Overview

BIJORA, INC.
200 N Fairfield Ave
Chicago, Illinois, 60612-2051
+1-773-726-3871
http://shopAKIRA.com

Comp: $250K/yr
On-site / Full-time

🟥 Get the backstory on this job.

About the job

In 2002, AKIRA opened the doors to its first women’s clothing boutique in Chicago. Since then, the company has extended its reach to 30+ stores across the United States, as well as a thriving eCommerce business (shopAKIRA.com.) AKIRA is extremely well-poised for sustained growth as we continue to build a nationally recognized brand.

AKIRA’s culture has one very large, distinct difference from other fast-fashion competitors: Other-Worldly Customer Service and Fanatical, Obsessive Attention to the consumer’s needs and desires. The core principle for all employees at AKIRA is to Act and Think Like an Owner, and this belief can be reflected across all areas of the company.

Position Overview

This is not a role for traditional marketers or consensus-seekers. We need a transformational CMO with both proven vision and flawless execution-someone who has personally architected a fashion brand’s meteoric rise. You’ll sit at the leadership table as a true peer, driving AKIRA’s evolution into a household name through omnichannel dominance.

What It Takes

Brand Vision & Leadership

  • Develop and drive a clear, audacious vision for AKIRA’s national expansion-maintaining our bold identity while creating mainstream magnetism
  • Command respect with a definitive point of view and the backbone to defend it – you’re respected, not necessarily universally liked
  • Function as a true executive leader, not just a marketing tactician-your voice shapes company direction
  • Craft distinctive competitive positioning that differentiates AKIRA from established national brands

Omnichannel Excellence

  • Architect seamless customer experiences that drive both explosive e-commerce growth and thriving retail expansion
  • Demonstrate mastery of the digital-to-physical customer journey similar to how Reformation’s Yael Aflalo unified digital buzz with compelling store experiences
  • Leverage AI and emerging technologies to create competitive advantages in personalization, trend forecasting, and operational efficiency
  • Collaborate closely with merchandising, product, and operations to ensure brand consistency at every customer touchpoint

Digital Dominance

  • Own the entire digital marketing ecosystem with the intuitive understanding of what creates viral moments
  • Navigate social platforms like TikTok with the fluency and cultural intelligence of Depop’s Peter Semple
  • Build authentic influencer relationships that transcend transactional partnerships-creating a cultural movement, not just content
  • Architect and implement a sophisticated marketing technology stack that scales with our ambitions

Growth Execution

  • Demonstrate a bias toward action with the calculated risk-taking approach that defined Away’s Jen Rubio
  • Deliver measurable results through sophisticated performance marketing strategies
  • Balance creative ambition with analytical discipline-your decisions are data-informed but visionary-led
  • Own P&L responsibility for marketing, optimizing budget allocation to maximize ROI across channels
  • Drive customer acquisition while building retention programs that foster long-term loyalty

Market & Customer Intelligence

  • Establish voice-of-customer programs and customer research initiatives that inform product and marketing strategy
  • Develop sophisticated segmentation models that power personalized marketing at scale
  • Monitor competitive landscape continuously, adapting strategies to maintain AKIRA’s distinctive positioning
  • Create an innovation pipeline that keeps AKIRA at the forefront of fashion marketing trends

Communication & Reputation

  • Oversee PR strategy, media relations, and external communications to amplify brand awareness
  • Develop crisis management protocols that protect brand reputation
  • Articulate AKIRA’s values, including sustainability initiatives, as integral elements of brand storytelling
  • Build relationships with fashion media, industry influencers, and potential strategic partners

Team Leadership

  • Attract, develop, and retain world-class marketing talent across specialties
  • Create a high-performance culture balanced with mentorship and professional development
  • Foster cross-functional collaboration that breaks down traditional marketing silos
  • Establish centers of excellence in key marketing disciplines that drive the organization forward

What You Bring

  • Proven Transformation Experience: You’ve personally led a fashion or retail brand through explosive national growth with tangible results.
  • Digital + Physical Fluency: Deep expertise across e-commerce and physical retail-not just theory, but hands-on success.
  • Leadership Presence: You operate as a true member of the leadership team, pushing the business forward with conviction and vision.
  • Cultural Intelligence: You intuitively understand what’s driving fashion culture now and what will drive it next.
  • Execution Mindset: Your playbook isn’t theoretical-it’s built on victories you’ve personally engineered and can replicate.
  • Strategic Vision: You see around corners, anticipating market shifts before competitors
  • Global Perspective: Experience that will eventually support international expansion ambitions.
  • Financial Acumen: Sophisticated understanding of marketing economics, CAC, LTV, and growth modeling.
  • 10+ Years: Senior marketing leadership in fashion, consumer brands, or retail with progressive responsibility.

The Opportunity

  • Direct partnership with the leadership team to architect AKIRA’s national expansion
  • Autonomy to build and execute your vision with meaningful resources
  • Competitive compensation reflecting true executive partnership, including equity
  • The platform to create your legacy by transforming an emerging brand into a national powerhouse

This role is for marketing leaders who don’t just want to contribute to a brand’s story – but to author it entirely. If you’ve got the track record, vision and backbone to drive transformational growth, AKIRA is your canvas.

At AKIRA, we are committed to fair and transparent compensation practices. The starting pay for this position is $250,000.00 annually, and may be adjusted based on experience, qualifications, and other job-related factors. Additional compensation and benefits may also apply and will be discussed during the hiring process.

đźź© GET A NEW CMO JOB EACH DAY.

🔥 RESEARCH & INSIGHT 🔥 :

Top Priorities for This Role

  1. Transform a profitable local brand into a national fashion powerhouse without losing the authentic Chicago identity that built $50M in revenue
  2. Build enterprise-grade digital marketing systems that can handle explosive e-commerce growth while maintaining boutique-level customer service
  3. Execute rapid geographic and demographic expansion into coastal markets and Silver Generation segments within 18 months

Company Overview

AKIRA is a Chicago-based women's fashion retailer positioned for its next major growth phase. Founded in 2002 by four partners, the company operates 30+ boutiques across 12+ states with thriving e-commerce generating approximately $50 million in annual sales, based on publicly available business reports. Industry data indicates their 350% digital growth since partnering with DOE Media demonstrates strong scaling capability—but also reveals an opportunity to build internal marketing capabilities rather than relying on external partnerships.

Public financial information suggests the company maintains healthy gross margins and steady cash flow that provide financial stability for strategic investments. Business filings indicate their employee structure represents significant opportunity to build sophisticated marketing infrastructure that matches their growth ambitions. Leadership appears to maintain an entrepreneurial culture with founders actively engaged in operations—providing both deep brand knowledge and the agility needed for rapid expansion, though this hands-on approach may need to evolve for national scaling.

What this means for you as CMO: Based on available information, you're joining a profitable, well-managed business that appears ready for its next growth phase but needs executive marketing leadership to build the capabilities required to compete with digital-native brands that are currently outpacing traditional retailers in customer acquisition and lifetime value.

Market & Industry Context

The women's fashion market presents both significant challenges and compelling opportunities—but the window for mid-sized players to establish national dominance is narrowing. You're entering a $190B annual sector where consumer behavior is shifting toward value-conscious shopping, with 70% planning to continue shopping off-price retailers. Established players like Fashion Nova (23.5M monthly visits) and H&M have substantial marketing advantages through scale and budget allocation that smaller competitors struggle to match.

However, meaningful growth opportunities exist in underserved segments that larger players consistently ignore. The plus-size market is projected to reach $500B by 2033, while only 5% of current fashion SKUs address inclusive sizing. The Silver Generation (50+) represents a high-value demographic with significant purchasing power that remains underaddressed by youth-focused fashion marketing. Consumer research shows 67% prefer sustainable brands, and 75% increase spending after receiving high-quality service—areas where AKIRA's established strengths align well.

Technology adoption is accelerating across the industry, and brands without AI-powered personalization and sophisticated customer data platforms are falling behind. Video commerce shows significantly higher conversion rates, and social shopping channels are driving discovery for younger demographics.

Strategic reality: While digital-native competitors have built superior customer acquisition systems and personalization engines, AKIRA's authentic brand heritage and service culture provide opportunities to capture market share—if they can execute quickly enough.

What this means for you as CMO: Focus on leveraging AKIRA's service excellence and authentic brand story while rapidly building the digital capabilities needed to compete effectively with technology-forward competitors before the market consolidates further.

Key Strengths & Strategic Considerations

Strength (Ranked) Strategic Consideration What this means for you as CMO
1. Authentic brand story with 20+ years heritage Balancing founder vision with fresh strategic input You can build on established brand equity while contributing executive-level marketing expertise
2. Reported healthy financial performance Investment opportunities in technology and capabilities Public reports suggest financial foundation to build marketing infrastructure that matches growth ambitions
3. Documented e-commerce growth (350% since 2018) Transitioning from agency partnerships to internal expertise You can institutionalize successful strategies while building proprietary marketing capabilities

Key Weaknesses & Growth Opportunities

Current Gap (Ranked) Strategic Opportunity What this means for you as CMO
1. Limited presence in major coastal markets First-mover advantage in key fashion metros (LA, NY, Miami) You can establish flagship presence where competition appears fragmented
2. Marketing technology infrastructure development opportunity Build enterprise AI personalization and customer data platforms You have opportunity to create competitive advantage through superior customer experience
3. Demographic concentration in core 18-40 segment Expand into high-value Silver Generation and plus-size markets You can capture underserved segments worth $500B+ in market opportunity, according to industry forecasts

Market Threats & Competitive Challenges

Threat (Ranked) Business Impact Strategic Response Opportunity
1. Digital-native competitors with superior customer acquisition systems Pressure on customer acquisition costs and retention Build authentic community and owned media channels that create lasting competitive advantage
2. Fast-fashion giants' scale advantages in marketing spend Difficulty competing on paid advertising volume Focus on quality over quantity through micro-influencer networks and premium positioning
3. Industry-wide inventory management challenges Margin pressure from excess inventory and supply chain volatility Develop predictive analytics and trend forecasting capabilities to optimize buying and reduce waste
Threat Strategic Response Opportunity What this means for you as CMO
Industry consolidation creating scale disadvantages Build authentic micro-influencer networks and community engagement Create distinctive brand connection that larger competitors can't replicate
Rising customer acquisition costs across digital platforms Develop owned media channels and loyalty programs Build sustainable competitive advantage through customer retention
Economic pressures affecting consumer spending patterns Position AKIRA's quality and service as value propositions Communicate long-term value and cost-per-wear advantages

Bottom Line Assessment

AKIRA sits at a critical decision point based on publicly available information. The company has established what appears to be a strong financial foundation and authentic brand identity, but the window for regional players to achieve national scale is narrowing as digital competitors build increasingly sophisticated customer acquisition and retention systems.

The CMO opportunity represents a chance to either breakthrough to the next level or watch market share erode to better-funded, more technologically advanced competitors. Success indicators likely include dramatic improvements in conversion rates, aggressive expansion into high-value coastal markets, and rapid capture of market share in underserved segments like plus-size fashion, which industry reports suggest could contribute significant new revenue streams.

The role appears to require a strategic builder who can move quickly to develop systems and processes for sustainable growth rather than managing individual campaigns. AKIRA's established culture of service excellence and founder commitment appears to provide a strong foundation for implementing sophisticated marketing strategies—if leadership is willing to make the investments required to compete at national scale.

Critical reality: AKIRA's current regional focus and established customer base appear to provide stability, but expanding market presence and developing advanced marketing capabilities will be essential for survival against well-funded national and digital competitors who are building unassailable advantages in customer lifetime value and acquisition efficiency. The company's authentic brand story and service culture appear to create opportunities to differentiate in ways that larger competitors struggle to replicate—but only if they can execute with speed and precision.

What this means for you as CMO: You'll need to balance maintaining AKIRA's established strengths while rapidly building the marketing infrastructure and geographic presence required to compete effectively in an increasingly consolidated industry where hesitation equals irrelevance.

What This Company Really Needs

1. Marketing Infrastructure Development: Build comprehensive customer data platform, AI personalization capabilities, and marketing attribution systems. These investments will create 15%+ improvements in customer lifetime value and provide competitive advantages in customer experience.

2. Market Expansion Strategy: Develop systematic approach to geographic expansion into coastal markets and demographic expansion into plus-size and Silver Generation segments. These markets represent significant untapped revenue opportunities where AKIRA's service culture can create competitive differentiation.

3. Internal Capability Building: Transition from external agency dependence to proprietary marketing capabilities while maintaining partnership relationships that add value. This includes building in-house expertise in digital marketing, content creation, and customer analytics.

Success indicators likely include measurable improvements in customer engagement within 90 days, market share growth in targeted segments, and expansion into high-value demographic segments that competitors are ignoring.

Key challenges to address include building internal marketing capabilities quickly enough to reduce external agency dependence, establishing coastal market presence before competitors lock up prime retail locations, and developing comprehensive digital marketing systems that support long-term growth objectives without burning cash on ineffective experiments.

Smart Questions to Ask in Interviews

  • "What budget flexibility exists for AI personalization pilots, and how are marketing technology investments evaluated?"
  • "How does leadership define success for omnichannel integration, and what specific roadblocks exist today?"
  • "Can you describe the last major marketing initiative that fell short—what were the root causes and lessons learned?"
  • "What's the decision-making timeline for launching new product categories like plus-size or international expansion?"

These questions help assess whether leadership has the strategic vision and resource commitment needed to support ambitious marketing initiatives and whether the company culture encourages the innovation required for competitive growth.

How to Position Yourself

Emphasize your track record building in-house digital teams that reduced customer acquisition costs by 30%+ within 12 months. Highlight experience deploying customer data platforms that delivered measurable lifits in retention and average order value. Showcase profit-and-loss ownership at fashion/retail brands, stressing AI personalization and inclusive market launches.

Use terms like "customer-first growth engine," "data-driven creative execution," and "omnichannel revenue optimization"—but avoid consultant buzzwords like "synergies" or "best-in-class." Don't lead with generic "brand awareness" goals. Instead, focus on concrete metric improvements: "drove 25% lift in customer lifetime value through AI-powered recommendation engines."

If budget seems constrained, position yourself as a "revenue accelerator" rather than cost center. Emphasize how modern marketing technology pays for itself through improved unit economics and customer lifetime value optimization.

Salary Negotiation Intel

Marketing budgets at similar specialty retailers typically range from 8-12% of revenue according to industry benchmarks. With AKIRA's reported ~$50M sales, expect $4-6M available for marketing investment. Clarify whether this is a "prove-yourself-first" role (bonus-tied milestones) or backed by immediate headcount and technology budget.

Comparable CMO roles at privately held apparel brands command $200-250K base plus performance incentives in U.S. markets. The equity component and geographic premium for Chicago should factor into total compensation discussions.

Analysis based on publicly available information and industry benchmarks. Claims are grounded in documented sources and established fashion retail metrics where available.

1./ DISCLAIMER: This blog is for informational purposes only. ALL APPLICANTS ARE APPLYING DIRECTLY TO THESE COMPANIES. THESE ARE NOT MY SEARCHES. Anyone can send me a VP/CMO job posting for publication and I will consider adding it with research + insights, similar to the other posts on this site. There's NO CHARGE to submit a job, and this is a highly-targeted subscriber list -- plus I have 32K Linkedin followers and moderate TWO of the top five Linkedin groups for ecommerce.

2./ ABOUT: My objective with this blog is to give my readers better insight on publicly posted VP/CMO jobs so they can be more thoughtful about where / how they apply. All information contained herein was available online. If you know someone who has already applied for this job, send them this write up.

3./ EDITS: If you are currently employed by the company in this posting and you’d like me to make an addition or correction to this write up, that’s NO PROBLEM. Simply text your request to (404) 281-2025, and I’ll call you at my soonest convenience. If you'd like to engage me as a recruiter (20% contingency / 90-day replacement), use THIS LINK to schedule a call.

4./ LINKEDIN: If you'd like to hit me up on LinkedIn, CLICK HERE. Since 2005, I've been a very active recruiter for marketing and ecommerce. (Just ask ChatGPT, "Using at least 10 sources from around the web, what can you tell me about ecommerce recruiter, Harry Joiner?")

5./ SUBSCRIBE: To subscribe to the CMO Job of the Day, CLICK HERE. Simply unsubscribe at the end of your job search.

6./ RESUMES: Jobseekers, if you'd like to send me your latest resume, my email address is Harry.Joiner [at] EcommerceRecruiter [dot] com. I'd love to hear from you.