Guess?, Inc.

Is Guess publicly traded?

No. Guess?, Inc. traded on the NYSE under ticker GES from 1996 until January 23, 2026, when the $1.4 billion take-private closed and shares were delisted. Public shareholders received $16.75 per share.

Who owns Guess?, Inc.?

The operating company is wholly owned by the Rolling Shareholders: the Marciano family, Nicolai Marciano, and CEO Carlos Alberini. The brand's intellectual property is held in entities 51 percent owned by Authentic Brands Group and 49 percent by those shareholders.

When was Guess founded?

The four Marciano brothers founded Guess in 1981 in Los Angeles, launching with the Marilyn jean that sold out at Bloomingdale's.

Who is the CEO of Guess?

Carlos Alberini serves as chief executive officer of the private operating company, a role he has held since returning in 2019.

What does Authentic Brands Group own in Guess?

ABG owns 51 percent of the entities holding substantially all GUESS intellectual property. The Marciano family and management own the other 49 percent of the IP plus 100 percent of the operating company that runs the business.

What is Guess's annual revenue?

The private company no longer reports publicly. Its last public fiscal year showed approximately $3.1 billion in revenue, with global retail-equivalent sales of roughly $6 billion including licensee volume.

Where is Guess headquartered?

Guess?, Inc. is headquartered in Los Angeles, California, where it was founded, with the Switzerland office serving as the hub for European and international operations.

Four Marciano brothers, Georges, Maurice, Armand, and Paul, founded the company in 1981 in Los Angeles after emigrating from Marseille, France. The Marilyn jean with its zippered ankle sold out at Bloomingdale's and launched the brand into the 1980s designer-denim boom alongside Calvin Klein and Jordache.

Black-and-white advertising campaigns featuring models like Claudia Schiffer and Anna Nicole Smith made the brand as famous for imagery as product. Expansion through the 1990s into watches, accessories, and kids' lines built a global licensing business, and the company went public on the NYSE in 1996 under ticker GES.

Brother departures shaped the ownership: Georges sold out in 1993 and Armand left in 2003, leaving Maurice and Paul leading through the 2000s as Europe became the growth engine, with Switzerland serving as the operational hub.

The 2010s brought mid-market pressure on denim. CEO Carlos Alberini returned in 2019 to stabilize the business, the 2024 rag & bone joint venture with WHP Global added a brand, and the company explored strategic alternatives as the stock declined. After a $13-per-share WHP approach in March 2025, the board approved Authentic's higher offer in August 2025, closing the $1.4 billion take-private on January 23, 2026.

The company publishes sustainability information covering its supplier standards and materials commitments, though it holds no B Corp certification. Its manufacturing base in Asia and Turkey operates under vendor codes of conduct.

The 2024 and 2025 reporting included commitments to responsible denim production and supply-chain transparency, aligned with industry norms for a global apparel company of its scale.

The Authentic transaction creates a new governance dimension: IP decisions now require coordination between ABG's licensing interests and the operating company's brand needs, a structure still being tested as of late 2026.

Co-founder Paul Marciano's sexual harassment allegations are the company's most prominent reputational issue. Kate Upton and others accused him of misconduct beginning in 2018, leading to his resignation as chief creative officer that year, though he later returned to a creative role and remains a significant shareholder, drawing ongoing criticism.

The company has engaged in long-running trademark litigation, most famously a dispute with Gucci over interlocking G designs that produced rulings in both companies' favor across jurisdictions.

The 2025 sale process drew scrutiny over the Marciano family's dual role as sellers and rollover participants, with shareholder questions about conflicts, though a special committee of independent directors approved the transaction and it closed as planned.