ST. LOUIS, Jan. 5, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Kellwood announced its acquisition of contemporary sportswear brand, Rebecca Taylor, effective today, according to Mike Kramer, President and Chief Executive Officer of Kellwood.  

Rebecca Taylor, created in 1996 by New Zealand–native designer Rebecca Taylor and her business partner Elizabeth Bugdaycay, is a leading designer, wholesaler and retailer of premium branded women's contemporary apparel and accessories. Since its inception, the Rebecca Taylor brand has gained worldwide recognition for its on-point design sensibility with a feminine flair. Rebecca Taylor's flirty, modern designs, in combination with its attention to detail have inspired loyalty from fashion-forward customers around the globe.  

Rebecca Taylor is distributed in over 40 countries, and 250 cities world-wide. The collection can be found globally in nearly 500 outposts including luxury retailers such as Bergdorf Goodman, Bloomingdale's, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Saks 5th Avenue, Lane Crawford, Selfridges and specialty boutiques.  Rebecca Taylor's growing retail business includes locations in Japan, Hong Kong, Manhattan's Nolita and their e-commerce site, RebeccaTaylor.com.  Taylor's unique use of color, prints and textures has cultivated a vast celebrity clientele including Rashida Jones, Rachel Bilson, Michelle Trachtenberg, Dakota Fanning and Taylor Swift.

"I'm so excited to welcome Rebecca and her team to the Kellwood family. We see great potential in Rebecca Taylor and look forward to utilizing Kellwood's strengths to take this brand to the next level," added Kramer.

"My team and I are delighted to become part of the Kellwood portfolio of brands," said Taylor. "This is a fantastic opportunity for both our associates and our overall business, and we look forward to leveraging Kellwood's size, relationships and resources to continue to grow our business both domestically and internationally."

The Sage Group, LLC, served as the exclusive financial advisor to Rebecca Taylor.

ABOUT KELLWOOD

Kellwood designs, manufactures, and markets a growing collection of premier fashion brands across a broad range of consumer lifestyles including Vince, ADAM, Baby Phat, Phat Farm, Sag Harbor, Briggs NY, Jolt, and My Michelle as well as licensed brands XOXO and David Meister.  Kellwood operates Vince and ADAM retail stores across the U.S.

Kellwood is an affiliated portfolio company of Sun Capital Partners, Inc.

MEDIA CONTACT

Erin Haggerty, Senior Manager Public Relations, 310.595.1099 or Erin.Haggerty@Kellwood.com

SOURCE Kellwood