Apparel
59 brands in the Ledger.
Workwear, outerwear, basics. Heritage brands and the licensing firms feeding on them.
59 results
Apparel · Base Layers & Wool
Icebreaker
Status: WatchlistNew Zealand merino wool base layers.
VF Corporation
Apparel · Shirts & Tops
Taylor Stitch
Status: WatchlistAmerican workwear-inspired men's clothing. Certified B Corp.
The Digital Stronghold (Digital Fuel Capital)
Apparel · Shirts & Tops
Wool&Prince
Status: ApprovedMerino wool dress shirts and basics.
Apparel · Outerwear - Technical
Eddie Bauer
Status: AvoidHistoric American outdoor apparel brand. First Ascent technical line, Guide Pro pants, legendary down jackets.
Authentic Brands Group
Apparel · Outerwear - Heritage
Barbour
Status: ApprovedBritish waxed cotton jackets. Five generations of family ownership. Wax jackets hand-made at the South Shields factory in England.
Apparel · Shirts & Tops
Pact
Status: WatchlistOrganic-cotton basics (underwear, socks, tees, loungewear) sold DTC as an affordable ethical wardrobe staple. Original hook was a fully transparent short-loop supply chain; brands itself "earth's favorite clothing company."
Revelry Brands
Apparel · Shirts & Tops
Everlane
Status: AvoidThe radical transparency basics brand of the 2010s DTC wave. Published factory lists and per-unit costs next to prices.
Shein
Apparel · Outerwear - Technical
Kitanica
Status: ApprovedOverbuilt tactical outerwear and packs. The Mark-series jackets are the flagship.
Apparel · Shirts & Tops
Community Clothing
Status: ApprovedAffordable everyday basics made entirely in UK factories and sold direct.
Apparel · Pants & Bottoms
Nudie Jeans
Status: ApprovedGothenburg dry-denim brand. Organic cotton jeans with free lifetime repairs.
Apparel · Underwear
Bonds
Status: WatchlistAustralia's default underwear and basics brand, long detached from Australian manufacturing.
Gildan Activewear (via HanesBrands)
Apparel · Activewear
Alo Yoga
Status: WatchlistCelebrity-driven premium athleisure positioned against Lululemon.
Color Image Apparel
Apparel · Brick & Mortar
TJX Companies
Status: WatchlistWorld's largest off-price retailer of apparel and home goods. Operates TJ Maxx, Marshalls, HomeGoods, Homesense, and Sierra in the US, plus Winners in Canada and TK Maxx in Europe and Australia. Sells brand-name and designer merchandise below traditional retail. The draw is the treasure-hunt format: constantly rotating, unpredictable inventory.
Apparel · Shirts & Tops
American Giant
Status: ApprovedAmerican-made basics sold directly to customers. Built its reputation on a heavyweight hoodie that Slate called the greatest ever made, then expanded to tees, sweats, denim, and flannel. Quality US-made staples at mainstream prices.
Apparel · Pants & Bottoms
Origin USA
Status: ApprovedAmerican-made apparel and footwear built from domestically sourced materials. Started in Brazilian jiu-jitsu gis, expanded into denim, boots, hoodies, tees, and performance wear. Denim now about a quarter of the business.
Apparel · Outerwear - Technical
Crye Precision
Status: ApprovedHigh-end tactical apparel and load-bearing gear for military and law enforcement, with a sizable civilian following. Developed the MultiCam camouflage pattern. Known for G3 combat uniforms, the JPC and AVS plate carriers, AirFrame helmets, belts, and packs.
Apparel · Shirts & Tops
Lands' End
Status: AvoidAmerican direct-mail apparel brand founded by Gary Comer in 1963. Built its reputation on durable basics, generous returns, and customer service before passing through Sears (2002-2014) and a decade of public-market ownership.
WHP Global (controlling stake); LEWHP LLC joint venture vehicle
Apparel · Workwear
Engelbert Strauss
Status: ApprovedGerman technical workwear and safety footwear. Multi-pocket trousers, work jackets, safety boots. Headquartered in Biebergemuend, Hesse.
Engelbert Strauss GmbH & Co. KG / Strauss Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG
Apparel · Shirts & Tops
Express
Status: AvoidMall-based business casual apparel retailer for men and women. Was a fixture of American mall culture for four decades before its 2024 bankruptcy.
Phoenix Retail LLC (WHP Global + Simon Property Group + Brookfield Properties + Centennial)
Apparel · Pants & Bottoms
G-Star RAW
Status: AvoidDutch designer denim brand specializing in raw (unwashed, untreated) denim. Known for anatomically engineered jean construction and military-influenced design.
WHP Global (majority); Jos van Tilburg and existing shareholders retain minority stake
Apparel · Shirts & Tops
Joseph Abboud
Status: AvoidAmerican menswear designer brand known for tailored suiting and modern classic aesthetic. Joseph Abboud was the only designer to win the CFDA Menswear Designer of the Year award in two consecutive years (1989 and 1990).
WHP Global (trademark); Tailored Brands operates US/Canada under exclusive license
Apparel · Pants & Bottoms
rag & bone
Status: AvoidNew York-based premium fashion brand fusing British tailoring, American workwear, and New York street style. Known for premium denim and casual essentials.
Guess?, Inc. (operating assets); 50/50 JV between Guess and WHP Global owns IP
Apparel · Shirts & Tops
Anne Klein
Status: AvoidAmerican women's fashion brand founded in 1968. Known historically for popularizing mix-and-match casual workwear separates for professional women.
WHP Global
Apparel · Shirts & Tops
Vera Wang
Status: AvoidAmerican luxury fashion brand and defining authority in bridal. Vera Wang opened her flagship salon at the Carlyle Hotel in 1990 and ran the brand self-financed for 35 years before the WHP sale.
WHP Global
Apparel · Shirts & Tops
Isaac Mizrahi
Status: AvoidAmerican fashion designer brand. Most retail volume runs through QVC interactive shopping; the brand has generated $1 billion-plus in cumulative retail sales since founding.
WHP Global (70% controlling stake); Xcel Brands retains 30%
Apparel · Underwear
Warners
Status: AvoidAmerican intimate apparel brand with over a century of heritage. Bras, underwear, and intimate apparel for the mass market.
WHP Global
Apparel · Shirts & Tops
Ben Sherman
Status: AvoidBritish heritage menswear brand founded in Brighton in 1963. Defined the mod movement of the 1960s with Oxford button-down shirts; later adopted by skinhead, ska, mod-revival, Britpop, and grime subcultures across six decades.
Marquee Brands (Neuberger Berman Private Equity)
Apparel · Outerwear-Technical
Body Glove
Status: AvoidAmerican watersports apparel and accessories brand. Twin brothers Bill and Bob Meistrell are widely credited with inventing the first practical wetsuit out of the back of their Redondo Beach surf shop, Dive N' Surf, in 1953. Product range now includes wetsuits, swimsuits, footwear, life vests, sunglasses, paddle boards, phone cases, and snorkeling equipment.
Marquee Brands (75%); Meistrell family retains 25%
Apparel · Socks
Stance
Status: AvoidSan Clemente-based lifestyle and performance sock brand. Co-founders pioneered the idea of socks as a self-expression and lifestyle category, partnering with the NBA, MLB, Disney, Marvel, Star Wars, Warner Bros. Discovery, Billie Eilish, Dwyane Wade, and the Estate of Basquiat.
Marquee Brands (Neuberger Berman Private Equity)
Apparel · Shirts & Tops
BCBGMAXAZRIA
Status: AvoidAmerican women's contemporary fashion brand founded by Tunisian-born designer Max Azria in 1989. Portfolio also includes BCBGeneration and (via Marquee's 2017 deal) Hervé Léger.
Marquee Brands (Neuberger Berman Private Equity)
Apparel · Shirts & Tops
Laura Ashley
Status: AvoidBritish heritage fashion and home brand founded by Welsh secretary Laura Mountney and her husband Bernard Ashley in a Pimlico, London flat in 1953. The first product was Victorian-style headscarves; one was worn by Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday. Now a fully licensed lifestyle brand spanning fashion, home, and 200+ lifestyle categories.
Marquee Brands (Neuberger Berman Private Equity)
Apparel · Shirts & Tops
Anti Social Social Club
Status: AvoidLos Angeles-based streetwear brand founded by Neek Lurk (born Andrew Buenaflor), formerly social media manager at Stussy. Brand built reputation on logo-adorned hoodies and tees, prolific collaborations (BAPE, Cactus Plant Flea Market, Hello Kitty, Hot Wheels, DHL, Playboy, Formula 1, FaZe Clan), and culturally infamous shipping delays.
Marquee Brands (Neuberger Berman Private Equity)
Apparel · Hats & Accessories
Totes
Status: AvoidAmerican weather-related accessories brand. Best known for the foldable, collapsible umbrella (introduced 1970), rubber rain boots, rain hats, and slipper socks. Once the largest umbrella seller in the United States.
Marquee Brands (IP); Randa Apparel & Accessories (operating partner)
Apparel · Hats & Accessories
Isotoner
Status: AvoidAmerican gloves and slippers brand. Inventor of the first stretchable nylon/elastane glove with leather coverings. Now spans gloves, slippers, and seasonal footwear.
Marquee Brands (IP); Randa Apparel & Accessories (operating partner)
Apparel · Socks
Smartwool
Status: Former GreatMerino wool socks and apparel.
VF Corporation
Apparel · Socks
Darn Tough
Status: ApprovedAmerican merino wool socks with unconditional lifetime warranty. Northfield, Vermont.
Apparel · Socks
Point6
Status: ApprovedAmerican merino wool socks. Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Founded by ex-Smartwool people.
Apparel · Workwear
Carhartt
Status: ApprovedAmerican workwear. Dearborn, Michigan.
Apparel · Flannel & Insulation
Pendleton
Status: ApprovedAmerican wool blankets, flannel shirts, blankets. Portland, Oregon.
Apparel · Workwear
Duluth Trading
Status: WatchlistDirect-to-consumer workwear. Mount Horeb, Wisconsin.
Duluth Holdings Inc.
Apparel · Outerwear - Heritage
L.L.Bean
Status: WatchlistAmerican heritage outdoor retailer. Freeport, Maine.
Apparel · Outerwear - Heritage
Filson (apparel)
Status: WatchlistSame as Filson bags; duplicate row because apparel quality trajectory differs.
Bedrock Manufacturing
Apparel · Pants & Bottoms
Outlier
Status: ApprovedTechnical menswear designed and produced in New York.
Apparel · Base Layers & Wool
Ibex
Status: WatchlistAmerican merino wool apparel. Relaunched after 2018 closure.
Apparel · Workwear
Dickies
Status: Former GreatClassic American workwear, widely worn in trades.
VF Corporation
Apparel · Workwear
Round House
Status: ApprovedAmerican made workwear. Shawnee, Oklahoma.
Apparel · Outerwear - Heritage
Schott NYC
Status: ApprovedAmerican leather jackets and outerwear. Perfecto motorcycle jacket.
Apparel · Shirts & Tops
Brooks Brothers
Status: AvoidHistoric American tailor. Dressed 40 US presidents including Lincoln.
Authentic Brands Group / SPARC Group (Catalyst Brands operator)
Apparel · Shirts & Tops
Champion
Status: AvoidAmerican athletic apparel. Reverse Weave hoodies, collegiate athletic wear.
Authentic Brands Group
Apparel · Pants & Bottoms
Dockers
Status: AvoidAmerican khaki and casual pants brand, originally a Levi Strauss sub-brand.
Authentic Brands Group
Apparel · Shirts & Tops
Volcom
Status: AvoidSurf and skate apparel brand. Originally a Costa Mesa, California boardsports label.
Authentic Brands Group (via Boardriders acquisition)
Apparel · Shirts & Tops
Quiksilver
Status: AvoidAustralian-origin surf apparel brand.
Authentic Brands Group (via Boardriders)
Apparel · Shirts & Tops
Billabong
Status: AvoidAustralian surf and boardshort brand.
Authentic Brands Group (via Boardriders)
Apparel · Shirts & Tops
RVCA
Status: AvoidSurf and skate lifestyle apparel.
Authentic Brands Group (via Boardriders)
Apparel · Shirts & Tops
Roxy
Status: AvoidWomen's surf and lifestyle apparel, originally a Quiksilver sub-brand.
Authentic Brands Group (via Boardriders)
Apparel · Shirts & Tops
Element
Status: AvoidSkateboard apparel and hardgoods.
Authentic Brands Group (via Boardriders)
Apparel · Pants & Bottoms
Bonobos
Status: AvoidDirect-to-consumer menswear, originally known for fit-focused pants.
WHP Global
Apparel · Pants & Bottoms
Joe's Jeans
Status: AvoidPremium denim brand, once known as one of the best men's jeans on the market.
WHP Global
Apparel · Shirts & Tops
Forever 21
Status: AvoidFast fashion retailer.
Authentic Brands Group