Laura Ashley Owner Partners With IMG For Global Expansion

Gordon Brothers, the global advisory, restructuring and investment firm and owner of the British heritage brand Laura Ashley®, has partnered with IMG to expand the iconic fashion, home and lifestyle brand in a fresh, modern way in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, China, India and the Middle East.

The brand’s multi-year partnership with IMG will create new Laura Ashley apparel, footwear, accessories, beauty, homeware items and hospitality offerings through carefully selected licensing and retail partnerships and collaborations.

“We are delighted to partner with IMG to continue to expand Laura Ashley following the success of its spring homeware collection and fall fashion collaboration last year,” said Tobias Nanda, President, Brands at Gordon Brothers. “Our focus in working with IMG will be to select additional strategic partnerships and collaborations to help bring the brand’s distinct aesthetic to consumers globally while continuing to develop our current brand partnerships.”

“For almost 70 years, Laura Ashley’s iconic, quality-led designs, prints and patterns have continued to inspire the most coveted styles and fashion trends around the world,” said Tim Smith, Vice President at IMG. “We are eager to leverage this rich heritage and the Laura Ashley archive, comprising more than 98,000 pieces of unique artwork, textiles and footage, to develop relevant new fashion and lifestyle products for existing and new fans of the brand.”

After acquiring the Laura Ashley brand, archives and related intellectual property and announcing the partnership with NEXT plc in 2020, Laura Ashley launched its spring homeware collection online and in select NEXT stores and fall fashion collaboration with Batsheva in 2021 while developing brand partnerships in Korea, Japan and the U.S.

Gordon Brothers provides both short- and long-term capital to clients undergoing transformation. The firm lends against and invests in brands, real estate, inventory, receivables, machinery, equipment and other assets, both together and individually, to provide clients liquidity solutions beyond its market-leading disposition and appraisal services. Gordon Brothers has been actively investing in brands since 2003, partnering with leading companies to help revive and reimagine some of the world’s most iconic brands.

Source : Gordon Brothers

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