Kelly Cook

“That's no secret, we've talked about that openly,”

Kelly Cook · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-22

Cook acknowledged that the company's struggles have been discussed openly.

“What's extraordinary is what came out of that process is a leaner David's, a more focused David's ... I think it's a move from strength.”

Kelly Cook · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-22

Cook said the restructuring process produced a leaner, more focused David's Bridal and called the split a move from strength.

“Pearl has earned the right to stand on its own because it's created more value than we've expected,”

Kelly Cook · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-22

Cook said Pearl has created more value than expected and is ready to operate as a standalone company.

“not AI for AI's sake.”

Kelly Cook · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-22

Cook said the differentiator for Pearl is that it is not simply AI for AI's sake.

“positioning both companies for strategic growth.”

Kelly Cook · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-22

Cook described the split of David's Bridal and Pearl as positioning both companies for growth.

“been through a hard chapter,”

Kelly Cook · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-22

Cook said the company has been through a hard chapter, referring to David's Bridal's financial struggles and bankruptcies.

“We have a fast-growing, high-margin business generating positive cash flow right now in Pearl, and going public now will help us attract the talent and give us more optionality to fuel the growth that we believe that we have,”

Kelly Cook · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-22

Cook, who will become CEO of Pearl after the spinoff deal closes, explained the rationale for taking Pearl public.

“Most AI companies have to find a customer,”

Kelly Cook · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-22

Cook contrasted Pearl with most AI companies, which she said have to find a customer.

“It's a very healthy business model,”

Kelly Cook · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-22

Cook described the business model in which Pearl will own David's Bridal's intellectual property and license it back to the chain.

“relationship built on reciprocity,”

Kelly Cook · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-22

Cook said the two companies will continue sharing proprietary data and pointing customers to one another after the split.

“We already have her ... we have her information, and it's less about the AI side and more about modernizing this entire ecosystem for her that desperately needed modernization.”

Kelly Cook · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-22

Cook said Pearl already has its customer and her information, framing the effort as modernizing the wedding ecosystem.