CREDIT: Courtesy of Andre Assous

Vida Shoes International Inc. has acquired Aquatalia from ADJHA Aquatalia LLC.

The terms of the deal, which closed in late September and was just announced, were not disclosed.

Vida, which designs, sources, markets and distributes shoes for footwear for women, men and children, owns brands such as Jambu, JBU, J Sport and Andre Assous. Vida is also a licensee of brands like BCBG, Bruno Magli, Splendid, Kenneth Cole, Stride Rite, Carter’s, Merrell Kids, Saucony Kids, Kurt Geiger and OshKosh B’Gosh and makes private label shoes for various retailers.

Solomon Dabah, president of Vida Shoes International, said in a statement that the Aquatalia acquisition will help Vida expand its luxury fashion portfolio as well as its presence in women’s shoes.

“We take great pride in being a world-class company across multiple footwear categories,” Dabah said. “Bringing Aquatalia into our family of brands enhances our position within the women’s category, allowing us to reach even more fashion-minded consumers. We are excited to build upon and strengthen our relationships with retailers in the luxury segment while increasing our sourcing presence with Europe’s finest factories.”

Founded in 1994, Aquatalia is a made-in-Italy shoe brand that combines European design standards with modern technologies like stain-resistant materials.

“Aquatalia is a significant opportunity for Vida to grow our top of the pyramid product offerings,” said said senior executive vice president of Vida Shoes International Gabe Safdeye in a statement. “It has a heritage luxury waterproof product with a loyal customer base, and we plan to expand from that platform. We think we’ve acquired one of the great gems in the attainable luxury space.”

Footwear deal activity has begun to heat up in the latter half of 2024. In June, RG Barry Corporation revealed it had been acquired by the Marubeni Growth Capital U.S. (MGCU) a subsidiary of the Tokyo-based Marubeni Corporation. According to PwC’s 2024 consumer M&A outlook from January, there will likely be more fashion transactions throughout 2024 as brand owners look to review their portfolios and change their structures.