Scotch & Soda sets stage for US rebirth
US brand management firm Bluestar Alliance has made a further announcement following its acquisition of Dutch fashion brand Scotch & Soda in March.
The company, founded in 1985, had been declared bankrupt in the Netherlands by courts in Amsterdam and Haarlem on March 20. It was similarly granted bankruptcy in Sweden on April 5.
In a statement posted to professional networking site LinkedIn at the time, the brand said covid-19 and related lockdowns, plus a “big drop in consumer confidence because of the war in Ukraine, the energy crisis and high inflation”, had all played a major role in its downwards spiral. An affiliate of Bluestar’s subsequently stepped in to buy the brand, including its worldwide licensing and distribution rights, towards the end of March.
The latest news partly relates to a separate Bluestar affiliate, which has now purchased Scotch & Soda’s wholesale and retail business assets in the US, where the brand opened the doors to a new retail store on Wisconsin Avenue in Washington, DC, only weeks ago. Another development involves the appointment of Hugo Boss, G-Star Raw and Escada alum Anthony Lucia, an industry veteran of 25-plus years, to the position of global president for both Scotch & Soda USA and its global business operations.
Mr Lucia's immediate priority will be to maintain the brand’s premium-level distribution across both e-commerce and brick-and-mortar retail, with an eye to position the business for expansion and profitable growth.
“Scotch & Soda is known across the globe for its ties to Amsterdam and fine craftsmanship of trendsetting product and we want to introduce the brand to new customers, especially here in the US,” co-founder and chief operating officer at New York-based Bluestar, Ralph Gindi, said of the firm's most recent decisions.
Inside the new Scotch & Soda boutique at 1214 Wisconsin Avenue Northwest. Credit: Scotch & Soda.
