Last June, the picture of Lebron James, NBA’s star, dressed in a tie, jacket, shorts, socks and 41.000 USD alligator bag (made in Italy), made its way around the world (left, in the picture). He was entering the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California, to face the Golden State Warriors in the first game of the final. The very peculiar total look was crafted by US stylist Thom Browne, that, as of a few days ago, is officially owned by an Italian group. Ermenegildo Zegna acquired 85% of Thom Browne, closing on a half a billion USD contract with the majority shareholder of the US brand, Sandbridge Capital. Thom Browne keeps 15% of the shares and continues covering its role as head stylist. Also continuing to cover his role in the company is the ceo, Rodrigo Bazan. Gildo Zegna (ceo, in the photo to the right), said in an official note: “Ever since we started to actively consider potential partnerships, I knew that Thom Browne would be perfect for us. Beside from the immediate benefits with regards to textiles’ supplies and production support, we can now also accelerate the development of the retail network thanks to our global presence. I am very proud to positively close on a significant investment made by an Italian group in a US-based brand”.
