LONDON – Multi-brand store Machine-A, which made its name promoting emerging design talent, has left the Tomorrow portfolio four years after selling a majority stake to the brand distributor and accelerator.
Tomorrow has passed the ownership to a group of private investors.
Steven Ma, a longtime friend and collaborator of Machine-A founder Stavros Karelis, now has become the company’s director. Karelis will continue to play a key role in Machine-A’s daily operations as it remains a hub for emerging talent.
Ma, who graduated from Parsons School of Design and has an MBA from Emlyon Business School in France, has been closely involved with Machine-A since 2019.
He worked on key projects such as the launch of the Machine-A brand in China; a Mugler event in Shanghai with K-pop star CL and model Ming Xi; and a recent Reebok collaboration with Kai-Isaiah Jamal and Alibae.
He also launched a namesake accessories brand after training in footwear design at Arsutoria School in Milan.
Ma, who now splits his time between Shanghai and London, said Machine-A is considered an institution by young creative talents.
Since 2013 emerging designers such as Nasir Mazhar, Paolo Carzana, Olly Shinder, Pronounce, Samuel Guì Yang, Craig Green, Peter Do, Richard Quinn, Paula Canovas del Vas, Kiko Kostadinov, Delada, Martine Rose, Namacheko and Ottolinger have been carried at the store.
“I hope with my active involvement the brand generates the commercial growth it deserves, building upon what Karelis, the team, and past investors have worked so hard to achieve commercially and artistically,” he said.
Ma added that he plans to work on expansion into key geographies, and the digital space. He also wants Machine-A to return to its roots as an incubator for emerging talent and a place to promote innovation, inclusivity and diversity.
Karelis said he is excited to see Machine-A entering a new chapter with partners and collaborators who will “safeguard and further develop all the core values and principles that this company was founded upon.”
The new era is all about independence, and a top-tier curatorial client experience, he added.
Earlier in the summer, Karelis told WWD that Machine-A was reviewing its China strategy after entering the market two years ago with a 2,640-square-foot store in Shanghai. It has decided not to renew the lease in that space due to a challenging retail climate.
With Ma’s involvement, Machine-A will further build its presence in key geographies such as China, and lead community-driven partnerships, creative collaborations and cultural events.
Machine-A is the latest name to leave the Tomorrow portfolio. Last month Tomorrow sold A-Cold-Wall to Four Marketing less than a year after acquiring full control of the brand from founder Samuel Ross.
Ross no longer has any ties to the company, and in September revealed a new, slow fashion project, called Samuel Ross_Atelier. Tomorrow had originally acquired a minority stake in A-Cold-Wall in 2018, and purchased the remainder of the shares from Ross last year.
Following a period of rapid expansion, Tomorrow is now rethinking its strategy of expanding beyond distribution and investing directly in emerging brands.
Tomorrow still has stakes in Charles Jeffrey Loverboy, Martine Rose and Coperni, and it remains unclear whether there are plans to sell them, too.
