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Design Interview: Marc Rosen

"Marc Rosen is a veteran of the cosmetics industry," says Luc Nadeau, president, luxury products division, L'Oreal USA. "He has been involved with every aspect of fragrance and cosmetic development, from the initial package design to the marketing and communication of the product."

Robin Burns agrees. The president and CEO of Intimate Beauty Corp. and Victoria's Secret Beauty says, "Rosen's background in design, business, manufacturing, marketing, and public relations...can help companies achieve the acceptance and visibility essential to making it big."

Adds Allen Burke, director, beauty and cosmetics for QVC, "Rosen's ability to connect with key industry decision makers is unquestioned."

Rosen is famous for his multifaceted approach to the business of beauty. He transcends the role of packaging designer as a creative entrepreneur and more.

Recently, Rosen realized how much more. And with that realization came the January 1 launch of his newest venture, ACCESSmr.

"ACCESSmr is the sum of my experiences," says Rosen. It is, Rosen says, his answer to the access-related questions his clients have asked him for years. They have come to him with questions like, Can you connect us with high-level decision makers? Can you help us identify a hot new fashion designer? Can you help us with full-service solutions, including product development, packaging, public relations, and advertising?

Yes, I can do that, Rosen says.

His colleagues agree.

So the unwitting gatekeeper hands forth the key.

First Things First

To fully appreciate Marc Rosen's newest venture, one must first understand Marc Rosen.

"A consummate package designer and tastemaker" is how Ann Gottlieb, president of Ann Gottlieb Associates, describes him. "However, Marc is first and foremost a marketer," she says, "one who really understands the business and how to market for success."

Rosen describes himself in much the same way. "I think of myself as a marketing-driven designer," Rosen says. At the outset of a project, "I immediately analyze the market, the competition, the trends, and where consumers are in terms of taste level and so forth."

Rosen's approach began taking shape at a young age. A graduate of Carnegie Mellon University (Pittsburgh) and the Pratt Institute (New York City), 23-year-old Rosen studied under Revlon founder Charles Revson. "It was the end of an era, when cosmetics companies were run by moguls; there were no focus groups, no group decision makers," says Rosen. "Charles helped me understand how important packaging is, as the communicator of image, status, and quality." The package, he learned, is one of three key ingredients—product, package, and promotion—that make a sale.

The young designer took that knowledge and began applying it to the creation of specialty packages for fragrances and cosmetics. Projects for prestigious names, such as Nina Ricci, Halston, Perry Ellis, and Elizabeth Arden, followed. Needless to say, his work got him noticed.

What also became apparent was the breadth of Rosen's capabilities. For 12 years, he worked as vice president of corporate design and communications for Elizabeth Arden, where he was responsible for all corporate designs and cosmetics packages, as well as in-store merchandising and public relations.

Then, in 1989, Rosen parlayed his skills into his first business, Marc Rosen Associates (MRA). The corporate design firm, which specializes in package and product design, and offers global marketing and communications expertise, has image marketing at its core. "The role of image marketing," Rosen says, "is to relay a single, cohesive message, from product to package, from advertising to public relations and promotional vehicles. The product that makes it big and lasts is the one with a solid reason for being."

So it's no surprise that memorable design is MRA's trademark. Elizabeth Arden's Red Door (1989) is a case in point. The Red Door bottle, with its squared edges and red dome-shaped cap, holds Arden's signature fragrance. "Before Red Door, Arden didn't have a signature fragrance," says Rosen. "It was gratifying for me to contribute to the company in such a lasting way."

Also unforgettable is Halston's Catalyst for Men (1994). Rosen's inspiration: memories of his childhood chemistry set. The beakers and vials were "useful," and "they made me feel like a creator and an inventor," says Rosen. With Catalyst, he aimed to recreate the experience for the adult male consumer, producing glass bottles shaped like beakers and test tubes with sleek silver caps.

More innovation followed in 1995, when Rosen launched his second venture, Prêt-à-Porter. The firm was Rosen's response to the demand for affordable, appealing packages. Today, the company continues serving that demand, working together with glass-bottle supplier Saint-Gobain Desjonquéres to offer standard, interchangeable components and complete fragrance programs. Design, manufacturing, and marketing services make up the complete Prêt-à-Porter package.

And Now, ACCESSmr

It is an understatement to say that Marc Rosen had his hands full before founding ACCESSmr on January 1, 2002. In addition to his aforementioned achievements, Rosen has taught graduate courses in fragrance bottle design and marketing techniques at the Pratt Institute for the past 18 years. Moreover, he hosts the Pratt Institute's Annual Dinner Dance, which benefits a design scholarship that the institute created in Rosen's name. And, as if those accomplishments weren't enough, Rosen's designs are in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art (New York City) and the Musée de la Mode (Paris). With such a well-rounded portfolio, what is left for Rosen to do?

Enter ACCESSmr.

"My new company is an expression of the sum of my experiences," says Rosen. "It came about [as the result] of my clients asking me for access to the world of industry insiders, wanting to be players in the cosmetics game." When Rosen considered filling the need through a new venture, he asked his peers their thoughts. "They told me, 'Yes, Marc, you can do it, and these are the ways in which I would use your services.'"

Thus, ACCESSmr was born. The firm offers start-ups, well-established companies, and anyone in between access to high-profile people and big names in the beauty network who they can't reach on their own. Services range from connecting clients with designers and other trendsetters to creating mutually beneficial partnerships between fashion brand-name authorities and fragrance manufacturers. ACCESSmr can also help packaging suppliers expand their client lists. Foreign companies can use the services to establish contacts in the United States. And, of course, full-service solutions, such as idea development, packaging, public relations, and advertising, are available.

One firm that recently sought the help of ACCESSmr is software service provider Design2Launch (http://www.design2launch.com). Design2Launch wanted access to "the presidents of the big companies," says Rosen, "and they thought we could get them in those doors." They were right. "We brought [Design2Launch] to Estée Lauder," and they struck a deal, Rosen says. Together, the firms are building a database that will put all of Estée Lauder's concepts for innovation in one place and ultimately streamline work for their designers.

Another recent project involved a company that launched a skin-care line. They asked Rosen for some guidance. Explains Rosen, "They came to me and said, 'We want to take our products nationally and internationally, and you know all the buyers.'" Rosen and the ACCESSmr team were able to connect the company with the key people. And in this business, Rosen says, that's half the battle.

What's Next?

Marc Rosen's portfolio, as extensive and varied as it is, only continues to grow. Those who know him best aren't surprised.

"Marc Rosen is the Renaissance man of cosmetics and fashion," says Roger Caracappa, senior vice president of global packaging for Estée Lauder. "He knows all, sees all, and does all, from [creating] award-winning designs to mentoring [new] talent."

Many consider Rosen a "visionary," adds L'Oreal's Luc Nadeau. "Marc is both a strategic and a creative thinker—a combination few people possess."

So it makes sense, say his peers, that the core of ACCESSmr is how Rosen's many interests and talents come together to benefit the industry. This pleases Rosen for more reasons than one. Not only can he assist his colleagues in the beauty business, but he can also provide such aid while doing all the things he loves.

"I find I'm more creative and more excited about my work if I create a synergy between different things," says Rosen. For this, the beauty industry must indeed be pleased as well.

Photos courtesy of Marc Rosen Associates.

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