Ben Malka

After a month in the dumps Halston finally has some good news to report. The luxury label has reported that Ben Malka, the former president of BCBG Max Azaria Group, will be the company’s new CEO, according to Women’s Wear Daily. As late as last week Mr. Malka denied all rumors of the move.

Ben Malka is a well-spoken fashion man with a fascinating background. According to a radio interview he gave 2 Minutes & More in 2009, the fashion exec was originally trained in medicine. He decided to take a year off after medical school hoping to learn about business. “Even as a doctor you would have to operate a business,” he told Renee Fraiser and Betsey Berkhemer of 2 Minutes. “I chose to take a sabbatical, to go to New York for a year, and I would say this is where luck runs in.”

He developed a product for his employer, was named president at age twenty-four and later entered the fashion industry. The rest is history.

“Most people are afraid to leave the road or the channel they’re on for their whole lives,” he said both reflectively and prophetically. “Look I don’t want to execute as much as I did in my early years. I want to be more of a strategist today… and a visionary and I want to supervise.”

Halston could use a good supervising strategist right about now. As we previously reported, Halston suffered a tripartite loss last month with Harvey Weinstein, Sarah Jessica Parker (both large shareholders) and Tamara Mellon all leaving the label.

In other Halston news, although nothing official has been released as of yet, the fashion grapevine is buzzing amid reports that Marie Mazelis, the creative director at BCBG, will follow Mr. Malka to Halston. Ms. Mazelis, who had worked for BCBG for ten years, abruptly quit her post last week.