Public School’s Maxwell Osborne & Dao-Yi Chow Named Creative Directors of DKNY
It seems that this is the week where the industry is shaking up institutional brands. First Style.com becomes an e-commerce site, and now Donna Karan is stepping aside and her iconic DKNY label will be designed by Maxwell Osborne and Dao-Yi Chow. As we reported earlier this month, DKNY’s parent company, LVMH, had been shopping for a new creative director in an effort to re-energize the 26-year-old brand. At the time, Karan seemed defiant about the change. "Can you imagine me stepping down?“ she was quoted as saying. “I’m too energized.”
Well it seems that LVMH got its way. Osborne and Chow—who were rumored to be in the running along with Prabal Gurung and A.L.C.’s Andrea Lieberman—secured the top spot. The much adored duo makes sense for a brand that was created with New York as its foundation and inspiration. Osborne and Chow as also born and bred New Yorkers, and have a street wear aesthetic that dovetails nicely with Karan’s original vision. They established Public School as a menswear label in 2008, and last year, launched a tomboy chic ready-to-wear collection for women. Having already won the Swarovski Award for Menswear in 2013, as well as the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund in November of that same year, they are now nominated for Menswear Designers of the Year at the CFDA Awards taking place in June.
The creative directors are not the only ones getting aboard the new DKNY train (subway?). Today’s announcement also includes the arrival of former Apple exec Hector Muelas as Chief Image Officer. Muelas is a huge coup for the brand, having recently worked as the Creative Director of Worldwide Marketing and Communications at Apple where he oversaw the brand marketing for Apple Watch, which is currently selling out at retailers near you. He will oversee all brand image and marketing materials for Donna Karan International including digital and e-commerce.
No word yet on what this all means for Karan. Rumors have abounded that she is planning to shutter her namesake label soon. One thing is for certain, she founded the DKNY label so that she could bring the “great energy of New York to the world.” She definitely succeeded in doing that. But now the time has come for a refresh and this seems like the right team to do it.
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