Ownership profile
Who owns Marc Jacobs Daisy?
Marc Jacobs Daisy is a fragrance operated by publicly traded Coty Inc. under a long-term license from the Marc Jacobs brand. The underlying Marc Jacobs brand IP is being sold by LVMH in an $850M deal to a joint venture between WHP Global and G-III Apparel; WHP Global itself was founded with private equity backing from Oaktree Capital Management and has since received a $375M investment from Ares Management's private equity group, meaning private equity interests have significant indirect influence over the brand.
Ownership profile
Marc Jacobs Daisy
Coty Inc. (fragrance licensor) / Marc Jacobs International LLC (brand IP owner, transitioning from LVMH to WHP Global + G-III Apparel joint venture)
Evidence (10)
Coty Inc. trades publicly on the NYSE under ticker COTY
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CotyG-III and WHP Global will form a 50/50 joint venture (MJ Topco / IPCo) to retain ownership of Marc Jacobs' intellectual property, with G-III acquiring and operating the Marc Jacobs operating business
https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0000821002/000095014226001394/eh260778952_ex9901.htmThe transaction is expected to close in G-III's fiscal third quarter of 2027, subject to regulatory approval; as of August 2026, Marc Jacobs brand IP is still formally owned by LVMH
https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0000821002/000095014226001394/eh260778952_ex9901.htmLVMH is selling the Marc Jacobs brand to WHP Global and G-III Apparel Group in a deal valued at $850M, announced May 14–15, 2026
https://www.retaildive.com/news/marc-jacobs-to-be-acquired-by-toys-r-us-parent-company/820323/WHP Global received a $375M equity investment from funds managed by the Private Equity Group of Ares Management Corporation in March 2023, valuing WHP Global at $1.6 billion; Ares PE partners joined the WHP board
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/whp-global-receives-375-million-equity-investment-from-ares-management-at-1-6-billion-valuation-to-fuel-next-phase-of-growth-301765345.htmlMarc Jacobs Daisy fragrance is operated by Coty Inc. under a long-term license from the Marc Jacobs brand
https://www.glossy.co/beauty/glossy-pop-newsletter-the-enduring-appeal-of-marc-jacobs-daisy/WHP Global was founded in 2019 with a $200M equity commitment from Oaktree Capital Management
https://www.watchpro.com/private-equity-backed-whp-global-acquires-anne-klein-new-york/Coty and Marc Jacobs renewed their fragrance license partnership in 2019, with Daisy bringing approximately $300M in retail sales annually
https://www.coty.com/news/coty-and-marc-jacobs-renew-their-long-term-fragrance-license-partnershipWHP Global is also backed by Solus, BlackRock, and other financial institutions in addition to Oaktree and Ares
https://www.whp-global.com/pages/teamLVMH acquired a majority stake in Marc Jacobs in 1997
https://news.designrush.com/lvmh-sells-marc-jacobsWhat's uncertain
- Marc Jacobs Daisy is a fragrance line, not a standalone legal entity — it exists as a product licensed by Coty Inc. from Marc Jacobs International. The 'ownership' question therefore has two layers: (1) Coty Inc. operates and sells the product; (2) the underlying Marc Jacobs brand IP is the subject of a pending ownership transfer.
- The LVMH-to-WHP Global/G-III Apparel deal was announced May 2026 but had not yet closed as of the SEC filing date (expected fiscal Q3 2027). LVMH remains the technical owner of Marc Jacobs IP until closing.
- No evidence found that Coty's fragrance license for Marc Jacobs Daisy will be affected or terminated by the brand ownership change; license terms post-deal are unconfirmed.
- WHP Global is a private company; the precise current equity split between Oaktree, Ares, Solus, BlackRock, and management is not publicly disclosed. PE 'influenced' is used rather than 'controlled' because no single PE firm is confirmed to hold a majority stake in WHP Global.
- The pe_involvement and pe_firm fields refer to WHP Global's PE backing, which is one layer removed from the Marc Jacobs Daisy product itself via Coty's license. PE influence on the fragrance product specifically is indirect.
- The Coty fragrance license renewal was confirmed in 2019; no more recent update on license status or length post-2026 brand sale was found.