DKNY Names Edgy New Creative Heads

The founders and creative directors of Public School, Dao-Yi Chow and Maxwell Osborne have been confirmed as the new creative directors of DKNY. Also, Hector Muelas, creative director of worldwide marketing communications of Apple Inc., has been given the newly created job of chief image officer at Donna Karan International.

Muelas will take charge of brand image, digial platforms and e-commerce for DKI as well as marketing and creative services. He most recently was in charge of the global brand marketing for Apple Watch.

Chief executive officer, Caroline Brown, "There's been such an explosion of that whole contemporary market globally. We're sitting on a brand that has fantastic distribution and incredible brand recognition. We think there's an opportunity to put a lot behind it to reinspire and reinvigorate it. That was the purpose of this step, to look at DKNY with fresh eyes and reach the full potential,"

Of the designers Brown said, "I can't think of designers who represent authentic New York in a better way."

Donna Karan as creative dirctor of Donna Karan Collection will continue to support DKNY in an advisory way.

Osborne and Chow did not make a comment to WWD but released a statement saying, "We both grew up in New York 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."