Jones Apparel Group Appoints Aru Kulkarni President of Sales of the Women's Wholesale Sportswear Division

NEW YORK, May 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Jones Apparel Group, Inc. ("Jones") today announced that Aru Kulkarni has been appointed President of Sales of the Women's Wholesale Sportswear division, effective immediately. In this newly created role, Ms. Kulkarni will oversee all wholesale sales functions, including developing and coordinating wholesale sales programs and strategies for Anne Klein New York, AK Anne Klein, Nine West Sportswear and Jones New York Collection, Signature and Sport. Ms. Kulkarni will report to Susan Metzger, Chief Executive Officer of the Women's Wholesale Sportswear division.

Ms. Kulkarni has led a distinguished 20-year sales career in the retail industry. Since 2000, she held various executive positions in sales and marketing at Liz Claiborne, Inc., most recently serving as Chief Customer Officer for Partnered Brands Division. Prior to joining Liz Claiborne, Ms. Kulkarni held various sales roles at Warnaco from 1992 until 2000 and at Maidenform, Inc. from 1989 until 1992.

"We are very excited to welcome Aru to Jones. Aru is a proven sales executive with a keen strategic eye and an excellent reputation in the retail industry," said Susan Metzger, Chief Executive Officer of the Women's Wholesale Sportswear division. "Aru's appointment brings yet another strong industry talent to Jones as we enhance the appeal of our core brands and grow their market share. We continue to evolve the Better Sportswear collections to focus on a more modern approach to styling and assortments and are very pleased with the positive reception our current product offerings have been receiving. I am confident that with Aru on the team, we will further enhance our existing customer relationships and build new ones."

With this appointment, each Vice President of Sales of the Women's Wholesale Sportswear division will report to Ms. Kulkarni.

About Jones Apparel Group, Inc.

Jones Apparel Group, Inc. (http://www.jny.com/) is a leading designer, marketer and wholesaler of branded apparel, footwear and accessories. The Company also markets directly to consumers through its chain of specialty retail and value-based stores. The Company's nationally recognized brands include Jones New York, Nine West, Anne Klein, Gloria Vanderbilt, Kasper, Bandolino, Easy Spirit, Evan-Picone, L.e.i., Energie, Enzo Angiolini, Joan & David, Mootsies Tootsies, Sam & Libby, Napier, Judith Jack, Albert Nipon and Le Suit. The Company also markets costume jewelry under the Givenchy brand licensed from Givenchy Corporation and footwear under the Dockers Women brand licensed from Levi Strauss & Co. Each brand is differentiated by its own distinctive styling, pricing strategy, distribution channel and target consumer. The Company contracts for the manufacture of its products through a worldwide network of quality manufacturers. The Company has capitalized on its nationally known brand names by entering into various licenses for several of its trademarks, including Jones New York, Evan-Picone, Anne Klein New York, Nine West, Gloria Vanderbilt and L.e.i., with select manufacturers of women's and men's products which the Company does not manufacture. For more than 30 years, the Company has built a reputation for excellence in product quality and value, and in operational execution.