Thomas Pink’s Next Chapter

Thomas Pink has a new lease on life.

In early 2025 the British shirtmaker, owned at one time by LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, was purchased for an undisclosed sum by two New York-based apparel companies, Icon Luxury Group and CP Brands Group, in a joint venture partnership.

The brand, which had been owned by a private equity firm as well for a few years, has been keeping a fairly low profile, but it’s now ready execute the game plan it has been strategizing since the Icon/CP deal was completed.

The first hint came last fall when the new owners named Bespoke Fashion as Thomas Pink’s master licensee. The goal was to move beyond the brand’s core dress shirt and tie offering into a full lifestyle collection.

So far Bespoke has spearheaded the introduction of the brand’s shirts and ties into Bloomingdale’s and Dillard’s. The plan going forward is to move into a range of other categories including tailored clothing, outerwear, casual bottoms, sweaters, knit and woven tops, and underwear.

Eli Yedid, chief executive officer of CP Brands, is the person behind the reinvention. CP Brands owns or licenses a wide range of brands including Wrangler, Vince, Snug, Chickpea, RBX and Avalanche Outdoor Supply Co., but he saw a void in his portfolio for attainable luxury menswear. Hence, the Thomas Pink purchase.

“We bought the IP and want to restore it back to its glory in America,” Yedid said. “It already existed in London, although on a much smaller scale than when LVMH had it. So there was a huge opportunity to bring back a brand I personally loved and people around me loved.”

But Yedid knew he needed a partner.

“We’re one of the largest childrenswear manufacturers, and where it aligns, we buy brands and use them in the kids’ business,” he said. “But with anything we’re not an expert in, including men’s, we look for companies and we license out.”

Enter Bespoke. The company was founded 14 years ago by CEO Danielle Mandelbaum Anderman, who has a long history in the men’s industry. Her family owned the Superba neckwear company and she founded Bespoke as a high-end neckwear manufacturer but has since expanded into other products.

Since the launch of Thomas Pink at Bloomingdale’s and Dillard’s, the response has been positive, Mandelbaum Anderman said. “We’re using great Italian fabrics, both for the shirts and the ties,” she said. “The ties are made in Italy. The shirts have the beautiful old Thomas Pink integrity. And you know what? It’s working.”

It didn’t hurt that the post-pandemic climate found guys getting out of their sweatpants and going back to the office. “There’s an opportunity for us on a much bigger scale than just dress shirts,” Yedid said. “I think it was a big miss by LVMH not to add other lifestyle products. Why not have a sweater and a polo shirt and a pair of khakis?”

“Men’s has had such a nice resurgence lately, so the timing was really good,” added Mandelbaum Anderman. “Even though it’s a much smaller percentage compared to womenswear, menswear is very profitable for both the stores and it’s underserved, so bringing Thomas Pink back into the fold has been a great thing for the stores and the business.”

This fall, Bespoke will begin offering Thomas Pink sweaters and outerwear as well as men’s boxers, which Mandelbaum Anderman referred to as “date-night underwear” that will be created in the same fabrics as the shirts.

She said Thomas Pink is investing in great piecegoods and using quality factories to help set it apart from other brands. “It’s really about the product — at the end of the day, that’s what it comes down to,” she said. “And we think that’s what will make the Thomas Pink guy go back for, not only five more shirts, but a sweater or a perfect navy blazer — those seven items that are in a man’s wardrobe that serve him well.”

The shirts, which sell for around $165 and up, are more expensive than Charles Tyrwhitt, but lower than Turnbull & Asser, two other British brands. Tyrwhitt is currently promoting four shirts for $299 while Turnbull & Asser’s dress shirts sell for around $600 in the U.S. today.

“When Thomas Pink came onto the scene, it was for those people who couldn’t afford Turnbull,” Mandelbaum Anderman said. “It has the same sort of classical styling, but with Thomas Pink, there’s a hint of whimsy and irreverence.”

Pink was founded as Thomas Pink in 1984 by three Irish brothers — James, Peter and John Mullen — and became known for bright, patterned shirts, ties and men’s accessories, a buzzy, brash alternative to the more staid Jermyn Street shirtmakers.

“When LVMH exited the business [in 2021], the [Thomas Pink business] was roughly $150 million worldwide,” Yedid said. “And Charles Tyrwhitt was $90 million. When I bought it, it was at $20 million and Tyrwhitt was $400 million. But we’re going to be in the $40 million range by the end of next year, and we see significant ability to catch up to them.”

Spurring that will be the category expansion as well as wholesale growth.

Right now, about 90 percent of the business comes from the U.K., but historically it was around 60 percent U.S. and 40 percent U.K. “We expect it to be 50-50 by 2027,” Yedid said, adding that Thomas Pink will soon be sold in Selfridges and Harrods as well, and the goal is to grow in other countries such as Italy and France as well as Mexico.

And Thomas Pink will also expand its own retail, including in the U.S. At one point, there were six units in New York alone and around 60 worldwide, but currently, there is only the flagship on Jermyn Street in London, which Yedid said will be retained and enhanced.

Plans are currently being finalized to open a store on Madison Avenue in New York, hopefully this fall. “It’s going to be a store/clubhouse,” Mandelbaum Anderman said. “A place that a gentleman, or even a woman, can go in and buy great shirts, have a cappuccino. There will be great art on the walls, vintage furniture. We’re going to host English-inspired dinners, we hope we’ll be able to have collaborations between young tailors and Thomas Pink and really celebrate the world of English dressing.”

And, Yedid said, “I’m obsessed with having our own gin line, and that will be part of the clubhouse. I think it’s a good match and would be good for the brand. We’re also looking to align ourselves with ambassadors and celebrities. We had a call with Pierce Brosnan and hopefully we can get him on board.”

Brosnan, who played James Bond in four films, would undoubtedly be showcased on Thomas Pink’s new U.S. e-commerce site, which is being launched to highlight the refreshed brand identity and the spring dress shirts and neckwear.

Yedid said after LVMH sold the business, a U.S. website remained, but there was a $400 minimum order and heavy duty and shipping fees. “Now, we’re going to have our own U.S. website and Bespoke is going to fill the orders.”

The site launch will be complemented by a new spring campaign, shot in New York, and centered around the modern gentleman. The images feature two male leads, Mason McKenrick and Einar Andri, who project a more-relaxed aesthetic for the brand.

Going forward, while Bespoke will continue to create the majority of Thomas Pink product, Yedid said he’s also seeking licensees for other categories such as fragrance, loungewear/sleepwear, leather goods and dress shoes. But the move into these adjacent areas will be gradual. “We don’t want the brand to be diluted,” he said.