What LANDLINE does

Landline is a boutique executive search firm founded in 2019 by Eric Puestow and headquartered in Los Angeles, serving fashion, apparel, CPG, lifestyle, and accessories brands. The company places senior leadership across two functional verticals — Product (Design, Merchandising, Supply Chain, Sourcing, Planning, Production, Product Strategy, Sales/Wholesale) and Brand (Marketing, Brand Strategy, Creative and Art Direction, Editorial, PR, Partnerships, E-commerce) — with additional HR advisory offerings including competitive intelligence, organizational development, salary surveys, college recruitment programs, and immigration coaching. Its core differentiator is dual-axis expertise (industry × function), with the founding team composed of former HR leaders from Tommy Hilfiger, Nike, Gap Inc., Abercrombie & Fitch, LVMH, Karl Lagerfeld, and Urban Outfitters.

The firm operates exclusively on a retained, non-outsourced basis with selective client intake, positioning itself as 'a gallery, not a factory.' No proprietary technology platform is disclosed; the offering is service-based and depends on the practitioners' personal networks, insider domain knowledge, and curated candidate presentation. GTM is enterprise field sales via direct client relationships and referrals, with no channel partners, distributors, or paid digital marketing.

The business model is professional services revenue from retainer fees per executive search engagement, with no public pricing or volume data. The team comprises four core practitioners (Founder/Principal, Director of Recruiting, Strategy and Operations Lead, Recruiter), though broader headcount is reported at 19, suggesting extended contractor or network support. Client roster includes Patagonia, SKIMS, Lululemon, UGG, Arc'teryx, Buck Mason, Brandy Melville, Grailed, Wilson, Chip, and other fashion brands. Landline is founder-owned, bootstrapped, and privately held with no disclosed external investment.

Name

LANDLINE

Website

https://landlineworldwide.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Landline is a Los Angeles-based boutique executive search firm that places senior Product and Brand leadership for fashion, apparel, CPG, lifestyle, and accessories brands on a retained, exclusive basis, with add-on HR advisory services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Retained Executive Search Services: Landline operates on a retained and exclusive basis, charging retainer fees for dedicated search services. Their model is described as 'a gallery, not a factory,' emphasizing selective, high-touch engagements over volume-based search.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

LANDLINE provides retained, exclusive executive search services for creative brands in fashion, apparel, CPG, lifestyle, and accessories. The firm places executives and senior leaders in Product and Brand function roles—including COO, SVP Product, Art Director, Design, Merchandising, Marketing, Creative, and E-commerce—and supplements search with HR advisory services such as competitive intelligence, organizational development, salary surveys, college recruitment programs, and immigration coaching.

Product overview

LANDLINE operates as a single unified executive search service rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The core offering is retained, exclusive executive search for creative brands in fashion, apparel, CPG, lifestyle, and accessories. This core service is delivered through two specialized function verticals—Product Function Hiring and Brand Function Hiring—alongside Additional HR Services (competitive intelligence, organizational development, salary surveys, college recruitment programs, and immigration advisement). The company positions itself as an alternative to traditional search firms by combining industry expertise with deep functional knowledge, working exclusively on a retained basis.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Executive Search Retained, exclusive executive search services for leadership roles in fashion, apparel, CPG, lifestyle, and accessories industries, specializing in placing executives for Product and Brand functions.
• Product Function Hiring Specialized recruitment for product-related executive and leadership roles including Design and Concept, Merchandising/GM, Sourcing and Supply Chain, Fabric R&D, Planning and Inventory Management, Production and Product Development, Product Strategy and Operations, and Sales and Wholesale.
• Brand Function Hiring Recruitment services for brand-related executive and leadership positions covering Marketing, Brand Strategy, Creative and Art Direction, Editorial and Content, PR and Communications, Partnerships/Collaborations/Social, E-commerce and Digital, and Operations and Creative Services.
• Additional HR Services Supplementary human resources expertise including competitive intelligence, organizational development, salary surveys, college recruitment and internship programs, and immigration advisement and coaching.

Named customers15 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Russell Reynolds Associates: Global executive search firm with consumer products and retail expertise. Comparable to Landline on retained fashion/retail executive placements but operates globally with substantially larger research infrastructure.
• Egon Zehnder: Global executive search and leadership advisory firm with strong consumer practice. Competes for senior product, brand, and CEO mandates at fashion/retail clients but is a far larger and more diversified platform.
• Heidrick & Struggles: Global executive search and leadership advisory firm with a dedicated Consumer & Retail practice. Overlaps with Landline on fashion/retail leadership mandates but operates at materially greater scale and with broader cross-industry capabilities.
• Spencer Stuart: Global executive search firm with deep consumer/retail practice. Competes with Landline for senior leadership placements at apparel and lifestyle brands but serves all major industries with a global research team.
• Korn Ferry: Global organizational consulting firm combining executive search with talent management software. Serves fashion/consumer clients at scale and competes with Landline on retained executive search, while also offering technology-enabled talent solutions.
• DHR International: Mid-to-large global executive search firm with practice coverage across consumer/retail. Overlaps with Landline's retained fashion/apparel mandates while serving broader industries and geographies.

Direct peers

• Bespoke Partners: Boutique retained executive search firm focused on retail, consumer, and fashion brands. Closely comparable to Landline in target vertical (apparel/consumer), boutique scale, and retained search model serving brand-side leadership roles.
• Joe's Blackbook: Boutique executive search firm specializing in fashion, retail, and lifestyle brands. Founder Eric Puestow was previously a partner here, making it the most directly comparable peer given overlapping client roster (e.g., J.Crew, Nordstrom, LVMH, Kate Spade) and identical industry focus.
• Koya Partners: Boutique retained executive search firm serving mission-driven and brand-led organizations. Comparable as a small, relationship-driven, retained boutique competing with larger generalist firms on domain specialization.

Emerging players

• 1847 & Company: Boutique executive search and consulting firm serving consumer and growth-stage brands. Comparable to Landline in boutique scale and creative-brand client focus, with some overlap in product/brand function recruiting.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/landlineworldwide

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about LANDLINE