(image via press release)
Mixed martial arts clothing lines TapouT, Silver Star Casting Co. and Hitman Fight Gear will all make the leap into stores such as J.C. Penny Co., Kohl’s Corp, and Macy’s Inc. making them more mainstream.
Jamie Salter, Chairman & CEO of Authentic Brands Group, has brought together the three brands with the latest acquisition of TapouT and Silver Star Casting Company.
“These are some of the most exciting brands I’ve seen in years,” Salter said in a telephone interview. “The popularity of mixed martial arts and the UFC is soaring around the world. The last time I saw a sport with this much potential was 20 years ago with snowboarding.”
No details were provided on how much Salter paid for TapouT but it was confirmed that the two remaining members will stay on with the company.
(Dan “Punkass”) Caldwell will remain president, while co-founder Tim “SkySkrape” Katz will stay on as marketing/creative director. (The company’s third founder, Charles “Mask” Lewis, died last year in a car accident.) They’ll now be joined by Luke Burrett, who started rival apparel maker Silver Star Casting Co. in 1993 after detailing cars in Southern California. Burrett, who runs the company with his wife, Charis, a former Playboy model, met Salter at a UFC after-party in Canada earlier this year.
In another article off of the Authentic Brands Group website, Burrett made this statement about the move.
“Charis and I are extremely excited to work with the Authentic Brands Group team to take Silver Star to the next level. We’ve built our brand on staying true to our passion for sponsoring champions and making high quality products”, said Luke Burrett. “We are confident that having Authentic Brands Group behind us will allow us to realize our goals and the potential of the brand.”