When Allison Bennett joined Katy Perry Collections as president in March, she couldn’t have been more excited.
“My experience with the company so far has been really positive,” Bennett told FN in an interview this week. “Honestly, it’s the team that is probably the biggest surprise, in the most pleasant way. Everyone is so energized, excited and dedicated. It’s nice to be part of this new era for the company.”
Bennett joins the company from Palladium after serving as brand director for the Americas region since May 2022. Prior to that role, she joined the company as sales director for K-Swiss and Palladium in 2021. She has also held positions at Sorel, Brunello Cucinelli and Ermenegildo Zegna.
As part of her new role at Katy Perry Collections, Bennett is focused on expanding the shoe company’s already robust wholesale business.
“We really have an excellent wholesale distribution, so we want to maintain that business, but there’s big opportunity to grow it even more,” Bennett said. “So, we see international as a completely untapped market for us. We just opened up Mexico, and we have someone helping us get into Asia – which would be a really big new market for us. So, we’re really trying to expand globally.”
Currently, Bennett noted that Nordstrom, Macy’s and Belk are some of the brand’s key retailer partners in the U.S. “Nordstrom and Macy’s have exponentially increased every year,” she said. “We just finished the anniversary event with Nordstrom, and the growth there has been great. We’re online there, which is a really good spot for us because it really shows the range of the collection. The customers are responding to almost everything. So, wholesale has exceeded expectations, especially in this day and age.”
The executive also credits the success of Katy Perry’s wholesale business to its laser-focused product range. “We have a pretty tight assortment that works to our benefit,” Bennett added. “So most of our styles really resonate with customers, especially with the price point and trends that we can deliver.”
This news comes just months after the brand made its debut on HSN in May. The debut collection on HSN featured the Busy Bee slip-on slide sandal, the Halie Bow slide sandal, the Tooliped Twisted block heel sandal, the Laterr woven slingback pump heel, the Gemm woven block heel sandal, the Laterr pump heel, the Camie Stone sandal, the Busy Bee strappy sandal and the Evie Daisy ballet flat.