Together Group, a communications firm that owns design, tech and marketing agencies focused on luxury fashion and lifestyle, has acquired the production company North Six, the companies told BoF.
The deal comes as Together raises “significant new investment” from Pricoa Private Capital, a private capital arm of US insurance firm Prudential Financial. The funds will be used to support growth plans, including future acquisitions, the company said in a statement, and provide an exit for previous investor Bregal Sagemount, a private equity firm. The financial terms of the transactions were not disclosed.
It’s the latest move by the group to deepen its foothold in the luxury fashion space. Last year, the company acquired “significant stakes” in five agencies specialising in luxury communications, strategy and design: Purple, King & Partners, Noë and Associates, Construct, and Hot Pot. Other companies in Together Group’s portfolio include communications firm Seven Dials City, creative agency Folk Commerce and trend consultancy The Future Laboratory.
North Six, which was founded by Oliver Hicks in 2001, has become a go-to production company for creative campaigns and influencer marketing services among luxury’s top names, including Louis Vuitton, Dior, Prada, DeBeers and Tiffany & Co. and DeBeers. Today, the company employs 90 full-time employees across 10 cities.
The acquisition will allow the company to scale further as it looks to tap into new markets like the Middle East and Asia, said Hicks.
“Together Group is going to give me the resources and support to actually grow my business, help me move into new markets, and help me move into new capabilities,” said Hicks, noting that the ambition is to bolster North Six’s offering in the experiential and influencer marketing space.
Last year, Balenciaga filed a lawsuit against North Six over an advertising campaign it produced for the Kering-owned brand that included court documents referencing child pornography laws. After initially seeking damages of at least $25 million, Balenciaga later withdrew the suit and apologised for placing the blame on “third parties.”
“As a production company, we’re hired to really handle the logistics, we are really asked to come in and execute on projects … We have no input whatsoever on the creative,” Hicks said.
“We’ve moved on, we’ve picked ourselves up and dusted ourselves off,” he added.
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