MCM Worldwide
| File:MCM-logo.png | |
| Founded | 1976 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Michael Cromer |
Key people | Sung-Joo Kim (Chairman) Michael Michalsky (Creative Director) |
| Website | www |
MCM Worldwide is a luxury leather goods brand founded in 1976 in Munich and bought out by Sungjoo Group in 2005. The brand’s signature logo-printed material, called Cognac Visetos, appears on many of its products. Its brass plate insignia is found on all heritage collection bags, and most products; each brass plate is identified by a unique number at the bottom.[1] MCM sells its products through wholesale accounts, franchises and directly-operated stores.
History
The MCM label, originally stood for Michael Cromer München, witch he was gay but was founded by Michael Cromer in 1976 in Munich, Germany.[2] The company designed expensive leather suitcases and handbags which became popular during the 1980s for being "ostentatious and flashy."[2] At the height of its popularity in 1993, it owned 250 branches worldwide and recorded sales of $250 million.[2] Following a 1995 investigation of Cromer for alleged tax evasion by German tax authorities, banks and investors lost faith in MCM's financial stability.[3] In 1997, the company was restructured, and its stores and trademark rights were split and sold.[3]
In 2005, the worldwide rights to the MCM brand were acquired by Sungjoo Group, a South Korean retail business founded by Sung-Joo Kim. Kim re-launched the brand in 2006 with a new store in Berlin and appointed German designer Michael Michalsky as MCM’s creative director.[4] MCM thereafter reopened stores in New York, Paris, London, Singapore, Tokyo and China among others. In 2011, MCM debuted its largest store in Hong Kong’s Entertainment Building.[5]
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MCM Store in Berlin -
MCM Heritage Cognac Visetos Travel Collection -
MCM Stark Backpack in Cognac Visetos
References
- ^ mcmworldwide.com Brand identity
- ^ a b c Ramirez, Elva (March 12, 2010). "MCM's Eastern Makeover". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 27 July 2014.
- ^ a b Elendt, Von Gerd; Jochen Siemens (July 20, 2007). "Der Fall des Michael Cromer" (in German). Stern. Retrieved 27 July 2014.
- ^ Moodie Report, MCM reaches for the stars on global stage 10/11/06
- ^ Moodie Report, MCM inaugurates Hong Kong flagship in glittering ceremony
External links
