Aritzia buys rights to U.S. fashion retailer Fred Segal, leases iconic Melrose site
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Aritzia Inc. announced Thursday that it had purchased U.S. fashion brand Fred Segal.
Vancouver-based Aritzia would not disclose the value or terms of its deal but said it includes Fred Segal’s intellectual property.
In tandem with the deal, Aritzia will also be leasing Fred Segal’s iconic Melrose Ave. property in Los Angeles.
Aritzia didn’t give full details of its plans for the brand but said it will start with restoring the Melrose property’s ivy facade, which was damaged during a recent storm. In the coming years, it will turn the site into a space for “curated product and immersive experiences that transcend traditional retail.”
Fred Segal is known for selling trendy clothes that garnered celebrity customers and made the brand a cultural touchstone in Hollywood and beyond.
The company named after its entrepreneurial founder dates back to the 1960s, when it was mainly a purveyor of jeans, but eventually expanded into selling more kinds of apparel and accessories.
The business changed hands several times before closing its stores recently.
Aritzia CEO Jennifer Wong said in a news release that her company is now “honoured to steward and evolve this iconic brand for a new generation.”
Yet Neil Saunders, managing director of research firm GlobalData said, “Aritzia does not need Fred Segal” because the company is growing enough on its own.
Aritzia’s portfolio also includes TNA, Babaton, Wilfred, Sunday Best and Super Puff. Several of the brands have been expanding steadily as Aritzia forges deeper into markets outside Canada.
Meanwhile, Fred Segal’s “glory days have long since faded and the brand is now regarded more with fondness than commercial admiration,” Saunders said in an email.
He suspects Aritzia wanted to own Fred Segal because it was a way to expand in the U.S., especially through the Los Angeles flagship store.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 19, 2026.
Companies in this story: (TSX:ATZ)