Donna Karan International (DKI) Announces New Creative Team for DKNY

New York, NY, April 29, 2015 – Donna Karan International (DKI) announced today the appointment of Dao-Yi Chow and Maxwell Osborne as Creative Directors of DKNY. DKI additionally announced the appointment of Hector Muelas in the newly created position of Chief Image Officer.

Caroline Brown, CEO of DKI noted:

“Donna Karan was a true visionary in founding DKNY in 1989, which represented a first in what has become a very crowded contemporary market. Under her vision, DKNY captured the spirit of New York at its most authentic and grew quickly to become a global brand. Building on this foundation, our new creative team has a solid platform to re-energize and redefine what authentic New York means for DKNY right now given today’s world of fast living, extreme innovation and global competition at the highest level.”

Donna Karan, Founder & Chief Designer, DKI noted:

“I started DKNY with the goal of creating a brand that captured the very best of New York and could bring that great energy to the world. It's been an incredible journey. Today DKNY is present from New York to London, Hong Kong to Dubai -- all with the genuine expression of this great city. Now is the right moment for it's evolution and I am so excited for the next chapter of this company working together with this new creative team.”

This team represents a new creative configuration for the company, dedicated to building a seamless brand experience across design, digital, marketing, architecture and brand messaging.

Dao-Yi Chow and Maxwell Osborne are the founders and creative directors of Public School, for which they won the CFDA award for Menswear Designer Of The Year in 2014. They were previously the recipients of the prestigious CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund in 2013. Chow and Osborne will be in charge of all DKNY collections effective immediately, dividing their time between both companies. Each born and raised in New York, they represent the very essence and energy of the city in which they are still based.

Osborne and Chow said, “We both grew up in NY and DKNY has always been part of the landscape of this city in our formative years as designers and as New Yorkers. It is one of the brands that helped change the game for us and for American fashion. It evokes everything our city was always about – energy, disruption, new thinking and transcending all boundaries.  We are extremely proud and excited to be joining the company and to contribute to the next chapter of DKNY, one of the most iconic American brands created by Donna Karan, a true inspiration.”

Hector Muelas will be in charge of all areas of brand image, marketing and creative services for DKI, as well as all digital platforms and e-commerce. He joins DKI from Apple Inc. where he held the role of Creative Director of Worldwide Marketing Communications, in charge most recently of leading the global brand marketing initiatives for Apple Watch. Prior to joining Apple, Hector held creative and executive positions at Creative Artists Agency (CAA) in Los Angeles and Wieden+Kennedy in Amsterdam, where he developed award-winning creative for brands such as Nike and Coca Cola, among others. 

Hector Muelas says, “I am thrilled to join Donna Karan International, which has always been based on the brand truths of innovation and empowerment. Those values are very meaningful in today’s cultural context, and provide an incredible creative opportunity for the brand.”

Caroline Brown says on Creative Team:

“Dao Yi and Maxwell are proven leaders in pushing fashion innovation and are always looking forward. They represent authentic New York and bring a clear vision of DKNY for the future.  Hector brings a completely new perspective to DKI, joining us from some of the most iconic brands of our time. His vision will allow for a 360 experience across all consumer touch points, brand messaging, digital universe, architecture, marketing and more.”