Authentic Brands Group

The company was established in 2010 by Jamie Salter, who continues to serve as its executive chairman [1]. From an early stage it pursued an asset-light model built on owning brand names and trademarks and collecting royalties from licensees, rather than running factories or the bulk of retail operations itself. Over the following decade it assembled a large collection of fashion, athletic and entertainment properties, including the estates of several public figures.

The group's holdings cover a broad range of consumer categories. Among its better-known fashion and lifestyle brands are Juicy Couture and Judith Leiber, both of which extend into fragrance, alongside Nautica, Forever 21 and Brooks Brothers in apparel [1]. Its athletics side is anchored by Reebok, while Sports Illustrated sits within its media and entertainment interests. The company also holds rights connected to celebrity estates, having acquired the rights to the Elvis Presley estate in 2013 [1].

According to the company, its brands are licensed to operating partners rather than produced in-house, so beauty and fragrance products carrying names such as Juicy Couture are made and distributed by licensees under agreement with the group.

Authentic Brands Group has grown chiefly through acquisition. In 2013 it bought Juicy Couture from Fifth & Pacific for US$195 million, and in the same year acquired Judith Leiber alongside the Taryn Rose and Adrienne Vittadini labels [1]. It added Nautica from VF Corporation in 2018, and in 2019 acquired Sports Illustrated for US$110 million [1].

The pace of dealmaking continued into the 2020s. In 2020 the group acquired Forever 21, in partnership with Simon Property Group, and separately acquired Brooks Brothers [1]. In 2021 it announced the purchase of Reebok from Adidas; the deal closed in 2022 and was valued at more than US$2.5 billion [1]. In 2026 the group acquired Guess for approximately US$1.4 billion [1]. Across these transactions the consistent approach has been to buy brand IP and license it out, keeping design, manufacturing and much of retail with operating partners.

Authentic Brands Group is a privately held company. In August 2019, BlackRock became its largest shareholder [1]. Other institutional backers named in connection with the company include CVC Capital Partners, General Atlantic, Leonard Green & Partners and HPS Investment Partners [1]. Founder Jamie Salter remains executive chairman of the group.