As economic headwinds intensify and geopolitical tensions ripple through global supply chains, a new wave of fashion mergers and acquisitions (M&A) is taking shape — not as a sign of aggressive expansion, but as a strategy of survival, recalibration and reinvention. For many, consolidation has become a lifeline.
In recent months, the fashion industry seems to have renewed its interest in deal-making, despite high interest rates and market volatility that threaten the sector’s more fragile players. From Dick’s Sporting Goods’s $2.4 billion plan to acquire Foot Locker to Kontoor Brands’s agreement to purchase Scandi sailing stalwart Helly Hansen for $900 million, these deals reflect both urgency and opportunity. While high-performing labels will always be desirable to well-heeled acquirers, struggling brands with weakened equity values have become appealing targets for better-capitalised companies seeking scale, efficiency — and in some cases, a new identity.
