Anisha Riggs
The Halston fragrance business has changed hands several times since its inception. The brand was first launched in 1975 by American fashion designer Roy Halston Frowick, who rose to international fame in the 1970s for his minimalist, clean designs. In 1973, Halston sold his entire line to businessman Norton Simon, while remaining the brand's principal designer. This deal gave him the financial backing to expand into perfumes, menswear, and home interiors. However, in the 1980s, Halston lost control of his fashion house due to several ill-advised business decisions. Today, the Halston brand is owned by Xcel Brands, which acquired it in 2015, and still produces various lines focused on ready-to-wear clothing. Coty Inc., a multinational beauty company, is the largest fragrance manufacturer in the world, with around 40 brands under its umbrella as of 2024.
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What You'll Learn
Halston sold his name and entire line to businessman Norman Simon in 1973
In 1973, American fashion designer Roy Halston Frowick, known mononymously as Halston, sold his name and entire fashion line to businessman Norman Simon (or Norton Simon, Inc.) for $16 million. This deal gave Halston unlimited financial backing while allowing him to remain the brand's principal designer. This meant that Halston had creative control, which he used to expand his line to include perfumes, menswear, and home interiors.
Indeed, in 1975, Max Factor released Halston's first namesake fragrance for women. The perfume was a success, generating $85 million in sales by 1977. Throughout the 1970s, Halston continued to expand his line to include other products such as luggage, handbags, lingerie, and bedding. He also designed the U.S. Olympic Team's uniforms in 1976.
However, Halston's success was not to last. In 1983, he agreed to a five-year partnership with retailer JCPenney, which many believed had cheapened the Halston name. As a result, Bergdorf Goodman refused to continue stocking the designer's clothes, and other retailers reduced their orders. Around the same time, Halston Limited was acquired by Eshmark Inc., and the new managers, including Carl Epstein, did not approve of the new brand direction.
Halston eventually lost control of his fashion house in the 1980s. He died of AIDS-related cancer in 1990 at the age of 57. Today, the Halston brand is owned by Xcel Brands, which produces various lines focused on ready-to-wear clothing, keeping Halston's feminine aesthetic alive.
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Halston's first fragrance for women was launched in 1975
In 1975, Halston launched its first fragrance for women, Halston Classic. The perfume was a Chypre Floral fragrance, featuring top notes of green leaves, mint, peach, melon, and bergamot, middle notes of marigold, carnation, cedar, orris root, ylang-ylang, rose, and jasmine, and base notes of oakmoss, vetiver, amber, incense, patchouli, sandalwood, and musk. The perfume was created by legendary French nose Bernard Chant, who also created popular fragrances such as Aramis and Clinique's Aromatics Elixir.
The launch of Halston Classic was a significant moment in the history of the Halston brand. It represented the brand's first major brand extension after being acquired by Norton Simon Inc. in 1973. The perfume was an instant success, racking up $85 million in sales within two years and becoming the second top-selling perfume in history after Chanel No. 5. The iconic status of the fragrance was further elevated by its appearance in the 2021 Netflix miniseries "Halston," which brought renewed attention to the brand and its signature scent.
The bottle design of Halston Classic played a crucial role in its success. Created by model-turned-designer Elsa Peretti, the bottle featured a biomorphic shape with modern simplicity and soft curves. Halston was so enamoured with Peretti's design that he paid $50,000 of his own money to produce it, overriding executives who disliked it. The bottle's stark simplicity and lack of branding, with only a ribbon bearing the designer's name, made it instantly recognisable and highly collectable.
Today, the Halston fragrance business is owned by Revlon, which acquired the brand in 1986. However, the perfumes available today differ drastically from the original formula, which has been reformulated over time. Despite the changes, the Halston fragrance continues to be a favourite among perfume enthusiasts, with its vintage versions highly sought-after and cherished for their unique and timeless scent.
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Halston lost control of his fashion house in the 1980s
In 1973, Halston sold his line to Norton Simon, Inc. (owned by businessman Norman Simon) for $16 million. This deal allowed him to remain the brand's principal designer with creative control and near-unlimited financial backing. With this support, Halston expanded his line to include menswear, perfumes, home interiors, and even designed the U.S. Olympic Team's uniforms in 1976.
However, in 1983, Halston made a deal with retailer JCPenney, agreeing to a five-year partnership where he would design clothes and fragrances. This decision to bring his designs to the mass market was controversial, and many believed it cheapened the Halston name. Bergdorf Goodman refused to continue stocking his designs, and other retailers reduced their orders.
Around the same time, Halston Limited was acquired by Eshmark Inc., and the new managers, including Carl Epstein, did not approve of the new brand direction. Halston's drug addiction and erratic behaviour led to his removal from Halston Limited in 1984, marking his loss of control over his fashion house.
After Halston's departure, the company changed hands several times, with various attempts to revive the original line and create subsidiary brands. Today, the Halston brand is owned by Xcel Brands, which continues to produce various lines focused on ready-to-wear clothing, preserving Halston's feminine aesthetic.
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Hilco Consumer Capital consolidated ownership in late 2011
In late 2011, Hilco Consumer Capital consolidated ownership of the Halston brand and appointed Ben Malka, former president of BCBG, as chairman and CEO of the Halston Heritage business. Malka brought in Marie Mazelis, former creative director of Max Azria and Hervé Léger, to lead the relaunch of the contemporary line. Hilco decided to focus solely on the Halston Heritage ready-to-wear line and invested an additional $7.5 million in its development.
This consolidation of ownership by Hilco Consumer Capital marked a new chapter for the Halston brand, which had undergone several ownership changes and business challenges since its inception. Founded by American fashion designer Roy Halston Frowick, the brand gained international recognition in the 1970s for its minimalist, clean, and sophisticated designs. Halston sold his line to Norton Simon, Inc. (or businessman Norman Simon, according to another source) in 1973 for $16 million, retaining creative control and gaining unlimited financial backing. This deal allowed Halston to expand into perfumes, with the launch of his first namesake fragrance for women in 1975 by Max Factor.
However, in the early 1980s, a deal with retailer JCPenney led to a perception of the brand being cheapened, and Halston lost control of his fashion house. The brand changed hands multiple times, with various attempts to revive the original line and create subsidiary brands like Halston Heritage. Eventually, in late 2011, Hilco Consumer Capital stepped in to consolidate ownership and refocus the brand's strategy.
Under the leadership of Malka and Mazelis, the Halston Heritage line was repositioned, and the company's headquarters moved from New York to Los Angeles in 2012. In 2013, Halston Heritage signed a distribution deal with the Majid Al Futtaim Group for the United Arab Emirates market. In 2015, the company sold H by Halston and H Halston to Xcel Brands, a company specializing in bringing well-known brands to mass-market outlets. Today, Xcel Brands continues to own the Halston name and produces various lines focused on ready-to-wear clothing, preserving the brand's feminine aesthetic.
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Xcel Brands currently owns Halston
The Halston brand was established by American fashion designer Roy Halston Frowick, who rose to international fame in the 1970s. Halston's minimalist, clean designs, often made of cashmere or ultrasuede, redefined American fashion and popularized a relaxed urban lifestyle for American women. In 1975, Max Factor released Halston's first namesake fragrance for women, which generated $85 million in sales by 1977.
Halston's classic fragrance is characterized by its unique blend of notes, including mint, melon, peach, incense, herbs, florals, and woody scents. The fragrance evokes a sense of nostalgia for the disco era of the 1970s and has been described as "disco in a bottle." It offers a fresh yet sultry scent experience, with a drydown that brings to mind Ciara.
The Halston brand has had a tumultuous history, with the designer himself losing control of his fashion house in the 1980s due to ill-advised business decisions and personal struggles. Despite this, the brand has persevered, and Xcel Brands now carries the legacy of Halston's iconic fashion and fragrance lines.
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Frequently asked questions
Xcel Brands currently owns Halston and produces various lines focused on ready-to-wear clothing, keeping Halston’s feminine aesthetic alive.
The original owner of the Halston fragrance business was the American fashion designer Roy Halston Frowick, who rose to international fame in the 1970s.
Halston sold his entire line to businessman Norman Simon in 1973 in exchange for unlimited financial backing while remaining the brand’s principal designer.
The signature scent of the Halston fragrance business is the Halston Classic, a fragrance for women launched in 1975.
