Ohio-based Designer Brands Inc., one of North America’s largest designers, producers and retailers of footwear and accessories and parent of the U.S. Designer Shoe Warehouse (DSW) retail chain, announced an investment in and licensing agreement with Le Tigre 360 Global.
The deal adds Le Tigre to Designer Brands’ portfolio of brands, which currently includes Reebok, Hush Puppies, Vince Camuto, Jessica Simpson, Crown Vintage, JLO Jennifer Lopez, Mix No. 6, Lucky Brand and Kelly & Katie. The company previously said it wants to continue growing as a brand builder and plans to double sales of its own brands by 2026. It also said the addition of Le Tigre, along with its recently announced partnership with Reebok, will allow the company to expand its owned brand share in the increasingly important sports category and further control its overall brand destiny while leveraging an industry-leading DTC infrastructure with stores across America, a billion-dollar digital platform and a VIP loyalty program with nearly 30 million members.
“Le Tigre has been a beloved American apparel brand since 1977,” said Bill Jordan, president of Designer Brands. “Its unique style is the perfect addition to our growing portfolio of Owned Brands that customers have come to expect. We are excited to have yet another way to inspire self-expression.” Since 2017, Le Tigre has been managed by joint venture investment partners and brand licensing experts Infinity Brands and Hilco Inc., operating as Le Tigre 360 Global, LLC. As stewards of the brand over the past several years, the Le Tigre 360 Global team has expanded the business with a highly focused premium retail distribution strategy focused on Millennial consumers.
Designer Brands announced it will exclusively design and manufacture Le Tigre footwear sold primarily through DSW and The Shoe Company DTC stores and .com channels in addition to select wholesale customers and through letigreglobal.com.
