Oakley also “eats” North Sails clothing (and launches new lines)

Tomasoni Topsail S.p.A., the Italian company that produced (under exclusive license) North Sails clothing, has officially become British. Last March, the majority stake in North Technology Group, the company that brings together the North Sails, Southern Spars and Edgewater Boats brands, had been acquired by the Oakley Capital Private Equity group of British businessman (and avid sailor) Peter Dubens: now the tycoon has further consolidated control over the company by also acquiring Tomasoni, which holds the exclusive license to manufacture and distribute North Sails-branded clothing in Europe and Asia. Eric Bijlsma (formerly Scotsch & Soda), Oakley’s partner in this transaction, will be Tomasoni’s new CEO.

EVERYTHING WAS BORN FROM AN ITALIAN IDEA
North Sails clothing, which quickly spread on a large scale, was born from an all-Italian idea. It was Leopoldo Poppi, former owner and founder of Tomasoni, who had the happy intuition in 1973 to use (for the first time) a sail brand for a clothing brand. “I wish the new owners good luck and offer them all my support for the future success of the company,” Pioppi said.

NEW COLLECTIONS COMING SOON
Thus Peter Dubens: “It is a pleasure to be able to support the most iconic brand in the sailing world, which intends to transfer its core values of performance, innovation and technology to new consumer product lines. By licensing its clothing line, North Sails will be able to expand the important values of its brand identity and consolidate its position in the nautical landscape, reaching a wider international audience of consumers, sailors and non-sailors alike.” In fact, North Sails clothing collections will make use of the advanced technologies and materials used in sailmaking. “North Sails, already synonymous with performance and innovation, will now also become a symbol of excellence in the fashion world. The new collections will not only be functional and innovative, but also aesthetically striking,” says Eric Bijlsma (formerly Scotsch & Soda) , Oakley’s partner in this operation and Tomasoni’s new CEO. “We will launch two collections: North Sails Blue, a casual line that embodies the essence of the brand and the sailing lifestyle, and North Sails Black, a high-end line that will be available worldwide for the fall/winter 2015 season only at top retailers.”