Jean Despres
Encyclopedia
Jean Despres was a perfume
industry businessman, known for his work with Coty, Inc.
The French-born Jean Despres came to New York
in 1921 working for Coty Inc. Starting as a shipping clerk, he went on to become a travelling salesman, covering thousands of miles on the Santa Fe Railroad across America to sell Coty perfume
s and gift sets. He soon became a sales manager, and in 1942 was appointed Executive Vice President of Coty, Inc. He held this position for more than 25 years when Pfizer
purchased Coty in 1968.
Coty, Inc., was a French perfume company created by François Coty
, proprietor of Le Figaro
, the French daily newspaper headquartered on the Champs-Élysées
in Paris
, France
. Under Jean Despres' leadership at Coty, he founded the Fragrance Foundation Inc., New York, for the perfume industry and was a founder of the Toilet Goods Association Inc., Washington, D.C.
With the expansion of department stores in the 1930s and 1940s, he created "in-store" displays and "in-store" merchandising staff, which evolved into the cosmetics counters we know today.
He was a founding member of the Coty American Fashion Critics' Awards which was created in order to encourage and honor American talent and American fashion designers. The awards presentation ceremony takes place at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
and at Lincoln Center, New York City
.
Despres married milliner Lilly Daché
in Palm Beach, Florida
on March 13, 1931.
Perfume
Perfume is a mixture of fragrant essential oils and/or aroma compounds, fixatives, and solvents used to give the human body, animals, objects, and living spaces "a pleasant scent"...
industry businessman, known for his work with Coty, Inc.
Coty, Inc.
Coty, Inc. is the world's largest fragrance company, founded in 1904. It is also a beauty products manufacturer whose main businesses are fragrances , followed by color cosmetics , toiletries and skin care...
The French-born Jean Despres came to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in 1921 working for Coty Inc. Starting as a shipping clerk, he went on to become a travelling salesman, covering thousands of miles on the Santa Fe Railroad across America to sell Coty perfume
Perfume
Perfume is a mixture of fragrant essential oils and/or aroma compounds, fixatives, and solvents used to give the human body, animals, objects, and living spaces "a pleasant scent"...
s and gift sets. He soon became a sales manager, and in 1942 was appointed Executive Vice President of Coty, Inc. He held this position for more than 25 years when Pfizer
Pfizer
Pfizer, Inc. is an American multinational pharmaceutical corporation. The company is based in New York City, New York with its research headquarters in Groton, Connecticut, United States...
purchased Coty in 1968.
Coty, Inc., was a French perfume company created by François Coty
François Coty
François Coty was a French perfume manufacturer, newspaper publisher, and founder of the fascist league Solidarité Française...
, proprietor of Le Figaro
Le Figaro
Le Figaro is a French daily newspaper founded in 1826 and published in Paris. It is one of three French newspapers of record, with Le Monde and Libération, and is the oldest newspaper in France. It is also the second-largest national newspaper in France after Le Parisien and before Le Monde, but...
, the French daily newspaper headquartered on the Champs-Élysées
Champs-Élysées
The Avenue des Champs-Élysées is a prestigious avenue in Paris, France. With its cinemas, cafés, luxury specialty shops and clipped horse-chestnut trees, the Avenue des Champs-Élysées is one of the most famous streets and one of the most expensive strip of real estate in the world. The name is...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. Under Jean Despres' leadership at Coty, he founded the Fragrance Foundation Inc., New York, for the perfume industry and was a founder of the Toilet Goods Association Inc., Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
With the expansion of department stores in the 1930s and 1940s, he created "in-store" displays and "in-store" merchandising staff, which evolved into the cosmetics counters we know today.
He was a founding member of the Coty American Fashion Critics' Awards which was created in order to encourage and honor American talent and American fashion designers. The awards presentation ceremony takes place at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a renowned art museum in New York City. Its permanent collection contains more than two million works, divided into nineteen curatorial departments. The main building, located on the eastern edge of Central Park along Manhattan's Museum Mile, is one of the...
and at Lincoln Center, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Despres married milliner Lilly Daché
Lilly Daché
Lilly Daché was a French milliner and fashion designer.She was born in Bègles, Gironde, France, and began her fashion career there at the age of 15 as a milliner, apprenticed under Caroline Reboux and Suzanne Talbot. Although she is said to have emigrated to the United States in 1924, the 1930 U.S...
in Palm Beach, Florida
Palm Beach, Florida
The Town of Palm Beach is an incorporated town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The Intracoastal Waterway separates it from the neighboring cities of West Palm Beach and Lake Worth...
on March 13, 1931.