Guess?, Inc. (GES)

Guess?, Inc. designed, marketed, distributed and licensed lifestyle collections of apparel and accessories. It was founded in 1981 in Los Angeles by the Marciano brothers, Georges, Maurice, Paul and Armand, who built the brand around denim and fashion jeans. The company was headquartered in Los Angeles, California.

The business was organized into segments covering Americas Retail, Americas Wholesale, Europe, Asia and Licensing. Products included jeans, dresses, knitwear, activewear, handbags, footwear and accessories for women, men and children, sold under brands such as GUESS, GUESS Jeans and Marciano. Licensees produced watches, eyewear, fragrances, jewelry and other items. Sales were made through company-operated stores, e-commerce sites, wholesale accounts and licensing partners worldwide.

Guess completed its initial public offering in 1996 and traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol GES. Over the decades it expanded its store base and licensing network internationally, with significant business in Europe and Asia. The Marciano family remained closely involved as significant shareholders and as senior leaders of the company.

In August 2025 Guess announced a definitive agreement under which Authentic Brands Group, a brand-management company, would acquire a stake in the business and take it private. The transaction involved the Marciano family and other existing shareholders rolling over part of their holdings. Public shareholders were to receive $16.75 per share in cash.

As part of the structure, Authentic would hold a majority of newly formed intellectual property subsidiaries, while existing shareholders, including company founders and senior executives, retained a 49 percent interest in them. Guess's operating business became part of a new holding company backed by Authentic.

The transaction was completed on January 23, 2026, and Guess became a wholly owned subsidiary of the new holding company. The NYSE listing ended and a Form 25 was filed on the same day, with shares last trading the preceding session. With deregistration, Guess no longer publishes financial results or files periodic reports with U.S. regulators.

The structure of the transaction was notable for the continued involvement of the founders and senior executives, who retained an equity interest in the new intellectual property subsidiaries rather than cashing out entirely. Authentic Brands Group is known for owning and licensing consumer brands, and the deal fits a model in which brand rights are managed separately from day-to-day retail operations. After the closing, Guess's NYSE listing ended, and the company is no longer required to publish quarterly results or file reports with U.S. regulators.