Tomorrow Takes Majority Stake in London Concept Store Machine-A

LONDON — Fashion business accelerator Tomorrow has taken a majority stake in the London-based multibrand store Machine-A, WWD can exclusively reveal.

Alessandra Rossi, chief digital officer at Tomorrow, has been appointed chief executive officer of Machine-A, effective immediately. According to Tomorrow, she will be working closely with Machine-A on its direct-to-consumer model and long-term business expansion strategy.

Rossi previously held a variety of roles at Yoox Net-a-porter, including head of buying, commercial director, operations manager, and president.

Machine-A cofounder Stavros Karelis, whose shareholding increased in the deal, will continue his role as buying director at Machine-A, and will oversee the wider brand curation across the Tomorrow creative projects and portfolios.

Giovanni De Marchi, brand strategist, and a mentor to Karelis will also join the company, overseeing the key areas of partnerships and brand development.

The financial terms of the acquisition are not disclosed.

Stefano Martinetto, ceo and cofounder of Tomorrow, said Machine-A’s ethos and passion to support emerging talent are perfectly aligned with Tomorrow’s mission to champion creativity and independent designers.

Stavros and the Machine-A team will continue to have full independence on brand selection and curation, according to Martinetto, and Machine-A will become the route of multibrand d-to-c for Tomorrow brands, which extends its offering beyond the monobrand d-to-c model it already runs for brands it invests in, including Athletics Footwear, Colville, Coperni and A-Cold-Wall*.

The partnership will also offer a wider marketplace for both brands Tomorrow invests in, and brands it represents, like Anrealage, Bethany Williams, Charles Jeffery, Pronounce, Hed Mayner, and White Mountaineering.

Machine-A will also be able to tap into the three Tomorrow international logistics centers in Birmingham, England, New Jersey, and Hong Kong to further expand its e-commerce business, which was launched in partnership with SHOWstudio and Nick Knight in 2014.

In addition, Tomorrow will bring financial support to help Machine-A expand both its range and inventory, as well as offer back-office support services in finance, legal, and human resources.

“We came to this partnership easily because Tomorrow and Machine-A were already working closely across a number of Tomorrow brands that Stavros had selected as part of the offering at Machine-A,” Martinetto said.

The investment is not a result of the pandemic, Karelis added, as discussions around the partnership have been ongoing for some time.

“We have a common denominator — supporting and showcasing emerging designers and brands. In that sense, there will be a lot of synergies between us,” he said. “Together with his team’s vast knowledge and experience, operational support, and understanding of the market, and through working together to build one ecosystem, allowing us to maximize the best of what the two companies currently represent and eventually integrate into one, we will achieve our mission to champion fashion in the most unique, diverse, and inclusive way for the future.”

Additionally, Karelis revealed that there are plans for retail expansion, as well as developing new ways of organically growing the audience and customer base locally and internationally while still maintaining the personalized experience through current channels.

“Machine-A has always been about discovery, about curiosity, and about creating a community of like-minded people,” Karelis said. “What sets Machine-A apart is the organic relationships between our designers and customers that are nurtured out of love and a strong belief in doing something different in the retail landscape.”

Founded in 2013, Machine-A has become a tastemaker among fashion lovers in London and beyond with its unique brand selections, offering high-end directional labels like Raf Simons, Rick Owens, Maison Margiela, Comme des Gar?ons, Y/ Project, JW Anderson, Lemaire, and Paco Rabanne, as well as emerging designer labels including Pronounce, Samuel Guì Yang, Craig Green, Alyx, Peter Do, Richard Quinn, Paula Canovas del Vas, Kiko Kostadinov, Delada, Martine Rose, Namacheko and Ottolinger.

The retailer recently launched a pop-up with Labelhood in Shanghai, as the first step toward global expansion.

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