miami’s Design District in February 2025. Manolo Blahnik also has locations on Madison Avenue in New York City as well as in East Hampton, N.Y.
More recently, Manolo Blahnik showed its love for America with a special collection for Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus in honor of the country’s 250th birthday.
Jodi Kahn, senior vice president and general merchandise manager of women’s ready-to-wear, shoes, handbags and accessories for Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus, said in an interview earlier this month that despite Manolo Blahnik not being from the U.S., it has “always had a connection with American style and glamour.”
“Our partnership with Manolo Blahnik is built on a shared commitment to delivering the extraordinary for the U.S. luxury customer, and this exclusive collection is a testament to that commitment,” Kahn said.
Mimnaugh’s appointment also follows the exit of Manolo Blahnik’s president of the Americas, Andrew Wright, last November after nearly nine years with the designer shoe firm. Wright left the company to become chief executive officer of London-based footwear brand Malone Souliers.
