Karen Millen has appointed a former Jacques Vert director Nicola Carr Mathews as its commercial director to help bolster its international growth.

US-born Carr Mathews, who joins Karen Millen from childrenswear brand ilovegorgeous.com, fills the space left by former chief trading officer Steve Price who stepped down from Karen Millen at the end of last year.

Karen Millen chief executive Mike Shearwood said: “I am delighted to welcome Nicola to the business. She has a huge wealth of experience in the retail sector and is a superb addition to the management team. 

“Her appointment is particularly timely as we continue our international expansion and the business will undoubtedly benefit from her many years of working across international businesses and global fashion brands.”

Carr Mathews worked at Gap in merchandise planning and was merchandising manager at LK Bennett and worked alongside Linda Bennett to prepare the business for a sale, which happened in 2009.

She then joined Hobbs as head of merchandising and helped launch the retailer’s NW3 brand aimed at a younger market before taking the role of director of merchandising at Jacques Vert.

Carr Mathews added: “Karen Millen is a truly international brand and this is a fantastic opportunity for me. I am very much looking forward to helping the business during its next stage of development and global growth.”