Hot Kiss License Sold
Idea Factory—a bicoastal company that designs and manufactures apparel, intimate apparel and accessories—has bought the rights to license the Hot Kiss name.
David Steinberg, chief executive of Idea Factory, said he bought a three-year license with options to make dresses, denim and sportswear under the Hot Kiss juniorswear label. He would not reveal terms of the deal.
“I saw the opportunity and the need for expanding on the success of the brand,” said Steinberg, whose 7-year-old company also does global sourcing and produces private labels in the juniors category. This is the company’s first licensing agreement, Steinberg said.
Hot Kiss was founded by Moshe Tsabag in 1996 and over the years grew very successful, with sales reaching more than $100 million.
Earlier this year, Tsabag sold the Hot Kiss brand to Bluestar Alliance, a private equity group in New York, for $20 million. Bluestar Alliance was started in 2007 by Joey Gabbay and Ralph Gindi. Last year they purchased the Liz Lange maternity-wear label for $50 million to $60 million and the better men’s apparel firm Ron Chereskin Studio Inc.
Bluestar Alliance still owns the Hot Kiss brand. Tsabag and his family have left the company, working on other ventures in the apparel industry. Tsabag maintains his headquarters in the old building in downtown Los Angeles that used to house his Hot Kiss company on Long Beach Avenue.
Hot Kiss still has its same showroom in the California Market Center and a design studio nearby. It also has a new New York showroom at 1369 Broadway. —Deborah Belgum
