Former Calvin Klein CEO takes helm at underwear label Tommy John

Tommy John, an American underwear brand, has announced the appointment of Cheryl Abel-Hodges to the role of chief executive officer.

Abel-Hodges, who also joined the label’s executive team last week, will work alongside the Tommy John’s founders, Tom Patterson and Erin Fujimoto, on supporting the brand through its ongoing wholesale expansion and product innovation.

She joins the company from PVH, where she served as the global CEO of Calvin Klein for nearly three years.

Prior to this, she had also held the positions of group president, Calvin Klein North America and The Underwear Group, and president, Global Calvin Klein Underwear.

Abel-Hodges has further served in various executive and management roles at the likes of Ralph Lauren, where she was vice president of sales and planning; Izod, where she served as president of wholesale sportswear; and Liz Claiborne, as vice president general manager of apparel.

On her appointment, co-founder Patterson said: “When we founded Tommy John 15 years ago, we had a simple goal of creating more comfortable solutions and building a business that will be around for the ages.

“Cheryl shares that very same vision, and with her extensive experience building and growing iconic heritage brands, she will be invaluable to Tommy John’s continued expansion.”

Abel-Hodges joins Tommy John at a time of growth for the company, as it reports that its wholesale footprint has doubled since 2022, while it is also expecting to increase its retail presence by 40 percent before the end of the year.