Donna Karan fragrance license moves to Inter Parfums

Donna Karan has defined New York chic since the 1980s and her eponymous brands spawned two of the most successful designer fragrance franchises.

 The US designer launched her first fragrance – Donna Karan for Women – in 1992. Working in collaboration with Estée Lauder for close to 30 years, over 168 fragrances have been released under the Donna Karan and DKNY banners to date.

DKNY Be Delicious and its army of flankers remains a global powerhouse. Launched in 1994, Donna Karan Cashmere Mist enjoys huge popularity with Australian women for its floral musk mix of bergamot, jasmine, sandalwood, amber and musk.

LVMH acquired the Donna Karan fashion labels in 2001. Following the retirement of Donna Karan from the design house she founded in 2015, the world’s largest luxury goods group sold the company to G-III Apparel in 2016 in a deal with an enterprise value of US$650 million.

G-III has built up a stable of 30 brands, including the licenses of five global “magic” brands – Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, Karl Lagerfeld Paris, Donna Karan and DKNY. Last week, the company also bought Sonia Rykiel, the luxury French fashion house, with major plans for a global re-launch starting in Europe.

G-III has inked a deal with Inter Parfums, the maker of Coach, Jimmy Choo, Montblanc and Oscar de la Renta perfumes, to take over the fragrance licence of the Donna Karan and DKNY brands effective from July 2022. The company had signed a multi-year extension term with Estée Lauder following its buyout of the brands.

The Donna Karan and DKNY brands, which draw from the attitude and energy of New York City, are powerhouses in fashion and fragrance, said Jean Madar, chairman and CEO of Inter Parfums. “These global lifestyle brands will make excellent additions to our portfolio.

“With this agreement, we are gaining several well-established and valuable fragrance franchises, most notably Donna Karan Cashmere Mist and DKNY Be Delicious, as well as a significant loyal consumer base around the world. Upon joining our portfolio, these brands will rank among our largest. We are also planning to launch new fragrances under these brands in 2023.”