Brixton announced Wednesday that it has named Seth Ellison CEO effective April 22.

Until March of last year, Ellison served as executive vice president, chief commercial officer at Levi Strauss & Company, where he worked for a decade in a variety of roles. He also held leadership positions at Alternative Apparel, Nike, Perry Ellis Swim, Quiksilver, and Hurley during his career.

“We ran a very comprehensive search and Seth’s range of experiences was unique,” said Keoni Schwartz, co-founder of Altamont Capital Partners, which owns Brixton.  “He started in sports and action sports but has spent the last decade in lifestyle apparel; led brands equally relevant for men and women; led both domestic and international businesses; ran DTC businesses but is wholesale focused; he started in design, merch, and sales, but has led a variety of both small and very large organizations as president and CEO.”

Ellison’s Action Sports Roots

“I’m incredibly excited to be returning to my action sports roots,” Ellison told SES.  “I’m a Southern California native, have boarded most of my life, and loved every minute of my time in the industry from Gotcha to Quik to Hurley”

“The industry is obviously going through a lot of changes and we need to support each other. While I was interviewing, I did extensive work out in core doors. I will simply say that we can be more relevant and we can be better partners with the core accounts,” he said.

“It is too early to articulate any grand plans but I have a great head start since (board members) Vickie Mrva and Scott Olivet have been deep in it since December. Tiffany, I look forward to speaking with you in 60-90 days when I can report the changes we have made and our plans for the future.”

Brixton Founder David Stoddard Supports Hiring

Brixton Co-Founder and Chief Brand Advisor David Stoddard endorsed Ellison for the CEO role.

“When we created Brixton 20 years ago, we never intended to be a classic action sports company,” Stoddard said. “I didn’t feel that there was a brand that spoke to me and all the things we were into. We all surfed and skated, but we were equally influenced by music, since we were in a band together. Unique fashion and style were important to us, or we wouldn’t have launched as a cut- and-sew hat brand. We were born from Oceanside, so our culture and style were more blue-collar versus the industry up north (in Orange County).

“We still believe that we are an authentic and unique blend of all those influences and don’t want to be a brand that stereotypes the consumer,” Stoddard said. “I’m thrilled that Seth is joining us because he gets who we are and wants Brixton to be a better Brixton. I always felt that we could be the ‘Levi’s for the next generation,’ a brand that was both blue-collar and broadly culturally relevant and that remained cool as it grew. Who could be better as our next CEO than someone who has already executed my aspiration?”

Ellison replaces Raphael Peck, who exited Brixton at the end of December.