MANUFACTURING
Hudson Jeans Going to Canada
Differential Brands—the Los Angeles company whose labels include Robert Graham, Hudson Jeans and SWIMS—has entered into a partnership with Throat Threads Apparel to relaunch Hudson Jeans in Canada.
The blue-jeans line has taken a new direction with the hiring in May of denim designer Zihaad Wells, who previously worked at True Religion for more than 10 years. Hudson Jeans will see an emphasis on lifestyle and the expansion of sportswear.
“We are very excited to be a part of the rebirth of Hudson Jeans,” said Candice MacNay, sales director of Throat Threads Apparel, which does sales, marketing and distribution of men’s and women’s sportswear in Canada and the U.S. “They will continue to push boundaries with their product style and customers’ expectations. By combining our customer-service infrastructure, replenishment programs and expertise with Hudson’s progressive product mix, Hudson Jeans will be a brand to watch in 2018.”
Before becoming Differential Brands, the apparel venture operated as Joe’s Jeans, which hit a financial hurdle in 2013 when it borrowed $90 million to buy Hudson for $97.6 million and then defaulted on its loans.
The company was close to declaring bankruptcy in 2015 but ended up selling its flagship brand, Joe’s Jeans, to the Sequential Brands Group and the Global Brands Group Holding for $80 million. Funds from the sale were used to retire Joe’s Jeans’ debt.
The Hudson label remained behind, and the company was merged with the high-end label Robert Graham and then combined under the Differential Brands Group corporate name, which is publicly traded on the NASDAQ.
