Pentland rebuilt Ellesse's identity and licensed it back into the US market

Ellesse, an Italian sportswear label born on the slopes and raised on tennis courts, had lost its footing in the United States. Owned by Pentland Brands in the UK since 1993, it needed a cleaner identity and a way back into the world's biggest sport and lifestyle market.

Pentland called the reset a critical part of its brand strategy and signed an exclusive long-term licensing partnership with The Iconic Brand Corporation (TIBC) to relaunch Ellesse across the US. TIBC would design, develop, produce and market Ellesse apparel and accessories in close collaboration with the Ellesse team in London.

The first premium collection was set for Spring 2026 via ellesse.us, with flagship store openings later that year. The leadership team included TIBC chairman Todd Furniss, who had been Ellesse's first US amateur contract tennis player in 1978, and CEO Duwayne Miller, who had scaled lifestyle brands for over 25 years.

Pentland signed an exclusive long-term US licensing deal, planned a premium Spring 2026 collection on ellesse.us and flagship store openings later that year.

The brand identity was reset to centre premium design, cultural relevance and collaborations.

The US was the natural target after Ellesse had been away from the market.

An exclusive license let TIBC design, produce and market while Pentland kept brand control.

It could relaunch digitally first, then open flagship stores once the product proved itself.

The leadership brought real sport and lifestyle heritage to the relaunch.

A faded brand can be relaunched without building its own retail machine; a licensing owner can hand design, production and marketing of the heritage to a specialist and keep control.

The US relaunch was positioned as the start of a new chapter for one of sport style's most iconic brands. By licensing rather than owning retail, Pentland got Ellesse back into the market with low capital risk while keeping the strategy in-house. The first collection was due in Spring 2026, with flagship stores to follow.