ACQUISITION
Swimwear Label Bleu/Rod Beattie Sold to Amerex Group
The California swimwear label is only 3 years old, but already Bleu/Rod Beattie has changed hands, being sold by New York swimwear manufacturer A.H. Schreiber Co. to Amerex Group.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Swimwear designer Rod Beattie has been in the swimwear business for years, working for Warnaco and Apparel Ventures. But three years ago, he branched out to form his own modern contemporary label that debuted for the Cruise 2012 season under the A.H. Schreiber umbrella.
“We are still going to keep our design studio in South Pasadena and interact with the New York office of Amerex,” said Beattie, who will continue to be head of design. “Currently, we manufacture in the Dominican Republic and source our fabric in Canada, but, with the sale, I think some of that will move back to Asian sourcing and fabric.”
Amerex in New York is better known for its outerwear divisions, but recently it has been gathering a host of swimwear brands to grow that part of its business. It acquired the Red Carter swimwear label in 2011, and it licenses the Jones New York swimwear label.
A.H. Schreiber said it plans to focus on new projects and licenses that are currently in the planning stages. Founded in 1923, it designs, manufactures and distributes swimwear under the labels Beach Native, Ocean Front, Delta Burke and Longitude. It also has the license for Badgley Mischka contemporary swimwear and produces private-label swimwear for a number of retailers.
