Ben Malka at his Los Angeles headquarters
MANUFACTURING
Halston Sells Two Diffusion Brands
Come next year, shoppers will be seeing a few more Halston brands in the stores.
The people at the House of Halston, headquartered in downtown Los Angeles, have sold two of the label's diffusion brands, H by Halston and H Halston, to New York-based Xcel Brands Inc. for $27.7 million in cash, stock and warranties.
Xcel already owns the Judith Ripka and Isaac Mizrahi labels and has an interest in the Liz Claiborne New York label sold on the home shopping channel QVC.
The company has big plans for getting the Halston name out there. "We are excited to add H by Halston and H Halston to Xcel's portfolio," said Robert D'Loren, Xcel's chairman and chief executive who founded Xcel in 2011.
Designer Roy Halston Frowick started the brand in the 1960s. Originally a millner, he designed the pillbox hat that Jacqueline Kennedy wore to her husband's presidential inauguration in 1961.
The House of Halston is owned by Hilco Brands and Ben Malka, who is the House of Halston's chairman and chief executive. He is in charge of developing the Halston Heritage contemporary label, which is sold in high-end stores as well as in 17 Halston Heritage stores.
Malka is also on Xcel's board of directors. "I've gotten to know Xcel very well as a board member over the past five months," Malka said. "I look forward to working with Bob and his team on this exciting new project."
