Vagabond Shoemakers head of design steps up to creative director position

Maria Olander, the head of design for Vagabond Shoemakers, is stepping up to become the brand’s new creative director.

Olander, who has been in her current position for 12 years, will succeed Marie Nilsson Peterzén, co-founder of Vagabond.

In a statement, Olander said: "I'm happy and grateful for the trust. I look forward to working with our design concept on a broader perspective: where our product and our brand will be visible and in what context.”

Meanwhile, Peterzén also stated on the appointment: "I have great confidence in Maria's ability to steer our brand alongside our design, marketing, sales and purchasing specialists.”

Peterzén will remain on at the company as deputy CEO and in an advisory capacity.

Olander’s promotion comes ahead of Vagabond’s ongoing expansion plans, through which the footwear specialist is set to enter the Asian market.

The strategy begins with opening up a partnership with China’s Tmall, with a new distribution setup also expected to be introduced for South Korea.

Currently, the label counts the likes of Scandinavia, the US, the UK, Germany, Benelux and Italy among its key markets.