Vandale Acquires Skin Worldwide, the Luxury Lifestyle Brand
Vandale, a New York-based global leader in intimate apparel and activewear, has acquired Skin Worldwide, the luxury intimate apparel brand.
Vandale does a significant amount of business through partnerships with brands such as Jessica Simpson, Steve Madden and Anne Klein, as well as a big private label business. The purchase was made through Skin Holdings Group, which included several investors. The purchase price was undisclosed.
Founded in 2003 by Susan Beischel, Skin had grown into a multimillion-dollar brand focused on natural fabrics, simple designs and comfortable intimates, sleep, loungewear and clothing. Known for pieces that feel like a “second skin,” the brand has built a loyal global following through its use of organic materials and minimalist silhouettes.
According to Les Hall, executive vice president, business development at Vandale, Beischel was no longer active with the brand at the time of the acquisition. None of the employees came along with the deal. “It was a fruitful sale, and I wish them the best of luck,” said Ken Sitomer, former chief executive officer of Skin.
“Skin is a natural complement to the Vandale family,” said Maurice Setton, president of Vandale. “By marrying Skin’s high-design ethos with Vandale’s robust design team and flexible manufacturing network, we are positioned to scale this vision while preserving the ‘quiet luxury’ that defines the brand. This is a strategic expansion that underscores our commitment to growth in the luxury lifestyle sector.”
According to Hall, the Skin brand complements its portfolio well since it fills a niche that they don’t have. Vandale, which started in 1982, has grown dramatically through licensing partnerships and private label programs with retailers such as Walmart, Kohl’s and Amazon.
“Skin has a really great positioning in the marketplace with wellness, organic, soft to the skin, luxurious product,” he said.
“They have a really impactful direct-to-consumer website that we were impressed with, and they have a portfolio of customers that we don’t typically deal with — Net-a-porter, Saks, Neiman, Selfridges,” said Hall, who will head the business.
Skin will have a design team led by Ilene Nachbar, Vandale’s senior vice president, design, who has a team of 30 people between creative and technical design.
“We’re prepared to invest in the brand,” Hall said. “We think that with investment and enhancing the product, we can really grow this business.”
He said that they expect to ship new styles in late March/April.
Hall said Skin has a supplier in South America that did the vast majority of the brand’s production. “So the first thing that we did was establish a relationship with them, and said we want to keep it going with the bestsellers, as well as new things that we will design,” Hall said.
The deal included virtually no inventory.
“So the first thing we wanted to do was get positioned on inventory,” he said. “It will be a lot of the Skin bestsellers that consumers have loved over the years.”
Under the new ownership, Skin is expected to leverage Vandale’s expertise in sleep/lounge, shapewear and activewear, supported by an expansive distribution network. Vandale’s design team is said to be working to adhere to Skin’s distinct brand DNA, ensuring that the transition into the spring 2026 collections remains rooted in the brand’s signature understated style.
As for its pricing, Hall said an organic pima cotton robe would retail for $240 and a two-piece pajama set in pima organic cotton with a notch collar would retail for around $195. “When we looked at average transactions that were done on direct-to-consumer, and the group of people that are loyal to the brand, we think it really has huge potential,” he said.
The collection will be shown out of Vandale’s new showroom at 292 Madison Avenue in New York.
Setton added: “When we were first presented with the brand and the opportunity to purchase the brand, we found that the customer loyalty to this brand was off the charts The whole movement to wellness and natural fibers and organic fibers really lends itself and has great synergy to this brand, and really gives it legs not only in intimates and sleepwear but in many other categories.”
He said there’s potential to expand Skin to other categories in women’s, men’s, children’s and hardlines. They currently have a small men’s collection, which they plan to grow.
