PARIS and DENVER—EssilorLuxottica announced that it has successfully closed the previously announced transaction to acquire the Supreme brand from VF Corporation (NYSE: VFC). The acquisition was for an aggregate base purchase price of $1.5 billion in cash, subject to customary adjustments, and has been cleared by all relevant competition authorities. The acquisition was first announced in July 2024, as reported in VMAIL; J.P. Morgan and Latham and Watkins served as exclusive financial and legal advisors to EssilorLuxottica on the transaction, respectively. Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, served as lead financial advisor and UBS Investment Bank served as financial advisor to VF. Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP acted as legal advisor to VF.

In July, Francesco Milleri, chairman and chief executive officer, and Paul du Saillant, deputy chief executive officer, at EssilorLuxottica, said, “We see an incredible opportunity in bringing an iconic brand like Supreme into our company. It perfectly aligns with our innovation and development journey, offering us a direct connection to new audiences, languages and creativity. With its unique brand identity, fully direct commercial approach and customer experience—a model we will work to preserve—Supreme will have its own space within our house brand portfolio and complement our licensed portfolio as well. They will be well-positioned to leverage our group’s expertise, capabilities and operating platform.”

Bracken Darrell, president and chief executive officer at VF, said, “Under VF, Supreme expanded its presence in the key markets of China and South Korea and has returned to delivering strong growth. However, given the brand’s distinct business model and VF’s integrated model, our strategic portfolio review concluded there are limited synergies between Supreme and VF, making a sale a natural next step. Alongside the other notable brands in EssilorLuxottica’s portfolio, Supreme and its talented team will be well-positioned for continued success. While we will always look to adjust the VF portfolio from time to time, this transaction gives us increased balance sheet flexibility. It also supports our overall program to better position the company for long-term growth and more normalized debt levels.”

Supreme founder James Jebbia said, “In EssilorLuxottica, we have a unique partner that understands that we are at our best when we stay true to the brand and continue to operate and grow as we have for the past 30 years. This move lets us focus on the brand, our products and our customers, while setting us up for long-term success.”