LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul 17, 2026--
Los Angeles-based luxury handbag brand Hammitt today announced the appointment of its first Chief Digital Officer, Kyle Brucculeri, marking another milestone in the company's continued investment in digital innovation and long-term omnichannel growth.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260717701846/en/
Under the leadership of CEO, Ryan Meyer, who is spearheading Hammitt's ambitious growth strategy, the company has strengthened its foundation through disciplined execution, strategic investment, and operational excellence. Working alongside CFO, Kelvin So, Meyer has built a leadership team focused on scaling the business while preserving the brand's premium customer experience.
Brucculeri joins Hammitt with more than 15 years of experience leading ecommerce, digital strategy, customer experience, and technology initiatives. He’s held senior executive roles at Negative Inc. and gorjana, where he drove significant digital growth and enhanced the brands’ omnichannel experiences.
As Chief Digital Officer, Brucculeri will lead Hammitt's digital strategy, ecommerce platform, customer experience, and technology roadmap, helping further connect the brand's retail, wholesale, and digital channels.
"We've been focused on building the right foundation, strengthening our team, and establishing infrastructure necessary for long-term growth," said CEO, Ryan Meyer. "Adding Kyle to our executive team is an important next step. His experience leading digital transformation for premium consumer brands will help Hammitt unlock opportunities across ecommerce, technology, and customer experience as we continue scaling the business."
Brucculeri joins Hammitt during a period of strong momentum. The brand has expanded its retail footprint, deepened key wholesale partnerships, increased national visibility through celebrity placements and earned media, and continued investing in product innovation and operational excellence. His appointment reflects Hammitt's commitment to building best-in-class capabilities that support sustainable growth while delivering an increasingly seamless customer experience.
"We're building a company designed not only for today's success, but for the next decade of growth," Meyer added. "Kyle brings aligned strategic vision and digital expertise that will help us continue evolving alongside our customers, and we're thrilled to welcome him to the team."
About Hammitt
Proudly established in Los Angeles, Hammitt designs luxury handbags and accessories that are artisan-crafted with premium leathers, jewelry-grade hardware and thoughtful functionality. Through curated distribution across specialty, department, owned retail and eCommerce stores, Hammitt strives to create a seamless and connected customer experience. Hammitt ensures each piece is unique and covetable, presenting the perfect blend of wearable classics and exclusive limited edition drops. With quality over quantity as a driving force, Hammitt pieces develop distinct character over time, delivering a one-of-a-kind experience for every collector.
To connect with HAMMITT Los Angeles: www.hammitt.com // @hammittla
Kyle Brucculeri, Chief Digital Officer
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Almost two decades ago, photographer Joan Monfort didn't think much of his photo shoot of a teenage Lionel Messi bathing a cute baby boy in a plastic bathtub. Not until the remarkable twist of fate became clear years later, when that infant blossomed into Lamine Yamal.
Now those images of the longhaired Messi, his hands covered in soap suds as if anointing Yamal as soccer's Next Big Thing, have become the most talked about — and gawked about — in the runup to Sunday’s World Cup final, when Messi’s Argentina will play Yamal’s Spain for the biggest trophy in the sport.
“I have never been a believer or thought that anything was destined to occur, but I am beginning to have my doubts. This is beyond all reasonable explanations,” Monfort told The Associated Press from his home in Barcelona on Friday.
Monfort, who works as a freelance photojournalist for the AP, took the photos in 2007 as part of a charity calendar produced by local newspaper Sport and UNICEF.
Luck dictated that Yamal’s mother, who appears in the calendar photo, won a raffle of families in the city of Mataró, near Barcelona, who wanted to participate. Soccer destiny then deemed that her baby boy, who would become a star for Barcelona some 15 years later, was paired up with the Argentine who would become the greatest of all time.
A tearful Messi left Barcelona in 2021 when the club was in financial trouble. Yamal erupted at the club two years later. The journey is now complete, from bathtub to World Cup final, when the 19-year-old Yamal will face a Messi who is 20 years his senior.
Monfort had no recollection of the photos until Yamal’s father posted one on social media during the 2024 European Championship, when a teenage Yamal was enjoying his international breakout and led Spain to the title.
The photo went viral then. But now, with the World Cup final looming, Monfort said, interest in his photos has skyrocketed.
“This has exploded all over the world, and the fact that the final is in the U.S. has given it the extra push,” Monfort said. “And now this has culminated with the final between Messi and Yamal. It is better than any film script.”
Monfort said that he has been bombarded by queries for the photos by professional media outlets, while also seeing his images reproduced countless times on social media and the internet without any credit or compensation.
Like many Barcelona fans, Monfort's loyalty is split. It is common to see children wearing both Yamal’s Barcelona and Spain shirts, as well as any Messi shirt, whether from his Barcelona years or Argentina or his current club, Inter Miami, on the city’s streets.
Monfort, 58, is considering traveling to see the final in New Jersey, but whether he watches it in person or at home, he said he will have trouble cheering for one team or the other.
“My heart is split. I don’t know if I want Messi or Yamal to win,” said Monfort, a lifelong Barcelona supporter.
“I have an everlasting love for the best player of all time (Messi),” he said, but “Yamal has broken the mold here” and represents a new, diverse Spain, thanks to his parents from Morocco and Equatorial Guinea. “Maybe they can both win. I wouldn't rule it out after everything we have seen.”
See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here
20-year-old soccer star Lionel Messi cradles Lamine Yamal, who was merely six months old at the time during a photo session in Sept. 2007 in the dressing room of the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona, Spain. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)
20-year-old soccer star Lionel Messi helps to bathe Lamine Yamal, who was merely six months old at the time, during a photo session in Sept. 2007 in the dressing room of the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona, Spain. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)
20-year-old soccer star Lionel Messi helps to bathe Lamine Yamal, who was merely six months old at the time with Yamal's mother Sheila Ebana during a photo session in Sept. 2007 in the dressing room of the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona, Spain. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)
