Rhone has reportedly created a chief merchandising officer position and entrusted it to Alexa Andersen, according to information from WWD relayed by FashionUnited UK. Andersen previously held the position of senior vice president of merchandising at Puma North America.
Andersen is to oversee the merchandising and design teams at the company, which is based in Stamford, Connecticut. Before Puma, she led product creation and merchandising for strategic initiatives at Lululemon, including performance technical categories and global brand moments such as the Olympic Games. Earlier in her career, she held merchandising leadership positions at Adidas, Asics and Nike. She brings more than 20 years of experience in performance apparel.
Nate Checketts, chief executive and co-founder of Rhone, said that Andersen's track record in building merchandising organisations within major brands spoke for itself. « Alexa comprend que le bon produit et la construction de marque à long terme vont de pair, et elle va être une partenaire formidable alors que nous continuons de grandir avec intention », a-t-il déclaré.
For her part, Andersen explained that, after a career at major brands, she had observed that the pressure of short-term growth could divert attention from long-term vision and brand building. « Ce qui m'a attirée chez Rhone, c'est la possibilité de rejoindre une entreprise qui a dépassé le stade de start-up tout en restant en forte croissance, où l'on peut réellement voir le fruit de son travail », a-t-elle ajouté.
Founded in 2014 by brothers Nate and Ben Checketts as an online-only men's activewear label, Rhone started with a friends-and-family funding round of 100,000 dollars. L'entreprise has since raised a total of about 37 million dollars, with its most recent round in January 2025. Rhone is a private company that does not disclose its revenue.
Rhone reached profitability in 2020 and has steadily built out its physical retail network, operating about 20 stores across the États-Unis recently, including a flagship store at Hudson Yards, in New York, redesigned in 2024. Wholesale distribution runs through Nordstrom, Bloomingdale's and REI, and the brand positions itself as the leading men's partner of Equinox and Peloton.
In January, the company launched reRhone, a proprietary resale operation built with the Archive platform, starting with inventory drawn from selected customer returns. This activity is set to expand through 2026.
