Google taps fashion industry for new Glass chief
Ivy Ross, Art.com's former marketing guru, has a long history in fashion, working for Calvin Klein, Coach, and Gap.
Google Glass has a new leader to oversee the search giant's big push into wearable tech with high-profile eyewear that can do everything from snapping photos to serving up directions.
Ivy Ross has been appointed head of Google Glass, the search company announced Friday. Ross, who will start in her new position on Monday, previously served as chief marketing officer at Art.com, the Web's largest retailer of wall art.
Ross issued an open letter Friday morning, announcing her plans to join Google at the start of next week. In it, she posed a question that she thinks Glass can answer: "Can technology be something that frees us up and keeps us in the moment, rather than taking us out of it?"
Earlier this week, Google announced that its $1,500 Glass headsets are going on sale to the public at large in the US. Over the last year or so, Google Glass Explorer Edition had been available primarily to a more limited number of developers and other select groups.
A recent examination of Google Glass by TechInsights' Teardown.com suggests that the cost of the headset's components may amount to a mere $80.
Ross has worked at fashion giants over the years, including executive positions at Calvin Klein, Coach, and Gap. She said her work has always stood "at the intersection of design and marketing."
In her letter, Ross didn't say what she has planned for Glass. But given her pedigree, one can easily expect to see Google position the device as a fashionable product with cutting-edge technology built in.
CNET has contacted Google for more about Ross' appointment. We will update this story when we have additional information.