The London-based fashion accelerator Tomorrow Ltd has sold A-Cold-Wall less than a year after announcing the brand’s acquisition from founder Samuel Ross. The austerely modernist outerwear and apparel label that Ross founded in 2015 is now owned by distribution agency Four Marketing. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.
In a jointly released statement, Tomorrow CEO Stefano Martinetto said: “We’re thrilled to see the brand transition into such capable hands.” He added that his long-standing relationship with Four Marketing co-founder and CEO Ben Banks was central to a transaction that was financially guided by Interpath Advisory.
Four Marketing is a quietly powerful engine of functional, luxurious apparel distribution in the UK market, representing brands including K-Way, Kappa, Stone Island and CP Company. Established by Banks and his partners in 1997, its largest shareholder is Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group. Four Marketing acquired Agent Provocateur in 2017.
Banks said in the statement: “The strength of Four Marketing’s supply chain operations, strong retail presence and direct-to-consumer expertise will be pivotal as A-Cold-Wall embarks on its next stage of growth. The market has posed new challenges to us all and we must adapt. I also thank our strategic shareholder Frasers Group for supporting this transaction.” He added that Tomorrow will continue to distribute the brand outside of the UK in markets including China, where the brand has a growing standalone retail presence.
When Tomorrow announced it had taken full ownership of A-Cold-Wall this February, Martinetti told Vogue Business that the brand’s revenues totalled £16 million in 2023. Ross, meanwhile, launched his new label SR_A this September; as well as offering atelier-made “post-streetwear”, the brand is preparing to launch a much more widely distributed capsule collaboration with Zara.
Giovanni De Marchi, A-Cold-Wall’s managing director, said the brand’s latest ownership transition will “advance the repositioning strategy we began. This strategy aims to preserve A-Cold-Wall’s unique identity while creating a foundation for sustainable growth.”
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