Fragrance house

Betsey Johnson

Betsey Johnson formed her own company and label with Chantal Bacon in 1978, after helping shape 1960s youth-oriented fashion at New York boutique Paraphernalia and co-founding Betsey Bunky Nini in 1969. The brand’s creative identity is associated with exuberant embellishment, bold color, movement, and a playful tension between pretty and punk. Through the 1980s and 1990s, the label grew through boutiques and expanded into children’s clothing and home goods. Johnson received a place on New York’s Fashion Walk of Fame in 2002. In 2007, Johnson and Bacon sold a majority stake to Castanea Partners; after Betsey Johnson LLC filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2012, Steve Madden continued to own the brand’s intellectual-property rights while Johnson continued designing for it. The self-titled Betsey Johnson fragrance launched in 2006 and was presented as the brand’s signature fragrance.