Sales boss for DKNY Black

Brand management house Marchpole is understood to have appointed Mark Giltrow, the ex-head of sales at streetwear brand Criminal, to head up sales for its new DKNY licensing deal.

Marchpole is also thought to be considering opening shop-in-shops for the brand in premium department stores – an initiative likely to be headed up by Giltrow – when it launches for spring 09.

The first collection, called DKNY Black Label, will be menswear-only and will target high-end department stores and independent retailers. The range will be distinctively different from DKNY Jeans, the entry price diffusion line, but will sit below the core Donna Karan top line.

The Marchpole DKNY deal could plug a significant hole at the brand management house, which lost the YSL menswear licence last year and posted a £6.1 million loss for the year ended April 5, against a profit of £6.3m the previous year.

No one at Marchpole was available for comment.