Tengram Buys Zanella

Tengram Capital Partners, the private equity group that has stakes in Luciano Barbera and Robert Graham, has acquired the Italian trouser brand Zanella. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“Zanella is an iconic Italian luxury brand that has achieved strong recognition in the U.S. and continues to be one of the most asked for brands in all of menswear across its key retailers,” said Tengram co-founder and managing partner William Sweedler in a statement. “We are thrilled to have the opportunity to restructure this business, as well as drive the brand’s expansion through existing wholesale partners in the U.S. and abroad.”

Todd Barrato, who was named CEO of Luciano Barbera when Tengram acquired a stake in it last October, will take on the additional title of chief executive of Zanella.

“Zanella has a rich heritage and I am honored to join as the new chief executive officer at such a pivotal moment,” said Barrato. “The brand has always been synonymous with high quality men’s sartorial trousers. I look forward to honoring that heritage, while also defining a more contemporary direction for the business. Tengram Capital has extensive industry experience and we will work together to develop both Zanella and Luciano Barbera into leading Italian luxury brands.”

Added Tengram VP Brian Thorne, “We are excited to work closely with the Zanella team to help revitalize this well-known luxury brand. Having evaluated a number of Italian opportunities since our investment in Luciano Barbera, we found Zanella to be one of the few brands with the ability to quickly scale in the U.S. market. We expect this growth to be driven primarily by rejuvenation of the Company’s core dress pant business, as well as expansion into select complimentary classifications such as casual pants.”

Tengram says Zanella will continue to manufacture at its Vicenza, Italy factory and retain its existing U.S. headquarters on Fifth Avenue in New York.