SE – Gant Fashion
Gant is a formerly Swedish but currently Swiss clothing brand of American heritage launched in New Haven in 1949.
In 1980/1981, Gant entered the international market when Pyramid Sportswear of Sweden was given the right to design and market the Gant brand outside the U.S. Initially, Pyramid only offered the Gant label in Sweden but quickly expanded internationally. In 1995, Phillips-Van Heusen acquired the Gant brand in the U.S. from bankrupt Crystal Brands, Inc. of Connecticut, a sportswear manufacturer.
PVH sold its Gant operations in 1999 to Pyramid Sportswear of Sweden, in which PVH held a 25% stake, for $71.000. Ironically, as the brand’s international licensee, Pyramid had already opened a Gant flagship store on New York’s Fifth Avenue in 1997. Pyramid Sportswear, which was to become Gant Pyramid AB, eventually turned Gant into a global brand.
In the spring of 2006, Gant became a public company and was listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange’s O-List until it was delisted March 2008 and bought by Maus Frères.
As of 2007, Gant is established in 73 countries and their products are available at select retailers and 298 Gant stores worldwide, 18 of which are directly operated by Gant AB.
By 31 January 2008, Maus Frères S.A. of Switzerland, had acquired 95.6 % of the Gant Company AB shares, which completed the take-over.
