Perry Ellis

Perry Ellis is an American fashion brand founded by designer Perry Ellis in 1978, known for relaxed sportswear and sweaters. It is owned by Miami-based Perry Ellis International and spans menswear, womenswear, footwear, accessories and fragrance.

What is Perry Ellis?

Perry Ellis is an American sportswear brand named after its founder, designer Perry Ellis. Today it is the namesake brand of Perry Ellis International, a Miami-based apparel company that also owns or licenses brands such as Original Penguin.

History

Perry Ellis established his sportswear house in the mid-1970s and in 1978 founded Perry Ellis International with Manhattan Industries, the parent of The Vera Companies. The designer showed from a showroom on Seventh Avenue in New York and became known in particular for his sweaters.

Licensee Salant acquired the brand from Manhattan Industries in 1986. In 1999 Miami-based Supreme International bought the brand from Salant and renamed itself Perry Ellis International.

Products and positioning

Over the decades the label has covered sportswear, menswear and womenswear, shoes, accessories, furs and perfume. Lines have included:

• Perry Ellis Collection
• Perry Ellis Portfolio
• Perry Ellis America, created in 1984 with Levi Strauss

In the 21st century the brand has also worked with designer collaborators such as Duckie Brown.

Why it matters

Perry Ellis is a long-running example of a designer name turned into a multi-category brand platform, managed through a mix of own lines and licensing by a diversified apparel group.

Frequently asked questions

Who founded Perry Ellis?

The brand was founded by American designer Perry Ellis, who set up Perry Ellis International with Manhattan Industries in 1978.

Who owns Perry Ellis?

Perry Ellis is owned by Perry Ellis International, the Miami-based company formerly known as Supreme International, which bought the brand in 1999.

Perry Ellis International: all brands
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