Outdoor Voices, an Austin-based maker of fashionable athletic clothing, has appointed Mickey Drexler, the former CEO and current chairman of J.Crew, as its new chairman of the board.
Drexler, who recently stepped down as CEO of J.Crew to launch Drexler Ventures, also led Outdoor Voices new $9 million funding round. Former Whole Foods CEO Walter Robb was also in on the round. The company, founded in 2014 by Tyler Haney, has raised more than $22M to date. The company's earlier investors include General Catalyst, Forerunner Ventures, Collaborative Fund and 14W.
“Mickey has a deep enthusiasm and respect for what we’re building and I’m excited to make him part of the team,” said Tyler Haney, who founded Outdoor Voices in 2014. “His experience will be invaluable as we grow.”
A news release says Haney and Drexler initially met in 2014, and Drexler plans to spend a few days a week working with the Outdoor Voices team. Drexler, who is also currently chairman of the board at J.Crew and on the board of Warby Parker, is the former CEO of Gap Inc. and was also a director at Apple Inc. from 1999 to 2015.
“I’ve been impressed with Tyler and Outdoor Voices since day one,” Drexler said a the release. “The product and the larger community she’s built around Outdoor Voices is incredibly compelling."
Outdoor Voices makes most of its sales online. But it also has brick and mortar stores in Austin and New York -- and pop-up shops in Dallas, Aspen and Los Angeles.
