Mud Jeans Is Back With New Owners

Mud Jeans is back with new owners.

After filing for bankruptcy in August, the Dutch sustainable denim brand is starting anew with Horizon Capital and N5 Holding, the investment company of fashion entrepreneur Nick de Ronde Bresser, as new shareholders. N5 acquired the brand’s rights, designs, product knowledge and stock for 255,000 euros (approximately $289,960).

In a translated LinkedIn post, the company said Mud will be set up differently, with smaller, more efficient production, a more targeted assortment and a stronger focus on e-commerce, selected wholesale partners and its brand store in Amsterdam. Jeans and circularity remain core to the brand. However, the company said its priority is building a healthy and scalable business.

De Ronde Bresser will serve as Mud Jeans CEO. Through N5, he was involved with brands Gsus and Ontour. He also acquired bankrupt footwear brand Van Lier last year.

“Mud is a special Dutch brand that has achieved something internationally that we can be proud of. It has a recognizable product, a loyal community and has been at the forefront of circular denim for years,” de Ronde Bresser stated. “I think it’s great that we can continue this brand in Dutch hands and build a strong and healthy next phase together.”

Mud Jeans founder Bert van Son has also returned to the brand after stepping down as CEO eight months ago. He will focus on the brand experience, circular mission and wholesale.

Mud Jeans became an industry-wide example of what a responsible apparel brand can look like when it launched in 2012, but its business model was complex, costly and juggled too many initiatives at once. Its emphasis on rapid growth, coupled with a singular sustainability message, ultimately failed to resonate with a broader consumer audience. In August, after efforts to raise money, then-Mud Jeans co-owner and CEO Dion Vijgeboom declared bankruptcy, citing “financial burden of historic debt.”

“The bankruptcy was painful, but Mud’s mission is alive and well. I am happy to be back and to be able to build a healthier company together with the new owners,” van Son said. “The lessons of the past give us a much stronger foundation for the future.”

Mud Jeans’ e-commerce has been back online since Sept. 17. The brand is also restarting its denim take-back program to recycle unwanted jeans.

In addition, Mud Jeans is working with Route Circulair to set up the first national deposit system for clothing in the Netherlands, linked to a digital product passport. The brand is the initiative’s first official partner.

Source link