Dive Brief:
- Menswear brand Ted by Ted Baker debuted Friday at U.S. Macy's retail stores and on the department store’s website, according to a press release from company owner Authentic Brands Group.
- The fall 2026 collection will feature outerwear, knitwear, shirts, polos, trousers and other basics. Pieces in the newly launched subbrand include $200 suit pants and $480 jackets. Meanwhile, the main Ted Baker line is still carried at Bloomingdale’s and offers slightly higher price points.
- On a June first quarter earnings call, Macy’s Inc. CEO Tony Spring told analysts that new brand offerings at Macy’s were designed to “preserve the specialness and uniqueness of Bloomingdale’s” while simultaneously making “Macy’s more fashionable.”
Dive Insight:
Before taking over at Macy’s Inc., Spring was with Bloomingdale’s for more than 30 years, including as CEO. When Spring came on board in 2024, both Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s were seeing sales declines, but by the first quarter of 2026, Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s posted positive comps and Macy’s Inc. reported an overall 1.8% net sales increase year over year.
Spring told analysts in June that the partnership between Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s was partly responsible for the Macy’s turnaround. Spring said the company was “trying to better understand underlying trends, geographic trends, sharing where we see brand opportunities, where things overlap, and at the same time making sure that we can learn from each other without becoming one another.”
The Ted by Ted Baker brand, which is manufactured by long-time Authentic licensing partner United Legwear & Apparel Co., is more casual than the main Ted Baker line, said Gina Ottomanelli, senior director of creative design at ULAC.
“Our vision for Ted by Ted Baker was to create a menswear collection that feels authentically British while speaking to today’s global consumer,” Ottomanelli said in a statement. “The collection reflects the craftsmanship and design heritage people associate with Ted Baker, reimagined through a more contemporary, relaxed lens. It’s about timeless style, individuality and clothing that fits naturally into everyday life.”
Authentic acquired U.K.-based Ted Baker in 2022. In 2024, Ted Baker’s North America retail operators filed for bankruptcy. WWD reported that the brand closed all of its North America brick-and-mortar stores and website shortly afterward. The company’s U.K. business folded in August of that year, per The Guardian.
In addition to Ted Baker, Authentic’s portfolio of more than 50 brands includes Guess, Reebok, Champion, Nautica, Forever 21 and Barneys New York.
