Underwear Brand Capitalizes on Self-Storage Concepts

Brand-management firm Encore Brands Inc. has launched Mickey’s Self Storage, a men’s underwear and basics brand, after acquiring it from the family of designer Mickey Sills, who died last year from sinus cancer. While the name and tagline (“You pack it. We store it.”) poke fun at the traditional notion of self-storage, the brand “embodies the detail and style of a serious designer’s eye with a wink and inside laugh at other established brands,” Encore officials said in a press release.

Sills was in the midst of producing the first season of the Mickey’s line with contract manufacturer Northridge Mills when he was diagnosed with cancer in June 2013, according to sources. “His irrepressible nature and irreverence forged an instant relationship between the two companies,” according to the release. “With a product line ideally suited to the factory capabilities and the passion he infused into the brand, everyone involved was incredibly saddened with his passing, but no one wanted to see such a well-conceived and well-executed project go unrealized.”

In January, Encore Brands subsidiary Encore Brands Apparel Group acquired Northridge Mills from Northridge Mills Holdings Inc. “Now that Northridge Mills is a part of Encore Brands, the time seemed right to finalize the product development and realize Mickey's vision,” officials said. “With his original team intact and following he and his family’s wishes, it is the intent of everyone at Encore to have his unique style and taste live on with the brand that bears his name.”

Prior to launching Mickey’s Self Storage, Sills was known for his work with major labels, including Joe Boxer, Lucky Brand and True Religion. He also was founder and creator of the brands P.J. Salvage and Scanty, according to the release.

Based in Santa Monica, Calif., Encore manages, licenses, acquires and generates brands. Its brand portfolio is distributed domestically and internationally through third-party sources.