Billy Reid snaps up DTC arm of Knot Standard

Billy Reid has announced the acquisition of the direct-to-consumer (DTC) arm of Knot Standard through a strategic merger that will allow the American retailer to incorporate a made-to-measure offering into its own business.

Through the transaction, Billy Reid said it would be bringing the customisation service to a total of 20 store locations, while the brand will further takeover eight of Knot Standard’s own stores and its online DTC business.

As part of the deal, Knot Standard will therefore become a minority shareholder in the combined business under the Billy Reid name.

The acquisition marks Billy Reid’s return to the made-to-measure market, which it had previously catered to before discontinuing the service during the pandemic.

It further builds on the already existing relationship between Billy Reid and Knot Standard, which had established formal partnership in 2023 when the latter supported made-to-measure in Billy Reid stores.

This latest shift, however, was triggered during capital raise discussions between the duo last year, during which Knot Standard was understood to have “expressed interest” in Billy Reid taking over the DTC portion of the business.

The combined business will leverage Billy Reid management, operational expertise and brand engine for growth, while Knot Standard will begin to focus more on its AI-powered tech platform, which will remain a separate entity.

For Billy Reid, meanwhile, the company sees an opportunity for further brand expansion through “an influx of capital from new investors and an attractive proposition for potential investors”.