Nine West Holdings
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Apparel, footwear, accessories |
| Founded | 1970 |
| Founder | Sidney Kimmel |
| Headquarters | New York City , United States |
Area served | United States |
Key people | Joel Oblonsky (CEO, as of 2017), Wesley Card (former CEO) |
| Products | Apparel, footwear, accessories |
| Owner | Sycamore Partners (since 2014) |
Nine West Holdings—previously known as The Jones Group and Jones Apparel Group—is a U.S.-based company specializing in the design, marketing, and wholesale distribution of branded apparel, footwear, and accessories. In 2019, the organization underwent a restructuring process and became Premier Brands Group Holdings LLC.
Operations
Located in New York City, Nine West Holdings engages consumers directly through specialty retail outlets and value-oriented stores. Additionally, the company holds licensing agreements for costume jewelry under the Givenchy name and women's footwear under the Dockers Women label, licensed from Levi Strauss & Co.
History
Sidney Kimmel established the Jones Apparel Division within W.R. Grace & Co in 1970. Five years later, in 1975, Kimmel partnered with accountant Gerard Rubin to purchase Grace's fashion division, creating Jones Apparel Group. The business experienced rapid growth by launching new brands and securing licenses such as Christian Dior. Throughout the 1980s, it introduced Norma Kamali sweatsuits and obtained the Gloria Vanderbilt license in 1984. The 1990s brought further expansion with collections including Rena Rowan and Jones & Co.
In 2004, Jones Apparel acquired luxury retailer Barneys New York for $400 million but divested it three years later in 2007 to Dubai-based Istithmar World for $942.3 million.
Private equity firm Sycamore Partners, led by Stefan L. Kaluzny, purchased The Jones Group in December 2013 for roughly US$2.2 billion, appointing Wesley Card as CEO. In 2014, Sycamore reorganized Jones into six distinct entities: Nine West Group, One Jeanswear Group, Jones New York, Kasper Group, Stuart Weitzman, and Kurt Geiger, renaming the parent company Nine West Holdings.
Subsequent sales included Brian Atwood to Steve Madden (2014), Stuart Weitzman to Coach (2015), Jones New York to Authentic Brands Group (2015), and Easy Spirit to Marc Fisher Footwear (2016). In January 2017, Nine West Holdings acquired Kasper Group and appointed Joel Oblonsky as CEO.
Bankruptcy
In April 2018, Nine West Holdings filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. By July of that year, the Nine West and Bandolino trademarks were acquired by Authentic Brands Group. Bondholders alleged that Sycamore Partners—who had taken control of Nine West Holdings in 2014—had extracted valuable assets to generate profits despite the company's financial struggles. This raised concerns about potential conflicts involving Sycamore’s ownership of department store chain Belk during bankruptcy settlement negotiations.
The company exited bankruptcy protection in March 2019 and rebranded itself as Premier Brands Group. Its portfolio now includes One Jeanswear Group, The Jewelry Group, Kasper Group, and Anne Klein.
Brands
The brand lineup under Nine West Holdings consists of:
- Anne Klein
- Bandolino (transferred to Authentic Brands Group in 2018)
- Nine West (transferred to Authentic Brands Group in 2018)
- Enzo Angiolini
- Circa Joan & David
- The Jewelry Group (previously NW Jewelry)
- Givenchy Jewelry
- Judith Jack
- Napier
- ONE Jeanswear Group
- Energie
- Gloria Vanderbilt
- GLO Jeans
- Jessica Simpson Jeanswear
- l.e.i.
- Bandolino
- The Kasper Group
- Albert Nipon
- Anne Klein
- Evan Picone
- Kasper
- Le Suit
- Nine West
- Martha Stewart
- Daisy Fuentes
- Skinny Girl