Jean Despres

Who is Jean Despres?

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 perfumes 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.