brand-revival
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True Religion
True Religion is a Los Angeles-born premium denim and lifestyle brand founded in 2002, known for its signature Super T stitch, thick contrast stitching and the horseshoe logo that came to define 2000s denim. After two bankruptcies and a broad reset, the company has rebuilt itself as an omnichannel retailer with a fast-growing e-commerce arm, roughly 50+ branded stores and a marketing playbook that blends hip-hop culture, celebrity campaigns and Gen Z nostalgia. In January 2025 ACON Investments, with strategic partner SB360, acquired a controlling stake in the brand.
Mark Hellendrung
Mark Hellendrung is the Rhode Island native who bought a fading 1890 beer brand for less than $100,000 and made it New England's again. As owner and CEO of Narragansett Brewing Company, he resurrected a lager that had nearly vanished, brought brewing back to Rhode Island after a 30-plus-year exile, and opened a waterfront brewery and beer hall on the Providence harborfront. Before beer, he ran Nantucket Nectars and coached the team at Magic Hat. His pitch has always been the same: stay homegrown, stay local, and don't sell out to the big guys.