'We're kind of at the beginning of building a community': Hanna Andersson CEO Aimée Lapic on how the 40-year-old kids' apparel brand is evolving

Kids' apparel brand Hanna Andersson is four decades old but in the midst of a huge business transformation.

In 2019, it decided to close all of its stores and focus solely on its online business. The company says this strategic shift has helped stay focus and grow in new ways.

"We're 100% direct to consumer and are frankly much more profitable because of that -- and, honestly, much more attuned to our customers in anticipating their needs," said Aimée Lapic, CEO of Hanna Andersson.

She joined the Modern Retail Podcast this week and dove into her strategic mandates and the areas of growth she's most excited about.

Lapic has worked in retail for a long time now. She worked at both Gap and Banana Republic, helping lead their early online experiences and marketing strategies. She then moved to the tech sector at places like Pandora and GoPro. But she came back to apparel last summer when she accepted the role of CEO at Hanna Andersson.

"Honestly one of the reasons why this is such a fun moment for me is that it is full circle from how I started my career in apparel," she said.

With nearly a year under her belt, Lapic has been focused on launching new initiatives. For example, the apparel brand -- most well-known for its pajamas -- has expanded into children's athletic wear. Beyond that, Hanna Andersson also launched a peer-to-peer resale program. That first began earlier this year with 2,500 listings and has already expanded to over 17,000, according to Lapic.

But one of her big focuses has been on tapping into the brand's already robust community. Parents have bought Hanna Andersson for years -- Lapic said she's spoken with new moms who wore the clothes themselves as children. But much of this hasn't been fostered by the brand itself.

"There has been a very strong community for many years of Hanna customers that love our brand, that speak on behalf of the brand, that hasn't actually been fostered by the brand," she said. Lapic now is trying to find ways to tap into these brand enthusiasts and have them be a bigger part of research and the company's overall retention efforts.

As Lapic sees it, there are a bunch of new initiatives afoot, but the goal is on one big thing. "We have done a lot of work, really focusing the team on what's going to make a big difference in the brand and the growth story," she said. "First and foremost, it's all about building this brand awareness."