A comeback for Ellesse in the US
Clothing and footwear group Pentland has announced a relaunch of its Ellesse brand in the US market.
A new partner, The Iconic Brand Corporation (TIBC) has entered into an exclusive long-term partnership with Pentland to relaunch Ellesse in the US. This will start with a new collection for spring 2026, followed by store openings later in the year.
TIBC and Pentland said their vision was for “a full-scale return” of the brand in the US market, with tennis and ski culture at the core.
Ellesse made its first advances in the US soon after Italian entrepreneur Leonardo Servadio, whose initials give the brand its name, launched it in 1959. It grew in popularity, which peaked in the 1980s and 1990s.
Pentland first became involved with the brand in 1981, when it became Ellesse’s distributor in the UK. In 1994, Pentland acquired a 90% stake in the brand.
After an absence of around eight years, Ellesse underwent a relaunch in the US in 2011. The relationship between Pentland and the licence partner it worked with then did not last. There was another relaunch of the brand in the US market in 2018.
Now, the new partnership will see TIBC design, develop, produce and market Ellesse apparel and accessories in the US, in close collaboration with the team that runs the brand in London.
