Apple hires former Yves Saint Laurent chief executive

Apple announced yesterday it had hired former chief executive of luxury fashion goods company Yves Saint Laurent Phil Deneve.

Deneve has been hired by Apple to work on “special projects” and will be reporting directly to the chief executive Tim Cook, according to Bloomberg.

Deneve had previously worked for Apple in Europe during the 1990s and he’s also been the chief executive of Lanvin and Nina Ricci.

Back at Apple, Deneve joins another notable fashion executive Mickey Drexler, who is the chairman and chief executive of J Crew Group and is on Apple’s board.

There was speculation on Tuesday from AppleInsider saying Deneve could have been hired as Apple’s retail chief, but so far that position remains unfilled.

What “special projects” Deneve will be working on remains unclear.

Earlier this week Apple applied for trademarks for the name ‘iWatch’ in Japan, and reports have surfaced suggesting Apple is securing trademarks in Mexico, Taiwan, Turkey and Colombia.