At its 30th anniversary gala last week, DKMS gave a new definition to painting the town red.
On Oct. 28, DKMS raised more than $5 million for blood cancer and related illnesses, and the Cipriani Wall Street-hosted festivities drew out numerous beauty executives and professionals.
Atypical and exciting in equal measure, coming back in-person for the party kept morale high among the Coty set.
“I love the energy of New York City now, business is booming, we’re getting back to it,” said Andrew Stanleick, executive vice president, Coty Inc. and chief executive officer of Kylie Cosmetics.
Business picking up momentum gave Stanleick plenty of reason to celebrate. “We had [Kylie] Baby in September, and we’re very excited to expect her new child in the new year, and Halloween, which broke all records,” he continued.
Across Coty’s C-suite, enthusiasm for the business’ growth followed suit. Stefano Curti, Coty Inc.’s chief brands officer, outlined his recipe for the turnaround of the company’s mass market portfolio.
“We relaunched most of the brands in the last 12 months, and they’re doing terrific,” he said. “Cover Girl has turned around, starting in March. We are waking up consumers’ memory structures of what Cover Girl used to represent, and now, it’s gaining a point of market share every month. Same with Max Factor, which is back to growth. Rimmel has been fantastic, and Bourjois in France is next,” he said.
Other guests, including DKMS Americas’ cofounder Katharina Harf, were heralding the return of in-person events. “We haven’t done this in two years,” Harf said. “I’m just excited to celebrate life. We need to keep going, and COVID-19 can’t stop us from fighting other diseases,” she said.
Among her supporters were actress Jaime King, and designer Vera Wang, both of whom lauded Harf’s efforts with DKMS.
“The work that I saw Katharina do in the past few years has been so extraordinary, and to see her get donors when it’s nearly impossible is really inspiring,” King said.
“I love a beautiful event, so it’s great, and I love Katharina,” Wang added. “I love being able to support her — she took a personal tragedy and has dedicated her life to giving a cure.”
Also on the carpet was Kaia Gerber, who is the face of Marc Jacobs’ Daisy fragrances for Coty Inc.
“I think it is such an important cause. My mom lost her brother to leukemia, so I’ve always felt very connected and I think it’s really important to give people a second chance at life and DKMS is offering people a chance to do that,” Gerber said.
During remarks given virtually, Coty Inc.’s CEO Sue Nabi also congratulated the organization on its growth. “Our employees have stepped up time and time again,” she added. “Today, more than 1,700 Coty employees have gone on to register to donate.”
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