Superdry appoints former Nike executive as creative director

Phil Dickinson, a former executive at Nike, is joining Superdry tomorrow, 22 January, as its new creative director to drive brand innovation.

Dickinson will be in charge of product design and will also input into driving the wider creative direction of the brand. He has deep experience of brand, product, design, retail and e-commerce, built through a 28-year career which has included a number of senior roles with Nike.

Superdry CEO, Euan Sutherland, said: “Phil is one of the best creatives working in our industry and we are delighted that he is joining Superdry. Last summer we kick started an 18-month product diversification and innovation programme and Phil will bring extra pace, focus and energy to that work.”

Responding to his appointment, Dickinson added: “Superdry is a great brand with a fantastic heritage. I am excited to be joining the business at a time when we are accelerating innovation and working to revitalise all our product.”

Dickinson’s achievements at Nike included spearheading the brand’s 2007 push into football, before being promoted to head the whole sportswear category in 2010. He then led the successful turnaround of the Umbro brand. Since 2013, he has been running his own design agency, with clients including Adidas, Diadora, Rapha, Richard James Saville Row, SoHo House and Woolmark.

His appointment comes at a sensitive time for Superdry. It was revealed over the weekend that co-founder Julian Dunkerton is pushing for a crunch meeting with shareholders in the next four weeks to decide on his bid to have himself re-instated at the business "at a senior level".

Dunkerton left the firm in March of last year and has since said that his motivation for leaving was driven by his dissatisfaction with its product strategy. Dunkerton had handed the CEO reins of the business to Sutherland in 2014 and had been focusing on product since that point.