Global retail executive Alex Anton has secured the role of vice president of brand at Australian luggage brand July, commencing earlier this week.
Anton is the co-founder of Hong Kong-based luxury online retailer 2-Times, where he most recently held the role as chief marketing officer. In 2017, Anton left the 2-Times business to take on other executive-level roles following the brand's private equity acquisition, and returned two years later.
His twin brother and fellow 2-Times co-founder Luke Anton is currently at Penfolds as the global head of collaborations, content and marketing. He also remains at 2-Times as a non-executive director.
Alex Anton has also held a three-year role at LVMH as the digital strategy and brand communications director, as well as other executive-level luxury industry positions.
July co-founder Athan Didaskalou said the key strategy behind Anton’s appointment is to drive global growth for the luggage business.
“Richard [Li] and I are excited to have Alex join the July team,” Didaskalou said. “With his experience across luxury brands and international markets - Alex will continue to establish our presence on the global stage and ensure hands everywhere have July products in them.”
According to Anton, he was headhunted by July at the beginning of 2024 for the vice president role.
“After coordinating a few calls and eventually meeting with Richard and Athan in early February, the guys invited me to their brand’s HQ in Collingwood,” Anton said. “In contrast to my former, more corporate employers, what attracted me to Richard and Athan is our like-minded hustle mentality.
“Also, I feel I’m ready for another start-up challenge like July, only this time around I’m a little older and am armed with years of international expertise that I intend to use to help accelerate growth for July.”
Anton said his key focus for the immediate future is on July’s market penetration in the United States.
“Having opened its inaugural US pop-up store on Greene Street in New York's Soho district, in November 2023, Richard and Athan have flagged the US market as high on their brand's agenda to fuel both increased brand recognition, new customer acquisition and resulting revenue,” Anton said.
As well as establishing US growth, Anton will oversee the creation and execution of marketing campaigns as well as collaborate with product development, sales, customer service and other departments to maintain brand consistency.
“And, I’ll also have a leading hand in shaping July’s digital presence and eCommerce optimisation, in addition to identifying and managing strategic partnerships and collaborations with influencers, brands, and content creators to expand brand reach and authenticity.”
July was founded in 2019 and has since scaled to operating eight stores in Australia, with over a dozen stockists globally. The brand also ships globally via an eCommerce website.