When Virgil Abloh passed away in 2021, he left his Milanese streetwear and luxury brand Off-White without strong creative leadership. The brand, owned by LVMH, trucked on without him but so far has struggled to live up to the days of Abloh’s tenure.
Now, Off-White has been sold off by LVMH to Bluestar Alliance. The deal was announced Monday afternoon for an undisclosed sum. Off-White had initially been owned by New Guards Group, which was purchased by the embattled luxury e-commerce platform Farfetch in 2019. LVMH bought majority control of Off-White in 2021, with Farfetch retaining a minority stake in the company.
The move was widely seen as a tacit admission that LVMH hasn’t known what to do with the brand without Abloh at the helm. Off-White hesitated to appoint a new creative director, and when Dazed editor-in-chief Ib Kamara took the top creative role at the brand in 2022, it was under a different title: art and image director.
But what is Bluestar Alliance? And why did it choose to buy what was once one of the most exciting new luxury brands in the business?
Bluestar Alliance is a brand management group that owns several fashion brands, including the skate brand Hurley, the young girls’ apparel brand Limited Too and the French womenswear brand Catherine Maladrino. Few of its brands are in the same wheelhouse as Off-White. Many are mid-priced, found often in American shopping malls or sold in department stores like Macy’s. Perhaps the closest brand to Off-White in Bluestar Alliance’s portfolio is Scotch & Soda, a Dutch menswear brand with prices up to the mid three figures.
Bluestar Alliance CEO Joey Gabbay said in a statement that acquiring the brand represents an opportunity for Bluestar Alliance to build off what Abloh began.
“Abloh’s ability to fuse street culture with high fashion has laid a powerful foundation that aligns with our vision of fostering innovation while embracing diversity,” Gabbay said. “The acquisition of Off-White, and the opportunity to provide strategic investment and build upon our global network of resources will allow for the continuation of the cultural and creative momentum that Virgil ignited, one that Bluestar Alliance is committed to carrying forward.”
Bluestar has been aggressively purchasing and reviving brands over the last two years. Scotch & Soda was its latest acquisition, purchased in 2023. Since then, it has significantly expanded Scotch & Soda’s footprint, opening stores in China and the Middle East, as well as a flagship on Carnaby Street in London. Similarly, Bluestar Alliance revived Limited Too, which it purchased in 2015, by bringing new products from the brand to retail partners like Kohl’s last summer.
But Off-White is in an altogether different category than Scotch & Soda and Limited Too. It’s an internationally recognized luxury brand with a strong pedigree, even if its reputation has somewhat diminished without Abloh. Most recently, Off-White showed at New York Fashion Week on September 8, a first for the brand. Fashion shows are not the kind of thing that any of Bluestar’s current brands do.
“Bluestar’s portfolio isn’t exactly dripping with luxury appeal or ‘cool’ brands,” said Katherine Tuominen, a marketing strategist at Catalyst Brand Strategy who has advised luxury brands like Tag Heuer and Balenciaga. “Off-White offers them a shot at streetwear credibility, adding a much-needed premium touch.”
Bluestar Alliance’s business model is closer to that of Authentic Brands Group, another brand management company that has succeeded by buying up diminished apparel brands and giving them new life. Its most recent acquisition, Champion, was announced on the same day as the Off-White sale.
