Private equity firms might be more cautious — tiptoeing up to deals instead of strutting — but the big money players are
In a global study for WWD, Dealogic found at least 46 fashion companies that have had private equity investments for longer than five years — from Reformation at five years to Corneliani at eight years and Tory Burch at 11 years. “Every year that they hold the company, they’re going to pay the debt cost and it lowers their returns,” said Scott Markman, founder and president of MonogramGroup, which specializes in branding at private equity portfolio companies.
But for the stylish and the brave, fashion dealmaking just might perk up again if the market continues to stabilize and, fingers crossed, the U.S. presidential election concludes smoothly. “This year, for the first time, everybody agrees that we’re fully out of COVID and brands are at a much more steady state,” Kleinewillinghoefer said. “There’s also a bit more predictability.