| MCM Worldwide | |
| Logo Alt: | Company logo shows letters MCM above laurel leaf motif |
| Industry: | Fashion |
| Founder: | Michael Cromer |
| Foundation: | Munich, Germany |
| Location: | Munich, Germany |
| Key People: | Kim Sung-joo (Chairwoman) |
| Parent: | Sungjoo Group |
MCM Worldwide is a luxury fashion brand originally founded in 1976 as the initialism of "Michael Cromer Munich". The brand’s signature logo-printed material, called Cognac Visetos, appears on many of its products. Its brass plate insignia is found on all heritage collection bags and most products; each brass plate is identified by a unique number at the bottom.[1] MCM sells its products through wholesale accounts, franchises and directly operated stores.
MCM was bought out by Sungjoo Group of Korea in 2005. the brand makes roughly 70% of its sales in Asia, and roughly 30% in Europe, the Middle East, and the Americas.
The MCM label, originally stood popular during the 1980s for being "ostentatious and flashy".[2] At the height of its popularity in 1993, it owned 250 branches worldwide and recorded sales of $250 million. Following a 1995 investigation of Cromer for alleged tax evasion by German tax authorities, banks and investors lost faith in MCM's financial stability.[3] In 1997, the company was restructured, and its stores and trademark rights were split and sold.
In 2005, the worldwide rights to the MCM brand were acquired from a Swiss financier by Sungjoo Group, a South Korean retail business founded by Sung-Joo Kim, the youngest daughter of South Korean magnate Kim Soo-Keon.[4] At the time, MCM's global sales stood at $100 million.[5]
Kim hired designer Michael Michalsky[6] and re-launched the brand in 2006 with a new store in Berlin.[7] MCM thereafter reopened stores in New York, Toronto, Paris, London, Singapore, Tokyo, and China among others. In 2011, MCM debuted its largest store in Hong Kong’s Entertainment Building.[8]
On the occasion of the brand's 40th anniversary in 2016, MCM commissioned Tobias Rehberger with a limited-edition capsule collection.[9]
MCM established a Milan design studio in 2017. By 2018, the brand presented its first full-fledged ready-to-wear collection at Pitti Uomo.[10]
In 2018, Dirk Schönberger joined MCM from Adidas, initially as global creative officer; he was promoted to global brand officer in 2022. During his time at the brand, he built a design studio in Berlin to complement its creative centers in Seoul and Milan.[11] He teamed up with Puma in 2018 on a capsule that included footwear, clothing and accessories, and with Crocs in 2022 on a footwear capsule.[12]
In 2023, Schönberger left the company.[13]
MCM has had exclusive license agreements with Marchon Eyewear (2015–2023)[14] and Marcolin (since 2023)[15] for the design, production and worldwide distribution of the brand’s eyewear.
In 2019, MCM signed a 10-year licensing agreement with Inter Parfums; the first fragrance, called MCM Eau de Parfum, was launched in 2021.[16]
For its advertising campaigns, MCM has been working with renowned photographers including Herb Ritts (1996), Daniel Sannwald (2015),[17] Juergen Teller (2023),[18] Craig McDean (2024)[19] and Collier Schorr (2024).[20] Campaigns have featured Cindy Crawford (1996, 2023), Billie Eilish (2019),[21] Iann Dior (2022),[22] Lindsay Lohan (2023),[23] Cara Delevingne (2024)[24] and Matt Dillon (2024).[25]