Von Dutch
Von Dutch is an American multinational apparel brand named after Kenny Howard, a.k.a. "Von Dutch", an American artist and pinstriper of the Kustom Kulture movement. After Howard's death in 1992, his daughters sold the Von Dutch name to Michael Cassel and Robert Vaughn. The clothing brand gained popularity in the US and attracted the attention of celebrities such as Paris Hilton, Whitney Houston, Madonna, Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Jay-Z, Lance Pedersen, Bernabe Sosa and later Ashton Kutcher and Eric Church.
The French stylist Christian Audigier helped popularize the brand, and left it in 2004. The company was purchased in 2009 by Groupe Royer S.A., through its Luxembourg subsidiary Royer Brands International S.a.r.l. Groupe Royer is the largest shoe distributor in Europe, distributing brands including Converse, New Balance, and Charles Jourdan.
The Von Dutch Brand has licensees in the U.S., Europe, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, China, the Philippines and Brazil. The brand is headquartered in Los Angeles for marketing, social media and collections approval activities; and in Luxembourg for its Licensing Development, Trademarks Protection, and global Brand Management. The C.E.O. is Olivier Mercier.
