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Centric Brands Company Profile

Centric Brands, founded in 1987 and privately held with 2,233 employees as of 2025, is a New York-based distributor and brand manager of apparel, accessories, beauty, and entertainment products for mass-market retailers and specialty stores, having raised $1.16 billion through 11 financing rounds and engaged in multiple acquisitions and joint ventures, including recent buyouts of Vingino and Fownes Brothers' cold-weather accessories division.

Overview

  • Year Founded: 1987
  • Status: Private
  • Employees: 2,233
  • Latest Deal Type: Debt
  • Financing Rounds: 11
  • Investments: 15

General Information

Centric Brands is a distributor of apparel, accessories, beauty, and entertainment products intended for mass-market retailers, specialty, and department stores. The company offers a wide range of trousers, shirts, t-shirts, hoodies, and accessories for kids, men, and women. It is also engaged in brand management services such as marketing, merchandising, and licensing, helping brands to expand and generate more revenue.

  • Website: www.centricbrands.com

  • Formerly Known As: Differential Brands

  • Ownership Status: Privately Held (backing)

  • Financing Status: Private Equity-Backed

  • Corporate Office:

    • 350 Fifth Avenue
    • New York, NY 10118
    • United States

  • Primary Industry: Distributors/Wholesale

  • Other Industries: Accessories, Clothing

Timeline

  • 2023–2026: Financing rounds, employee count, and estimated employee growth are tracked.

Valuation & Funding

Centric Brands has raised $1.16B over multiple financing rounds. Detailed valuation and funding information is available on the PitchBook Platform.

Comparisons

Centric Brands is a distributor of apparel, accessories, beauty, and entertainment products for mass-market retailers, specialty, and department stores. The company is based in New York, NY, and has 2,233 employees as of 2025.

Competitors

  • Randa Apparel & Accessories (Private Debt Financed, New York, NY)
  • Christopher & Banks (Corporation, Eden Prairie, MN)

Investments & Acquisitions (Selected)

  • Joint Venture (Centric Brands/Palm Tree Crew): 20-Jan-2026, Joint Venture, Industry: Clothing
  • Fownes Brothers (Cold-Weather Accessories Business Division): 07-Jan-2026, Buyout/LBO, Industry: Accessories
  • Vingino: 02-Dec-2025, Buyout/LBO, Industry: Clothing
  • Joint Venture (Centric Brands / Jennifer Fisher): 06-Mar-2024, Joint Venture, Industry: Accessories
  • Messi: 01-Mar-2024, Buyout/LBO, Industry: Clothing

Exits

  • Global Brands Group Holdings: Exit Date: 30-Oct-2018, Status: Completed

Affiliates (Selected Subsidiaries)

  • Messi (New York, NY, Founded 2019)
  • Centric-Bcbg Retail (New York, NY, Founded 2017)
  • Taste Beauty (New York, NY, Founded 2015)
  • Khq Athletics (New York, NY, Founded 2015)
  • Marco Brunelli Ip (New York, NY, Founded 2013)

FAQs

When was Centric Brands founded?

Centric Brands was founded in 1987.

Where is Centric Brands headquartered?

Centric Brands is headquartered in New York, NY.

What is the size of Centric Brands?

Centric Brands has 2,233 total employees.

What industry is Centric Brands in?

Centric Brands’s primary industry is Distributors/Wholesale.

Is Centric Brands a private or public company?

Centric Brands is a Private company.

What is Centric Brands’s current revenue?

The current revenue for Centric Brands is not specified.

How much funding has Centric Brands raised over time?

Centric Brands has raised $1.16B.

Who are Centric Brands’s investors?

  • BC Partners
  • Blackstone
  • HPS Investment Partners
  • Ares Capital Corporation BDC
  • Ares Management

Who are Centric Brands’s competitors?

  • Randa Apparel & Accessories
  • Christopher & Banks