Zappos Nabs Andre Leon Talley as new Artistic Director

Andre Leon Talley is taking his talents to Zappos.

According to WWD, in an effort to appeal to its high-end consumer the moderately priced footwear company has nabbed Talley as the artistic director of Zappos Couture.

The former Vogue staple will take charge of the editorial content on the Zappos Couture site, including fashion shoots, video and trend picks.

“The digital universe is a new, exciting opportunity for me to reach a broad audience in terms of the global luxury market;” said Talley.

Talley already has a vision for the venture stating that his goal is to “create something unique, in terms of a web magazine within the Zappos Couture Website, that conveys the immediacy and excitement of luxury retail products, season by season.”

The site, which was launched in 2004 currently has a weekly video feature called “The Trend,” which highlights red-carpet interviews with designers and celebrities. “The Trend” will now be moved to the main Zappos site once Talley takes over on January 22nd. 

“We’re really looking to become the destination in online luxury shopping. For us, we still have a lot of brands we’re looking to acquire for the site and we hope that with Andre’s partnership it will help us develop relationships with these brands,” said Jennifer Sidary, head of couture at Zappos Couture. 

The hope is that Talley’s high-fashion credibility will help to increase interest among consumers and luxury vendors. The one-year partnership will be the first commercial venture with a retailer or brand for Talley.