Betsey Johnson is a designer, marketer, retailer, and wholesaler of premium women’s contemporary apparel, accessories, and related products under the Betsey Johnson brand. Founded in 1978 by Betsey Johnson and Chantal Bacon, the Company has set itself apart from other brands by providing a multi-faceted design sensibility, ranging from girlie to sexy, and from punk to princess. The New York-based company has a vast collection that includes dresses, tops, skirts, pants, sweaters, and coats made from unique fabric capturing a rock ‘n’ roll edge.
In addition to the apparel collection, Betsey Johnson maintains a portfolio of licensed merchandise including footwear, handbags, eyewear, jewelry, watches, lingerie, sleepwear, home products, and fragrances. Betsey Johnson products are primarily sold in nearly 50 company-owned retail stores, over 600 specialty boutiques, and better department stores, including Bloomingdale’s, Macy’s, Neiman Marcus, and Nordstrom.
Betsey Johnson engaged The Sage Group to pursue the sale of the company. Ultimately, the Company decided to sell a majority interest to Castanea Partners, a private equity firm based in Boston. The brand will focus on opening additional Betsey Johnson stores and expanding the brand awareness through additional licenses and increasing wholesale distribution.