LMAG ACQUIRES MEN’S ITALIAN SPORTSWEAR BRAND CULTURATA

Luxury Men’s Apparel Group (LMAG), a subsidiary of Grano Retail Investments, has announced the acquisition of Culturata, an Italian-made men’s sportswear line known for its use of luxurious and innovative fabrics. LMAG already owns the Samuelsohn, Hickey Freeman, and H-Freeman brands.

Based in Toronto and founded in 2008 by Jacques Haggiag and Nadine Price, the Culturata brand of sport shirts, sweaters and knit tops are sold at and Neiman Marcus, the Nordstrom-owned Trunk Club as well as numerous top men’s specialty stores in North America. Haggiag and Price will each retain a minority interest in Culturata, and Haggiag will continue as president of the Culturata brand. In addition, Haggiag will take on the role of senior vice president for sports merchandising for LMAG.

Arnold Brant Silverstone, president and chief creative officer of LMAG, told MR: “Jacques Haggiag is a significant talent and Culturata’s artisanal Italian design resonates strongly with consumers. The transition should be a seamless one; Jacques is expected to join us here in our showroom towards the end of November to start showing his fall/winter 2015 line. We will be integrating him into our own salesforce, allowing him to have the opportunity to access infrastructure he previously didn’t have in his own venture.”

In addition to overseeing Culturata, Haggiag will also be responsible for the expansion of Samuelsohn and Hickey Freeman, and H-Freeman into sportswear and furnishings.