IG Design Group Americas (DGA) has announced that the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas approved the sale of the company’s sewing pattern business.
Simplicity, McCalls, Vogue, and Butterick brands, collectively known as “the Big 4,” have been bought by Rubelmann Capital in partnership with existing management. The sale price was $2,250,000. Abbie Small, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Simplicity, who has worked at the company for over 40 years, said, “This will make us into a small, indie pattern company. Essentially, we’ll be a 200-year-old startup.”
Design Group Americas filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on July 3, 2025, just over a month after turnover firm Hilco Capital acquired it from U.K. parent IG Design Group for $1 plus 75% of proceeds from any future sales.
Included in the sale
The sale includes all of the company’s raw materials and work in progress, finished goods supplies, and all other inventory. This includes inventory located at the print plant in Neenah, Wisconsin, such as pattern printing presses and equipment for envelope stuffing and other factory equipment, shelving, die cutters, laser printers, and computers. The sale also includes the historical and vintage library of materials currently located in an office building in Berwick, Pennsylvania, as well as the materials located at the New York City offices, including sewing machines, digitizing equipment, network equipment, printers, computers, photo studio equipment, office supplies, and licensing contracts.
The bankruptcy court also approved the sale of other assets of IG Design Group Americas. Boye needles was sold to Advantus, and American Greetings purchased certain machinery, equipment, and other assets used to manufacture and distribute gift wrap.
“The Court’s approval of these transactions affirms months of careful planning and constructive engagement with interested parties and sets the stage for a smooth transition,” said Brett Anderson, Chief Strategy Officer.
The DGA will work with the buyers to transition ownership of the businesses and related assets in connection with the closing of the transactions, all of which are expected to occur by the end of the year, subject to customary closing conditions.
Abby Glassenberg
Co-founder
Abby co-founded Craft Industry Alliance and now serves as its president. She’s a sewing pattern designer, teacher, and journalist. She’s dedicated to creating an outstanding trade association for the crafts industry. Abby lives in Wellesley, Massachusetts.
Is there any indication of whether personnel were retained from the original company? The WARN notification, for example, showed that the bankruptcy proceedings would include closing the office in New York and laying off 80 people. That office was, IIRC, the Simplicity team was based.
The WARN notice for the state of New York was for 80 people, with a target date of Sept. 25th. I think that was a hedge against the possibility of having to go into liquidation because of no offers, or to allow a purchaser to lay off however many they thought was warranted. The Advance Purchase Agreement on the bankruptcy docket has a (blacked out) list over 4 pages long of personnel the purchasers plan to keep on.
The 2 signatures for the buyer on the APA are Peter Rappaport, founder of Rubelmann Capital (private equity), and J. Robert Small, attorney for Jacobson Family Investments, a family-based investment management company. There are claims that J. Robert Small is related to Abbie Small.
I still haven’t heard what the status of the Wright’s products (bias tape, ric rac, piping, etc) is. We may be back to making all of our own or paying high prices for small quantities on Etsy.
I don’t recall what happened to all the other sewing-adjacent assets. But, for pete’s sake, this idea that trims etc will be so difficult to get, just will not die. There will still be imports of them. There is still Hobby Lobby, even though some people despise them. There is still Walmart, independent fabric stores, Amazon, if you don’t want to pay Etsy prices. And not all Etsy prices are steep.
Agree, check your local sewing and quilting shops. Most have cotton/poly blend bias tape at reasonable prices. Moda makes wonderful 100% cotton bias tape.
“…This will make us into a small, indie pattern company. Essentially, we’ll be a 200-year-old startup.”
Indie start up is “sew” much better than total liquidation! I am excited to hear this news! I’m sure it will be rough, but perhaps now it will be easier to embrace new ideas, platforms, changes, etc. It’s a great time to revive the sewing industry and engage the next generations. I’ll always be a fan of the Big Four (plus Kwik Sew 😁).
So glad they are saying around, but to call themselves an “indie startup” with a 200 year history and a massive amount of equipment and cost of $2.25 million is a bit far fetched. Still, glad they are going to be around!
Exactly right Molly — when I read this, I thought the term “Indie Startup” sounded like it didn’t fit — at all! But, like you, I am really glad that they are still going to be around. I’m planning on keeping my fingers crossed that they continue to be a going concern, and a successful one at that.
Garment sewing will be back
Those of you who are worried about bias tape being unavailable – it’s about the easiest thing to make. I teach ALL my beginning students to make bias tape and use it on thier 2nd project. I’ve known milliners who didn’t know how to make/use bias tape. That floors me as everything they do need’s to be well finished and is curvy.
Interesting coda to the story. According to a poster on Reddit’s Craftsnark subreddit, the new owners terminated many of the employees, effective September 25th. So much for the happy platitudes that they put forth in all their press.
The post on Craftstnark is here: https://www.reddit.com/r/craftsnark/comments/1oy20dl/simplicity_patterns_layoffs/