CARY, N.C.— February 2,2026 — Cotton Incorporated announces the appointment of Bev Sylvester as chief marketing officer. In this newly created role, Sylvester will oversee Cotton Incorporated’s marketing strategy, brand positioning, consumer engagement and global outreach to increase demand for cotton and strengthen its relevance in the marketplace.
Sylvester brings more than 20 years of senior-level marketing and brand leadership experience across apparel, textiles, consumer goods, and branded materials. Her background spans private label and branded businesses, licensing, e-commerce, and integrated global storytelling with mills, manufacturers, brands and retailers.
Most recently, Sylvester served in a leadership capacity at Unifi Manufacturing, Inc., a global fiber manufacturer, where she led global marketing efforts for REPREVE, a branded recycled polyester fiber used by apparel and home brands worldwide.
In that role, she worked directly at the fiber level, engaging mills, manufacturers, sourcing teams, designers and retailers to drive adoption and preference — providing valuable insight into how fiber-level decisions are made and influenced across the supply chain.
“Bev brings a clear understanding of how fiber and material choices influence outcomes across the value chain and how those decisions ultimately shape market confidence and demand,” said William Kimbrell, president and CEO of Cotton Incorporated. “Her experience at the fiber level, paired with her work with brands and retailers, strengthens our ability to engage decision-makers at the points that matter most and support long-term demand for cotton.”
In this role, Sylvester will lead Cotton Incorporated’s marketing strategy and demand-building initiatives, shaping clear, compelling narratives around cotton’s value and aligning those efforts with the needs of mills, manufacturers, brands, and retailers to drive informed raw material decisions across the value chain, with pull-through to the consumer.
“Fiber choice is shaped by performance requirements, sustainability expectations, and increasing transparency across the supply chain,” said Sylvester. “I look forward to working across the value chain — from sourcing and manufacturing through brand, retail and consumer engagement — to ensure that cotton’s strong value-based proposition, and fiber benefits are clearly understood and connected to the decision-makers and end users who ultimately drive demand.”
Sylvester also brings extensive consulting experience launching and scaling brands across multiple apparel and lifestyle categories, along with a global perspective shaped by both corporate and advisory roles.
Her appointment aligns with Cotton Incorporated’s market-driven approach with a focus on strengthening engagement with midstream decision-makers, mills, manufacturers, brands and retailers while maintaining consumer demand-building strategies — ultimately strengthening cotton’s position in a highly competitive global fiber marketplace.
Posted: February 2, 2026
Source: Cotton Incorporated