Elie Tahari In A Landmark Joint Venture With Bluestar Alliance, LLC

Elie Tahari is a globally recognized label that was established over 40 years ago in 1973 by world-renowned fashion designer Elie Tahari. He debuted his first fashion show in 1977 and since has been honored in the fashion industry through countless accolades including Elie Tahari Day, Ellis Island Medal of Honor and the Brand Vision Award from the Fashion Group International. He is also actively involved in a multitude of philanthropies such as Spirituality For Kids, Children of Chernobyl Foundation and the Worldwide Orphans Foundation, to name a few.

"This is a thrilling and landmark event in the history of my company," commented Elie Tahari.  "By partnering with Bluestar on the family of Tahari brands, this will allow me to focus my energies on strengthening and expanding the Elie Tahari business internationally and in the US. I owe my gratitude to my trusted CFO Wayne Markowitz for helping me in orchestrating and consummating this exciting partnership with Bluestar."

Joey Gabbay, CEO of Bluestar Alliance, added, "Elie and I have been discussing this partnership for many years now and I'm pleased to see this deal has finally come to fruition. Together, with Bluestar's brand management and Elie Tahari's design capabilities, we will create an extraordinary worldwide brand vision that will appeal to both the domestic and international consumer that has admired the Tahari collections for so many years."

"We are looking forward to engaging and connecting with the Tahari consumer through an extensive marketing and communications campaign which encompasses digital marketing, advertising and social media," stated Ralph Gindi, COO of Bluestar Alliance. "It is our vision to incorporate all the categories including women's and men's ready-to-wear, accessories, shoes, eyewear and home décor into one lifestyle brand and believe our efforts will bring continued success and growth in the coming years."

In a separate but related transaction, Elie Tahari, Arthur Levine and Les Schreiber have contributed the intellectual property of the Tahari ASL trademark into a new joint venture company, TASL Brand Holdings, LLC. With this new partnership, Levine will continue to spearhead the growth of Tahari ASL.

"I am looking forward to continuing this piece of the business with Bluestar Alliance. They are great partners and I'm excited to extend this relationship to aggressively grow the Tahari ASL brand around the world," said Arthur Levine, CEO of Tahari ASL.

Gindi added, "There is huge growth potential for Tahari ASL and we are looking forward to joining forces on this exciting opportunity."

All combined, the family of Tahari brands exceed $500 million at retail today. Under Bluestar Alliance's new leadership, their expectation is to grow Tahari ASL into a billion-dollar brand in the near future. According to Gindi, "This goal is well within reach."

About Elie Tahari
Founded in 1973 by Israeli-born designer Elie Tahari, his eponymous international luxury fashion house designs, manufactures, distributes, and retails ready-to-wear, shoes, accessories, eyewear and home decor.  Headquartered in New York City, Elie Tahari has a global distribution network in over 40 countries and more than 800 points of distribution worldwide. Renowned for his meticulous tailoring and perfect fit, the brand resonates with iconic women and its focus on sexy, sophisticated, feminine clothing.

About Tahari ASL
Tahari ASL is a joint venture company owned by Elie Tahari and Arthur Levine and Les Schreiber. The Company manufactures and distributes women's suits, sportswear, dresses and other ancillary products under the Tahari ASL label to better department and specialty stores across the United States and Internationally.

About Bluestar Alliance, LLC
Founded by Joseph Gabbay and Ralph Gindi in 2006. Bluestar Alliance owns, manages, and markets a portfolio of consumer brands that span across many tiers of distribution from luxury to mass market with a heavy emphasis on department store retail brands. Brands within the portfolio include Tahari, Bebe, Kensie, Catherine Malandrino, Nanette Lepore, Joan Vass, Michael Bastian, English Laundry and Limited Too.

We specialize in licensing, branding and marketing consumer brand companies through extensive relationships with leading retailers, brand licensing manufacturers and strategic partners. Our vision is to expand brand presence and grow revenue through creative marketing strategies.  

Bluestar Alliance's current network of international and domestic partners offers the opportunity to take a niche brand to a visible worldwide lifestyle brand. Since its inception, Bluestar Alliance has acquired select brands with retail sales exceeding $2 billion and with the Tahari acquisition retail sales will reach $2.5 billion. The current portfolio of brands manages over 200 licensees who distribute product throughout North America, Europe, Australia, South America, Asia, Middle East and India.

SOURCE Bluestar Alliance, LLC