Jessica Simpson Christopher Polk/Shutterstock
Fighting for her fashion! Jessica Simpson has officially reclaimed her fashion empire — but the takeover was a longtime coming.
“My name was on it,” the 41-year-old actress told Bloomberg in a Thursday, January 6, interview. “I don’t ever move away from my name.” Simpson’s decision to step “into that role of ownership of my name and myself” after 16 years, was something she felt determined to do after realizing that her and mom Tina Simpson could do more good for the company if they were in the driver’s seat.
For background, Jessica Simpson Collection was launched in 2005 and owned by Camuto group. But in a $117 million deal in 2015, it was sold to Sequential Brand Group Inc. The corporation, which has since filed for bankruptcy, wasn’t growing the company, didn’t have “resources” to create a website and “stagnated” sales.
“I’m like, ‘Well, where is that percentage of money that you’re getting going? Why is not going toward my brand growing?’ The Dukes of Hazzard star recalled to the outlet, explaining the corporation wanted to “blame” her for lack of growth.
But after Simpson and her mom jumped in to overtake creation of the website — and saw success — they set out to buy back majority stake in the company.
Jessica Simpson Cindy Barrymore/Shutterstock
“Seeing what we could do with the website, that we did that on our own, made us really realize, more than ever, like, ‘We’ve got to buy this brand back,” her mom said.
Fast forward to November and the Simpson’s $65 million bid for the majority stake was approved. And it’s safe to say that Simpson is thrilled to be back in charge.
“Patience, passion, persistence, prayer, throwing’ curve balls and Hail Marys while remaining humbled by grace gave me back my power and my name,” Simpson captioned an Instagram post that shared the cover story. “If this girl with a dream could do it, I know anyone can!”
It didn’t take long for friends and fans to congratulate the business mogul on her success. “YESSS!! That’s my girl,” hairstylist Christine Symonds wrote, while influencer What’s Gaby Cookin said, “Get it girl!! So major!”
And now that The Dukes of Hazzard star is back at the helm, fans can expect to see plenty of newness from the brand. In a December Instagram post, she shared that she’s been “working on lots of ideas to bring into the line.” From skincare and health and wellness products to a break into furniture, it seems that the opportunities are endless.
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