Mossimo is a sportswear and accessories American company, founded in 1986 by designer

Mossimo Giannulli Mossimo Giannulli (born Massimo Giannulli; June 4, 1963) is an American fashion designer who founded Mossimo, a mid-range clothing company, in 1986. In March 2019, Giannulli and his wife, actress Lori Loughlin, were charged and arrested in conne ...

and owned by

Iconix Brand Group Iconix Brand Group is an American brand management company that licenses brands to retailers and manufacturers primarily in the apparel, footwear, and apparel accessory industries. Its brands are available in such stores as Kohl's, Kmart, Sear ...

since 2006. Mossimo specializes in youth and teenage clothing such as shirts, jeans, jackets, socks, underwear, and accessories.

History

Founding (1986) and expansion

Mossimo was founded in 1986 by

Balboa Island Balboa Island is a harborside community in Newport Beach, California, accessible to the public via bridge, ferry and several public docks. The community is surrounded by a paved concrete boardwalk open to pedestrian traffic, designated as a pu ...

Newport Beach, California Newport Beach is a coastal city in South Orange County, California. Newport Beach is known for swimming and sandy beaches. Newport Harbor once supported maritime industries however today, it is used mostly for recreation. Balboa Island, Newport ...

. Giannulli dropped out of the University of Southern California in 1987, to create his Mossimo streetwear line, with a $100,000 loan from his father. At the close of his company's first fiscal year, Giannulli had $1 million in profits. The following year, he had $4 million. Mossimo clothing features prominently in the 1990 volleyball film ''

Side Out ''Side Out'' is a 1990 American comedy-drama sports film about a beach volleyball competition, featuring C. Thomas Howell, Peter Horton, Harley Jane Kozak and Courtney Thorne-Smith. It was the last film from Aurora Productions, Hollywood, Aurora ...

''.

IPO (1996) and relationship with Target (2000–2017)

In 1996, Mossimo went public in an

initial public offering An initial public offering (IPO) or stock launch is a public offering in which shares of a company are sold to institutional investors and usually also to retail (individual) investors. An IPO is typically underwritten by one or more investment ...

. After shares tumbled from $50.00 to $4.75 when Giannulli tried and failed to transition the brand from streetwear/beachwear to high fashion, he took the brand downscale. On March 28, 2000, Mossimo, Inc announced a major, multi-product licensing agreement with

Target Target may refer to: Physical items * Shooting target, used in marksmanship training and various shooting sports ** Bullseye (target), the goal one for which one aims in many of these sports ** Aiming point, in field artillery, fi ...

stores, for $27.8 million. In 2017, Target underwent a makeover, introducing new smaller lines and eliminating bigger billion-dollar lines, including Mossimo. Target distanced itself from Mossimo amid Mossimo Giannulli's involvement in the

2019 college admissions bribery scandal In 2019, a scandal arose over a criminal conspiracy to influence undergraduate admissions decisions at several top American universities. The investigation into the conspiracy was code named Operation Varsity Blues. The investigation and rela ...

, saying that Target had not been involved with Giannulli in over a decade. Mossimo and his wife, actress

Lori Loughlin Lori Anne Loughlin (; born July 28, 1964) is an American actress. From 1988 to 1995, she played Rebecca Donaldson Katsopolis on the ABC sitcom ''Full House'', and reprised the role for its Netflix sequel '' Fuller House'' (2016–2018). Loughlin ...

, have been convicted of bribing University of Southern California officials with up to $500,000, to secure enrollment of their two daughters.

Acquisition by Iconix (2006)

In 2006, Mossimo was acquired by

Gallery

File:Mossimojf.JPG, Mossimo store in

Cabanatuan Cabanatuan, officially the City of Cabanatuan ( fil, Lungsod ng Cabanatuan; ilo, Siudad ti Cabanatuan), is a 1st class component city in the province of Nueva Ecija, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 327,325 peop ...

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

File:Mossimo3jf.JPG, Baby and kids store File:Mossimo polo.JPG, Embroidery

References

External links

* * {{Iconix Brand Group, state=expanded Sportswear brands 1986 establishments in California 2006 mergers and acquisitions American companies established in 1986 Clothing brands of the United States Clothing companies established in 1986 Companies based in Newport Beach, California Iconix Brand Group Jeans by brand Manufacturing companies based in Greater Los Angeles Target Corporation