G-III Apparel Group Ltd. has named Robert L. Johnson, the 74-year-old founder and chairman of The RLJ Cos., to its board, bringing the total to 12 members. He was previously founder and chairman of Black Entertainment Television, the nation’s first Black-owned cable television network, which he sold to Viacom in 2001.

“Bob’s success as an entrepreneur and significant business expertise across multiple industries will provide a valuable perspective as we continue to execute our strategy, drive profitability and enhance value to all our shareholders,” said Morris Goldfarb, chairman and chief executive officer of G-III.

The RLJ Cos. is a business network that owns or holds interests in businesses across multiple industries. Over the course of his career, Johnson has taken three companies public, been named to USA Today’s “25 Most Influential Business Leaders of the Past 25 Years,” and Black Enterprise’s 40th anniversary issue list of “Titans: The 40 Most Powerful African Americans in Business.”

Johnson will be the eighth independent director on the board of G-III, whose brands include DKNY, Donna Karan, Vilebrequin, Andrew Marc and fashion licenses under the Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, Karl Lagerfeld Paris, Kenneth Cole, Vince Camuto and Dockers labels, among others. It also has licenses with the National Football League, National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball, National Hockey League and more than 150 U.S. colleges and universities.

“It is an honor to join the dedicated management team and board of G-III,” said Johnson. “The company has embarked on several strategic initiatives to capitalize on its board range of globally recognized power brands and diversified product categories to position itself well to navigate the current environment. I look forward to applying my extensive experience to assist G-III building upon these initiatives as G-III advances its leadership position in the apparel industry.”

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