New York City-based fashion, luxury and lifestyle branding agency Laird + Partners welcomed Patrick Yee as CEO, with founder Trey Laird continuing to serve as CCO and chairman. Yee will also be tasked with heading the MDC agency’s newly-launched content agency, AIR + Partners.
The appointment makes a lot of sense when considering that Laird’s clients include Tom Ford, Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, Jimmy Choo, Swarovski and Karl Lagerfeld, and Refinery29 has a separate fashion vertical.
Yee joins Laird + Partners from Refinery29, the lifestyle media company where he was an early partner and most recently served as executive vice president, marketing and strategy. Before joining Refinery29 as vice president, marketing and business development in June of 2009, he founded Rocket XL and Shopflick.com.
“As content creation and digital strategy are increasingly transforming our industry, I wanted to find a bold and forward-thinking partner to take our capabilities and expertise to a totally different level, and Patrick has that vision,” Laird said in a statement. “His experience in making Refinery29 one of the world’s leading lifestyle media brands, his passion for providing compelling and original content, and his overall digital media experience make him the perfect leader to bring on-board.”
“I’m incredibly excited to join the Laird + Partners team,” added Yee. “Laird + Partners has set the bar for how an agency should partner with brands that rely on style and elevation to win. It has a rare combination of talented creatives, high-profile clients, dedication to innovation, and momentum in the industry. I’m honored to join the leadership team at Laird + Partners and look forward to continuing to build and push boundaries as I have in my career at Refinery29.”