Australian-born business Cotton On Group has appointed Jodie Bongetti as the new general manager of Factorie, moving on from her leading role at sister brand Supré, following an extensive search.
Bongetti has been part of the global group since 2014, starting as a national retail manager. She was the general manager of Supré for the last six years.
Prior to that, Bongetti was the general manager of global retail at Forever New, the national retail manager at Metalicus, and the national retail operations manager at Sportsgirl. She began her career in retail as the national sales manager at Sussan.
Bongetti will officially step into her new role at Factorie in October 2024.
"Jodie has been instrumental in transforming Supré into the number one on-trend fashion brand for young Australian women," Factorie, Supré, Typo and Ceres Life CEO Natalie McLean said.
"Her leadership has carved out significant market share for Supré and firmly established the brand as a must-have for its customers. We are thrilled to see her bring the same passion and vision in her next role leading Factorie."
Supré and Factorie are two of Cotton On's eight fashion and lifestyle brands. Supré sells value fashion for 16 to 20-year-olds, while Factorie is known for casual youth streetwear, with stores in Australia and South Africa.
According to Cotton On Group, Bongetti has driven year-on-year growth at Supré, driven by the brand's ability to learn about and target its young audience through investment in social media and the in-store experience.
The brand is underpinned by Supré Foundation, part of the group’s non-for-profit Cotton On Foundation, which has so far raised over $7 million to support and educate girls and women.
"Leading Supré has been an incredible journey," Bongetti said. "I've cherished every moment working with such a dedicated team and obsessing over our amazing customers.
“Factorie’s future is bright and filled with endless potential. I am excited to build on the great work the team have been doing as we take on this next exciting chapter for our iconic Australian youth streetwear brand.”
With Bongetti's move to Factorie, Cotton On Group is now hunting for a new leader to oversee Supré, which celebrates 40 years in 2024. It is a Melbourne-based role.
Cotton On Group sells and distributes across 22 countries and 1,500 stores, with a total team count of 20,000 members.