NYC Alliance, a global multichannel apparel company, has acquired the brand assets of Derek Lam 10 Crosby, the American womenswear label founded by Derek Lam.
The brand had been owned by Public Clothing Co. since 2020. The transaction was completed April 30 and the purchase price was undisclosed.
Public Clothing retains the Derek Lam brand, which continues to be designed by Robert Rodriguez, creative director. Dan Shamdasani, chief executive officer of Public Clothing, couldn’t be reached for comment Thursday.
NYC Alliance looks to position Derek Lam 10 Crosby for substantial growth across wholesale and retail channels under their operational support. NYC Alliance’s portfolio includes brands such as 525 America, 89th & Madison, and licensed businesses with Juicy Couture and Frye.
“NYC Alliance is strategically focused on strengthening and expanding its brand portfolio as part of its broader growth strategy,” said Wen Huang, head of branding and marketing at NYC Alliance. “Derek Lam 10 Crosby represents an exciting opportunity to build on a strong brand foundation with significant potential across multiple channels. As we continue to evaluate compelling M&A opportunities, we see this brand as highly aligned with our vision for long-term, diversified growth.”
Derek Lam 10 Crosby, an advanced contemporary brand, was launched in 2011 by Derek Lam, and is known for its versatile, polished wardrobe essentials with a “playful twist,” and accessible price points. Named after its original Manhattan studio address, the brand has developed a global following and strong presence in key retail channels.
NYC Alliance looks to grow the brand across all product categories, leveraging its established supply chain advantages and broad customer base to reach new audiences at scale. The Derek Lam 10 Crosby business will be run by Michele Marzullo, vice president of sales at NYC Alliance.
Huang said they are in the process of building out their team of sales, design and production personnel. She said the purchase included several different labels under the Derek Lam 10 Crosby umbrella, and NYC Alliance is looking to expand in variety of distribution channels (from mainstream to mass), as well as e-commerce. The labels include Derek Lam 10 Crosby, 10 Crosby Derek Lam, DL10C, 10 Crosby, and 10 C.
The goal is to expand the current line beyond its current retailers across aligned multilabel wholesale accounts, but there is also opportunity to tap into new tiers of retailers through the intellectual property acquired in this sale. Huang said the Derek Lam 10 Crosby brand has had “very limited” wholesale channels of distribution and “with our company’s strength in the wholesale channel, we can bring it to different tiers.”
Huang said NYC Alliance’s main focus is apparel and that they will be looking for licensing partners to enter various categories such as accessories, footwear and home. The first apparel collection under Derek Lam 10 Crosby will be introduced at retail in 2027.
She said that, over the past five years, NYC Alliance has been aggressively growing its brand portfolio, and Derek Lam 10 Crosby “came to the table and it’s a very exciting opportunity to build a very strong brand foundation across multi-channels.” She said that NYC Alliance is very strong in such categories as knits, wovens, denim and sweaters, and produces globally.
Based at 1411 Broadway in Manhattan, NYC Alliance has broad ambitions to continue pursuing M&A opportunities across the contemporary and lifestyle apparel space. The company is actively identifying additional brands that can further strengthen its portfolio and drive growth across multiple distribution channels.
