Ariel Chaus is building out his team at BCI Brands, tapping Janine Pescetto as president of sales. 

Pescetto was previously senior vice president of wholesale for Theory and Helmut Lang, having spent 16 years helping to shape those businesses. She started her career in the Bloomingdale’s executive trainee program.

In her new role, Pescetto oversees all BCI’s brands and will be looking to further strengthen the company’s department store business. 

She reports to Chaus, who leads BCI as chief executive officer and has managed to successfully put a modern spin on the Seventh Avenue vendor model. The company produces private label goods for Dillard’s, Macy’s and Nordstrom while also churning out fashion under a series of owned and licensed brands, including Vince Camuto, Ted Baker, CeCe, Chaus, Cynthia Steffe and more. 

Pescetto said, “My priority will be leveraging BCI’s strong department store business with our incredible design and sourcing platform to further amplify the success of our brands and drive the company’s next phase of growth.”

Chaus added that, “Janine’s proven sales expertise and industry knowledge will be a tremendous addition to our leadership team as we continue to enhance the visibility of our brand portfolio.”

BCI’s revenues top $400 million and the private company said it continues to see top- and bottom-line gains. 

Last month, the company opened a CeCe shop-in-shop experience with key accounts, offering a “boutique-like shopping experience” within department stores. 

Chaus’ parents, Bernard and Josephine, founded the company that would become BCI in 1975. They eventually took the firm public and then later sold it to The Camuto Group. 

Chaus repurchased the business in 2018 and bought dress platform JBS in 2020, naming Shari Levine president. Retired PVH Corp. CEO Manny Chirico then joined as chairman in 2023.