Sarah Wallace Named President of David Meister

NEW YORK, Jan. 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Sarah A. Wallace was named president of David Meister today, according to Robert C. Skinner, Jr., Kellwood president and chief executive officer.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060110/CGTU039 )

"David Meister is one of our key growth opportunities. With our investment in David and the business, and his strong retail and consumer recognition, the time has come to establish David Meister as its own business unit with a dedicated executive team," said Skinner.

"Sarah joined Kellwood in January 2004 as vice president strategic planning and new business development. She has done an outstanding job leading the strategic planning and new business development processes at Kellwood. Her background both in the financial arena and the designer apparel business will be a tremendous asset to the David Meister organization as we focus on building the brand and growing the business to the next level," commented Skinner.

"I respect Sarah's business acumen and look forward to working with her as my business partner as we set out to achieve new heights of success for the David Meister brand," added Meister.

Prior to Kellwood, Wallace consulted for several apparel companies including Kellwood. From 1999 to 2002, she was an associate in equity research for apparel and footwear at Salomon Smith Barney. Rising to the post of vice president of worldwide licensing at the Donna Karan Company, Wallace held various positions there between 1990 and 1998. From 1993 to 1995, she interrupted her career at Donna Karan to earn a Master of Business Administration at Columbia University.

Wallace and the David Meister business unit will report to Arthur K. Gordon, chief executive officer Kellwood Western Region. She will be based in the David Meister New York showroom at 550 Seventh Avenue.

Penny Aschkenasy, who brought David to Kellwood and developed the David Meister business, will continue as president of E.N.C., which is also part of Kellwood Western Region. "We are most appreciative of Penny's ability to recognize talented designers and giving them wings to grow. She has a unique ability to develop compelling initiatives for all marketplace channels," added Skinner.

"Penny and I have been a team for many years. She was my mentor at our previous company, and encouraged me to create my own brand and business under my name with Kellwood. I personally am very grateful for the opportunity she afforded me and her counsel over the years," said Meister.

David Meister launched his eveningwear collection in 1998. Day dresses were introduced in 2002 in recognition of retailer and consumer interest, and his sportswear collection debuted in 2004. The company is currently exploring opportunities to extend the brand into accessories and other important classifications. His designs are sold at fine department and specialty stores.

Kellwood , a $2 billion marketer of apparel and consumer soft goods, specializes in branded as well as private label products, and markets to all channels of distribution with product specific to a particular channel. For more information, visit http://www.kellwood.com/ .