PVH signs department-store focused licensing agreement with G-III Apparel, launches DKNY Sport for Men

By

Cassidy Mantor

Published
May 22, 2017

DKNY menswear will be growing thanks to a new licensing deal between DKNY owner G-III Apparel Group, Ltd. (G-III) and PVH Corp.

G-III announced it has signed a multi-year license agreement giving PVH Corp. the design and distribution rights for DKNY menswear across the US and Canada. Categories included in the deal are men's sportswear, dress shirts, neckwear and jeans.

Additionally PVH will launch a new category for the market called DKNY Sport for Men.

Morris Goldfarb, G-III Chairman and Chief Executive Officer said, “This collaboration is an important step in the continued growth of DKNY and a clear example of the go-forward strategy to heighten this iconic brand."

Goldfarb went on to call PVH powerful and trusted. PVH owns menswear mainstay brands including Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger. G-III has fashion licenses for those brands, further intertwining their businesses.

Ken Duane, CEO of Heritage Brands and North America Wholesale for PVH said, “DKNY is a great American brand and we are excited to have the opportunity to build out the menswear business in the U.S. and Canada as a complement to our existing menswear businesses.”

The licensing agreement makes sense for the menswear market and in the face of failing department store business. It is the fourth of such type of deals for G-III and PVH. Prior agreements have covered PVH brands Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger and G-III's G.H. Bass brand.

Handing the design and development reins back to PVH should streamline the process of getting product to consumers. Infrastructure is already in place to ease the rollout of the new DKNY men's sport category as well as increase overall market presence.

The first collections from this agreement will launch Spring 2018 in department stores.