Off-White, once a leading figure in luxury streetwear, has been sold to Bluestar Alliance, the brand management company behind labels like Tahari and Scotch & Soda. The announcement came on what would have been the 44th birthday of Off-White’s late founder, Virgil Abloh. Though the terms of the sale remain undisclosed, the deal leaves the future of the label in question. Bluestar’s specialty is acquiring struggling brands and licensing their names, sparking speculation about whether the same fate awaits Off-White.
This shift marks a stark departure from LVMH’s ambitious vision when it increased its stake in Off-White to 60% in 2021, following Abloh’s passing. LVMH envisioned Off-White as a legacy brand akin to Dior after Christian Dior’s death. Louis Vuitton CEO Michael Burke once remarked on the brand’s potential for longevity, driven by its deep-rooted values that transcended fashion. However, that vision faltered. Under creative chief Ib Kamara, Off-White struggled to resonate with its streetwear audience, leading to a loss of major wholesale accounts as the market for streetwear began to wane.
Adding to the brand’s challenges was the turmoil at New Guards Group, the Milan-based company that launched Off-White with Abloh and has been its exclusive licensor since 2014. After being acquired by Farfetch in 2019, New Guards faced difficulties when Farfetch itself neared collapse before receiving financial rescue from South Korea’s Coupang in 2023. Despite this, Off-White remains in a licensing deal with New Guards until 2026.
Ahead of New York Fashion Week in September, Off-White’s CEO Cristiano Fagnani expressed hopes of resetting the brand and reconnecting with its core audience and key collaborators, including Nike. However, it is uncertain if Bluestar Alliance will maintain this course. Bluestar has a history of repositioning struggling designer labels, such as Catherine Malandrino and Nanette Lepore, through licensing agreements, sometimes at the expense of the designers’ involvement.
