Marquee Brands acquires Stance to deepen push into everyday essentials
US-based socks and underwear brand Stance has been acquired by New York–headquartered brand platform Marquee Brands. The deal adds Stance as Marquee’s 19th brand and pushes the group’s portfolio retail sales to around US$4.5 billion ($7.0 billion). Financial terms were not disclosed.
Transaction snapshot
Deal value: N/A (financial terms not disclosed)
Deal multiples: N/A
Deal type: Acquisition of Stance by Marquee Brands, a brand platform backed by financial sponsor Neuberger Berman
Investors: Marquee Brands (backed by Neuberger Berman-managed funds)
Stance, founded in 2009 and based in San Clemente, California, is known for premium socks and everyday essentials across socks, underwear and apparel. The brand has built distribution across 40+ countries and holds long-standing licensing partnerships with the NBA, MLB, Disney, Marvel, Star Wars and Warner Bros Discovery, along with collaborations with athletes, musicians and artists.
The transaction was announced and completed on 19 November 2025. Stance becomes Marquee Brands’ 19th brand and gives the buyer a stronger position in everyday essentials and performance basics. Marquee stated that, following completion, total retail sales across its portfolio are now approximately US$4.5 billion ($7.0 billion).
As part of the deal, Marquee has granted United Legwear & Apparel Co. (ULAC) the role of core global licensee for Stance. ULAC will manage Stance’s socks and underwear across men’s, women’s and children’s lines, including product design, development, retail, ecommerce and wholesale distribution in all territories outside China. Stance products are sold through more than 1,100 US wholesale accounts, international distributors, e-commerce and mono-brand retail stores.
Marquee described Stance as an established cultural brand with a loyal following built on design, material innovation and collaborations with high-profile partners. The buyer indicated it sees scope to expand Stance further into activewear, athleisure and related categories while maintaining the brand’s positioning in socks and underwear.
Marquee Brands is backed by Neuberger Berman, an independent investment manager whose private equity arm has raised dedicated capital for acquiring and scaling consumer brands, including the Marquee Brands Partners LP fund of approximately US$462 million ($716 million). Neuberger Berman is described as Marquee’s longstanding financial sponsor and continues to support the platform’s acquisition-led growth strategy.
