SMYTHE names Ana Mihaljevic as CEO, forming all-female leadership team
The Toronto tailoring brand appoints an experienced consumer executive as it expands retail and accelerates customer growth.
SMYTHE, the independent womenswear brand known for its approach to tailoring, announced on October 14 that Ana Mihaljevic will become Chief Executive Officer.
Founded in 2004 with a focus on the women’s blazer, SMYTHE has broadened its offering into a full wardrobe while maintaining its reputation for precise construction and considered design. The brand has grown through a measured approach: it launched e-commerce in 2017, opened a store in Toronto in 2022, and added a Calgary location in 2024. Annual new-customer acquisition through its online channel grew more than five times its 2021 level by 2025, according to the company.
New operational structure
Under the arrangement, Mihaljevic leads operations and growth strategy while Lenczner and Smythe maintain creative direction and product oversight. “As SMYTHE has grown, so has our ambition for what the brand can become,” the co-founders said in a statement. “Ana brings exceptional experience and a genuine understanding of what makes SMYTHE distinct. Her leadership enables us to deepen our focus on creative vision and product, while the three of us work together to build operational excellence and infrastructure for growth.”
Mihaljevic’s background spans premium consumer brands, where she has focused on assembling teams and capabilities to support sustainable expansion. She brings a background that pairs commercial discipline with respect for brand identity. A customer of SMYTHE before taking the role, she cited the brand’s understanding of how women dress. “I chose to wear SMYTHE long before I joined the company because it has such a clear and instinctive understanding of how women want to dress and feel in their clothes,” she said. “Working alongside Christie and Andrea, we will build on that foundation, grow SMYTHE with purpose, reach more women and realize the full potential of a brand that has always understood how the right clothes can change the way a woman shows up, in her style, her confidence and entirely on her own terms.”
Expansion plans for 2027
SMYTHE is moving forward with retail expansion that includes a new store in Toronto opening in early 2027. The company is also investing in a refreshed digital experience for online customers. The brand said these investments are intended to increase its customer reach while maintaining the design integrity that has defined it since its earliest collections.
This article was compiled by the Glamorade editorial desk from the official announcements and reporting listed under Sources.
