Rickie De Sole, vice president and fashion director at Nordstrom for only a couple of more weeks, is taking on two new jobs.
De Sole will become the editor of style and fashion at Air Mail, the weekly digital magazine that covers a wide range of topics including culture, politics and lifestyle.
She has also become a senior adviser at Sandbridge Capital, the Los Angeles-based private investment fund which focuses on the beauty, luxury, fashion, health and wellness sectors. “I’ll be working closely with the team at Sandbridge in identifying high-growth consumer brands,” De Sole told WWD. Sandbridge’s portfolio includes Peach & Lily, U Beauty, R.E.M. Beauty, Rossignol and other brands. In the past, Sandbridge has also held investment in Thom Browne, Bonobos, Derek Lam and others.
At Air Mail, De Sole takes on a newly formed role where she will lead the development and editorial strategy of fashion and style coverage. She’ll produce a weekly column and newsletter featuring, as she put it, “insights on global fashion and cultural moments defining the industry.”
“I’ve long admired Air Mail’s unique editorial voice and style that has captivated the most worldly and sophisticated readers,” De Sole said.
She’ll report to Julia Vitale, editor in chief, who said in a statement: “Rickie brings an exceptional combination of editorial instinct, retail expertise, deep industry relationships and an undeniable eye for style that makes her a true tastemaker. She comes on board as we continue to deepen our fashion coverage, reflecting Air Mail’s distinctive point of view and resonating with our global audience.”
Air Mail was started by Graydon Carter and Alessandra Stanley in 2019 and was acquired by Puck last year.
The Seattle-based Nordstrom has yet to disclose a replacement for De Sole. Before joining Nordstrom four years ago, De Sole was executive fashion director at vogue.com, a fashion director at W magazine and the accessories director at Vogue. She serves as a board member of Vestiaire Collective and is the daughter of Domenico De Sole, who is chairman of Tom Ford International, former chairman of Sotheby’s and former president and chief executive officer of Gucci Group.
Asked why the switch from retail back to editorial, De Sole replied: “I have moved between commerce and editorial in the past so this felt like a natural evolution of the path. I’ve also been an avid reader of Air Mail. I love its global, intellectual point of view, and I’m excited about building a style voice matching that level of sophistication.” She said she wants to create stories that “feel insider but are still accessible.” She’ll continue to be a presence at fashion shows and visiting showrooms.
