Capri Holdings Names Ex-Estée Lauder Executive Justin Boxford CEO as John Idol Retires

Capri Holdings, the parent of Michael Kors and Jimmy Choo, has named Justin Boxford its next chief executive. The company announced on Wednesday, November 11 that Boxford, who comes from The Estée Lauder Companies, takes over and joins its board on January 4, 2027. John Idol retires as chairman and CEO, and Robin Freestone, the board's Lead Director, becomes independent chairman. Idol stays on as a senior advisor through March 31, 2027.

Boxford has nearly 30 years in luxury and beauty, by Capri's account, and joined Estée Lauder in 2004. His most recent job there was Global President, Luxury Beauty Brands. Before that he was global brand president of Estée Lauder, and he spent five years running La Mer, which Capri says he more than doubled in size. Earlier jobs were at LVMH, Unilever and L'Oréal, and his responsibilities at Estée Lauder included Michael Kors fragrances, a link Idol himself pointed to in the release.

What Capri says

Freestone called the pick the result of a "thorough Board-led process" and said "we are confident that Justin is the right leader to guide Capri in its next chapter of growth." Boxford said "Michael Kors and Jimmy Choo are iconic luxury houses, with distinct identities and tremendous potential." Idol, who said it had been "an extraordinary privilege to lead Capri for the past 23 years", added that the company is "on the path to return to growth in the fourth quarter."

Michael Kors

Our read

Capri is a smaller company than it was a year ago. TheIndustry.fashion notes that it sold Versace to Prada Group in December 2025, which left Michael Kors and Jimmy Choo as its only two brands, and that its most recent quarter showed the split between them: revenue fell 5.5% to $809 million, with Michael Kors down 8.6% and Jimmy Choo up 11.5%. Capri also raised its outlook for its fiscal year. Michael Kors, which Capri calls a multi-billion-dollar brand, is the one that shrank, and the new CEO arrives from luxury beauty, not from a fashion house.

What the release doesn't say matters as much. It gives no strategy for either brand, no word on design leadership, and no comment on why the board looked outside fashion. TheIndustry.fashion adds that reports last week, first from WWD, had Boxford in line for the job, and that he had left Estée Lauder by the time of the announcement, shortly after being named to the luxury beauty role there in September; Capri's own release doesn't cover either point.