Kelly Kovack
Kelly Kovack
Board Memeber
Kelly’s career bears the marks of a true iconoclast. The first signs of this are her beginnings in the fashion business where she simultaneously worked with prestige standard-bearers Bergdorf Goodman and the mavericks of Chrome Hearts. After spending time on the supply side of the fashion industry, Kelly made the dive into beauty.
As a member of the original executive team of Bliss and the Managing Director of the seminal Bliss Out catalog and product division, Kelly took on the way women bought beauty. This venture fundamentally changed the way cosmetics and personal care were merchandised, developed and presented to consumers creating waves of change in the industry landscape that are still felt today and led to the successful acquisition of Bliss by luxury conglomerate, LVMH.
It was with this combination of experiences that Kelly went on to co-found Chemistry, a consultancy aimed at advising emerging personal care brands on matters of branding and strategy, followed by Purpose-Built, a one-stop shop for all creative and strategic needs specializing in integrated vertical product and brand development.
As an advisor and creative strategist, Kelly has advised an eclectic array of
clients ranging from multi-billion dollar brands like Old Navy and Mattel to notable independents like Zirh and 21 Drops.
Always entrepreneurial, Kelly has also created and built her own brands. Most recent among these ventures is Foundry NYC the holding company for the award-winning fragrance brand, Odin, co-founded in collaboration with the New York fashion brand. Odin New York fragrances can be found throughout the world at groundbreaking fashion stores, Barneys New York, Collette Paris, Liberty London and others.
Kelly’s projects have been featured prominently in the media and her work as a creative director and brand architect has been recognized with several awards, including a Pantone Color Award, Pentaward, FiFi and numerous Allure Best of Beauty awards.