GUESS Inc. and global brand management firm WHP Global — which jointly acquired New York-based fashion brand rag & bone in April 2024 — announced a five-year licensee partnership with Signal Brands to develop rag & bone’s handbags and small leather goods category.
Rag & Bone
Under the terms of the acquisition agreement, GUESS Inc. acquired all the rag & bone operating assets, with Guess and WHP Global jointly owning rag & bone’s intellectual property. Today, this licensing deal between GUESS, WHP and Signal Brands aims to develop and expand Rag & Bone’s accessories and small leather goods.
Since it was co-founded by Marcus Wainwright and Nathan Bogle in New York in 2002, rag & bone has kept its commitment to doing things the right way, not the easy way. To make things that are as original as they are timeless. With the spirit of their home city, New York. Today, rag & bone is recognised for combining traditional craftsmanship with modern cultural references in its men’s, women’s, footwear and accessories collections.
Speaking of the partnership, GUESS co-founder and chief creative officer Paul Marciano said, “Signal has been a licensee of GUESS since 1990, and we have now extended our partnership for another fifteen years… Since the acquisition of rag & bone, we believe it is an essential part of the business from which rag & bone will benefit – the expertise, knowledge, and skill of the incredible design team that Jason Rimokh and his father Jack have developed over the decades.”
Jason Rimokh, CEO of Signal Brands, expressed his enthusiasm for the new venture. “This partnership reflects our commitment to delivering high-quality products… Working with Paul has been an incredible experience, and now having the opportunity to collaborate with Andrew Rosen, another icon in the fashion world, is truly an honour. Signal Brands looks forward to leveraging its extensive industry experience to bring innovative and stylish designs to rag & bone’s handbag collection while continuing to build on the company’s successful partnerships.”
rag & bone
The inaugural collection launches this Spring 2025 and will be available at rag & bone boutiques worldwide, rag-bone.com and premium retailers in North America including Nordstrom and Bloomingdales.
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About GUESS Inc.
GUESS Inc. designs, markets, distributes and licenses contemporary apparel, denim, handbags, watches, eyewear, footwear and other consumer products through branded stores, department stores and specialty stores. As of October 28, 2023, the Company directly operated 1,015 retail stores in Europe, the Americas and Asia, and operated in approximately hundred countries worldwide.
About WHP Global
WHP Global is a leading New York based firm that acquires global consumer brands and invests in high-growth distribution channels including digital commerce platforms and global expansion. WHP owns a portfolio of consumer brands that collectively generate over USD $7 billion in global retail sales. The company also owns WHP+, a turnkey direct to consumer digital e-commerce platform, and WHP Solutions, a sourcing agency based in Asia.
About Signal Brands
Signal Brands has over thirty years experience managing a portfolio of global fashion brands licensed for handbags, small leather goods, luggage, and travel accessories. Its philosophy is to champion long-term partnerships through a vertically integrated licensing experience. Signal Brands executes the whole package from sourcing and design to production, sales, marketing, and retail. Through keen insight into each licensor’s consumers and corporate culture, along with “Brand DNA”, Signal Brands nurtures relationships with leading retailers and leverages its global distribution network.
Jasmeen Dugal is Associate Editor at FashionABC, contributing her insights on fashion, technology, and sustainability. She brings with herself more than two decades of editorial experience, working for national newspapers and luxury magazines in India.
Jasmeen Dugal has worked with exchange4media as a senior writer contributing articles on the country’s advertising and marketing movements, and then with Condenast India as Net Editor where she helmed Vogue India’s official website in terms of design, layout and daily content. Besides this, she is also an entrepreneur running her own luxury portal, Explosivefashion, which highlights the latest in luxury fashion and hospitality.
