XCel Brands, Inc. [XELB] Filings

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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

☒  ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended: December 31, 2023

OR

☐  TRANSITION REPORT UNDER SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

Commission File Number: 001-37527

XCEL BRANDS, INC.

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

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(347) 727-2474

(Issuer’s Telephone Number, Including Area Code)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

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Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.     Yes     ☐    No     ☒

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act.     Yes     ☐    No     ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the past 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.     Yes     ☒    No     ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes     ☒    No     ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

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If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.     ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report.     ☐

If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements.      ☐

Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to §240.10D-1(b).     ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act).     Yes     ☐    No     ☒

The aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common equity held by non-affiliates computed by reference to the price at which the common equity was last sold, or the average bid and asked price of such common equity, as of the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter was $17,934,000 based upon the closing price of such common stock on June 30, 2023.

The number of shares of the issuer’s common stock issued and outstanding as of April 3, 2024 was 23,492,117 shares.

Documents Incorporated By Reference: None

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PART I

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, that involve risks and uncertainties. All statements other than statements of historical fact contained in this Annual Report, including statements regarding future events, our future financial performance, business strategy, and plans and objectives of management for future operations, are forward-looking statements. We have attempted to identify forward-looking statements by terminology including “anticipates,” “believes,” “can,” “continue,” “ongoing,” “could,” “estimates,” “expects,” “intends,” “may,” “appears,” “suggests,” “future,” “likely,” “goal,” “plans,” “potential,” “projects,” “predicts,” “seeks,” “should,” “would,” “guidance,” “confident,” or “will” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding our anticipated revenue, expenses, profitability, strategic plans, and capital needs. These statements are based on information available to us on the date hereof and our current expectations, estimates, and projections and are not guarantees of future performance. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions, and other factors, including, without limitation, the risks outlined under “Risk Factors” or elsewhere in this Annual Report, as well as adverse effects on us, our licensees, and customers due to natural disasters, pandemic disease, and other unexpected events, which may cause our or our industry’s actual results, levels of activity, performance, or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Moreover, we operate in a very competitive and rapidly changing environment. New risks emerge from time to time and it is not possible for us to predict all risk factors, nor can we address the impact of all factors on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause our actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. You should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. Except as expressly required by the federal securities laws, we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, changed circumstances, or any other reason.

The "LOGO by Lori Goldstein^™," "Halston," "Halston Heritage," "H by Halston^®," "H Halston^™," "Roy Frowick," "Judith Ripka LTD^™," "Judith Ripka Collection^™," "Judith Ripka Legacy^™," "Judith Ripka^®,” "Judith Ripka Sterling^™," "C. Wonder^™," "C. Wonder Limited^™," and “TowerHill by Christie Brinkley” brands and all related logos and other trademarks or service marks of the Company appearing in this Annual Report are the property of the Company. Brands and all related logos and other trademarks or service marks of other entities (for example, QVC, HSN, JTV, etc.) are the property of those respective entities.

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Item 1.   Business

Overview

Xcel Brands, Inc. (the “Company,” “Xcel,” “We,” “Us,” or “Our”) is a media and consumer products company engaged in the design, licensing, marketing, live streaming, and social commerce sales of branded apparel, footwear, accessories, fine jewelry, home goods and other consumer products, and the acquisition of dynamic consumer lifestyle brands. Xcel was founded in 2011 with a vision to reimagine shopping, entertainment, and social media as social commerce. Currently, our brand portfolio consists of the LOGO by Lori Goldstein brand (the “Lori Goldstein Brand”), the Halston brands (the "Halston Brand"), the Judith Ripka brands (the "Ripka Brand"), the C Wonder brands (the "C Wonder Brand"), the Longaberger brand (the “Longaberger Brand”), the Isaac Mizrahi brands (the "Isaac Mizrahi Brand"), the TowerHill by Christie Brinkley brand (the “CB Brand”), and other proprietary brands, including:

We also own a 30% interest in ORME Live Inc. (“ORME”), a short-form video and social commerce marketplace that launched in the first quarter of 2024.

Xcel continues to pioneer a true omni-channel and social commerce sales strategy which includes the promotion and sale of products under its brands through interactive television, digital live-stream shopping, social commerce, traditional brick-and-mortar retailers, and e-commerce channels, to be everywhere its customers shop. Our brands have generated over $5 billion in retail sales via live streaming in interactive television and digital channels alone, and our brands collectively reach over 5 million social media followers through Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. All of the followers may not be unique followers, as many followers may follow multiple brands and follow our brands on multiple platforms.

Our objective is to build a diversified portfolio of lifestyle consumer products brands through organic growth and the strategic acquisition of new brands. To grow our brands, we are focused on the following primary strategies:

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We believe that Xcel offers a unique value proposition to our retail and direct-to-consumer customers and our licensees for the following reasons:

Recent Developments

Prior to 2023, the Company engaged in certain wholesale and direct-to-consumer sales of products under its brands. In 2023, we signed master license agreements for our Halston Brand and Judith Ripka Brand, and license agreements for the supply of products under certain on our brands to HSN, that enabled us to outsource a majority of our wholesale and direct-to-consumer operations and revert to a working capital light business model. In addition to licensing out the brands described above, we outsourced the operations of Longaberger through a license agreement with a third party to operate and manage the Longaberger e-commerce website in the fourth quarter of 2023, and have recently launched Longaberger on ORME in early 2024.

Company History and Corporate Information

The Company was incorporated on August 31, 1989 in the State of Delaware under the name Houston Operating Company. On April 19, 2005, we changed our name to NetFabric Holdings, Inc. On September 29, 2011, Xcel Brands, Inc., a privately-held Delaware corporation (which we refer to as Old Xcel), Netfabric Acquisition Corp., a Delaware corporation and wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, and certain stockholders of the Company entered into an agreement of merger and plan of reorganization pursuant to which Netfabric Acquisition Corp. was merged with and into Old Xcel, with Old Xcel surviving as a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company. On September 29, 2011, we changed our name to Xcel Brands, Inc.

Our principal office is currently located at 550 Seventh Avenue, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018.

Our telephone number is (347) 727-2474.

Our corporate website is www.xcelbrands.com. Additionally, we maintain websites for our respective brands at www.lorigoldstein.com, www.halston.com, www.judithripka.com, www.cwonder.com, www.longaberger.com, and www.isaacmizrahi.com. None of the content on our websites is incorporated by reference into this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Our Brand Portfolio

Currently, our brand portfolio consists of the Lori Goldstein, Halston, Judith Ripka, C Wonder, Longaberger, CB, and Isaac Mizrahi Brands, and other proprietary brands, including the various labels under these brands.

Lori Goldstein

Lori Goldstein helped the fashion industry recognize the value and influence of a visionary stylist by telling powerful, transformative, and authentic stories through the static image. After 35 years behind the camera, Lori ventured in front of it in 2009 when she launched LOGO by Lori Goldstein, an exclusive collection for QVC. LOGO was born from Lori's lifelong passion for layering clothes and her "anything goes with everything" approach to fashion, and is a sophisticated lifestyle brand that embraces Lori's aesthetic and speaks to everyday women. LOGO draws inspiration from the beauty of women of all ages and sizes and gives them the tools and fashion pieces to be their most fabulous selves. We acquired the

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Lori Goldstein brands, including LOGO by Lori Goldstein, in April 2021, and the brand is currently available through the QVC channel.

Halston

The Halston brand was founded by Roy Halston Frowick in the 1960s, and quickly became one of the most important American fashion brands in the world, becoming synonymous with glamour, sophistication, and femininity. Halston’s groundbreaking designs and visionary style still influence designers around the world today. We acquired the H Halston brands in December 2014, and since our acquisition of the Halston Heritage brands in February 2019, we own all Halston labels under our brands. The brand is available across various distribution channels – including premium and better department stores, e-commerce, interactive television, and national specialty retailers – through our long-term master license agreement with G-III Apparel Group.

Judith Ripka

Judith Ripka is a luxury jewelry brand founded by Judith Ripka in 1977. This brand has become known worldwide for its distinctive designs featuring intricate metalwork, vibrant colors, and distinctive use of texture. The Judith Ripka Fine Jewelry collection consists of pieces in 18 karat gold and sterling silver with precious colored jewels and diamonds, and is currently available in fine jewelry stores, luxury retailers, and via e-commerce. We acquired the Ripka brand in April 2014. In 2017 and 2018, we launched our Judith Ripka Fine Jewelry e-commerce operations and wholesale operations; these businesses were subsequently licensed to JTV in the first quarter of 2023. In 2021, we opened a retail store for Judith Ripka Fine Jewelry in Westchester, New York, which was subsequently closed in 2022.

C Wonder

The C Wonder brand was founded by J. Christopher Burch in 2011. This brand is built upon a foundation of bold, vibrant colors and exceptional, eye-catching prints that celebrate the art of everyday dressing. C Wonder offers women’s clothing, footwear, jewelry and accessories, and delightful surprises at every turn. We acquired the C Wonder Brand in July 2015. The brand is currently available through HSN.

Longaberger

Longaberger is an iconic American heritage home and collectibles brand that began making baskets in 1896 and launched a direct sales company in 1973 by the Longaberger family. The brand is best known for its distinctive handwoven baskets. We acquired a 50% ownership interest in this brand through a business venture with Hilco Global in November 2019, and are actively managing this brand to build on its history and bring it into the future as a digital first live-streaming and social commerce business. We launched our Longaberger e-commerce and live-streaming operations in February 2020. In the fourth quarter of 2023, we outsourced the operations and management of the brand’s e-commerce business to a third party.

TowerHill by Christie Brinkley

TowerHill by Christie Brinkley is a new brand announced December 2023 as a co-branded collaboration between Xcel Brands, Inc. and Christie Lee Brinkley, an iconic American supermodel with over one million followers on social media. The brand is scheduled to launch in May 2024 on HSN, with plans to license and launch products outside of HSN starting in 2025.

Isaac Mizrahi

Isaac Mizrahi is an iconic American brand that stands for timeless, cosmopolitan style. Isaac Mizrahi, the designer, launched his eponymous label in 1987 to critical acclaim, including four Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) awards. Since then, this brand has become known and beloved around the world for its colorful and stylish designs. As a true lifestyle brand, under Xcel’s ownership it has expanded into over 150 different product categories including sportswear, footwear, handbags, watches, eyewear, tech accessories, home, and other merchandise. The brand is available across various distribution channels to reach customers wherever they shop: better department stores, such as Saks and

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Hudson’s Bay; interactive television, including QVC and The Shopping Channel; and national specialty retailers. The brand is also sold in various global locations, including Canada, Italy, the United Kingdom, and Japan. We acquired the Isaac Mizrahi brand in September 2011, and in May 2022, we sold a majority interest in the brand to a third party, retaining a 30% noncontrolling interest in the brand.

Growth Strategy

We plan to continue to grow our brands and business through three primary strategies:

With respect to organic growth in our existing brands, we have recently entered into master license agreements for our Halston Brand and Judith Ripka Brand. The Halston master license agreement is with G-III Apparel Group (“G-III”), which is a publicly traded company and one of the largest designers and suppliers of wholesale apparel and accessories in the world, with annual revenues of over $3 billion. While the license provides for guaranteed minimum royalties to us during the term (which extends for 25 years, including an initial term of five years plus renewal options), G-III is expected to launch the brand through its existing distribution channels in Fall 2024, and we expect that the business and corresponding royalty revenues to Xcel will ramp up beginning with the launch. Additionally, we entered into an interactive television license and an e-commerce license in 2023 with America’s Collectible Network, Inc., d/b/a JTV, for our Judith Ripka Brand, which officially launched on JTV’s television channel in October 2023 and which we expect to continue to ramp up in 2024 and beyond, as JTV has expressed plans to make Judith Ripka one of the core brands on its network. Finally, the C Wonder Brand launched on HSN in mid-2023, and performed extremely well in its launch year. HSN has advised us that it has planned increases in the business in 2024, which we expect will result in increased revenues from the brand in 2024 and beyond. We are also working on licensing other categories under the C Wonder Brand for distribution both on HSN and outside of the network.

TowerHill by Christie Brinkley is a brand that we are scheduled to launch in May 2024 on HSN, and with plans to license and launch products outside of HSN starting in 2025. While this is a new brand for Xcel, it is an example of a brand that we developed with low up-front costs and that we were able to leverage our unique experience, relationships, and social commerce knowledge to launch. We are excited about launching this brand with Christie Brinkley, and expect to launch at least one other similarly-developed brand later in 2024.

We have a proven track record of acquiring brands and/or businesses that are strategically important to and synergistic with our business, and are consistently reviewing potential acquisition targets. Potential acquisitions may include established or newer brands that do or would perform well in live streaming or social commerce, direct-to-consumer brands or platforms with significant consumer following, or established media companies which could benefit from our expertise in direct-response television, live streaming, and social commerce. While our strategy is not dependent on such acquisitions, we carefully consider potential acquisitions as a means to leverage our infrastructure and expertise and accelerate our growth.

Finally, in December 2023, Xcel acquired a 30% interest in ORME, which is a brand new short-form video social commerce marketplace that launched in the first quarter of 2024. While we will not consolidate ORME’s financial results of operations with our own (given our minority noncontrolling position in the company) and do not anticipate receiving regular dividends or other distributions from ORME in the near future, we believe that ORME has significant growth potential and would add significant value to Xcel, both through our equity interest in ORME as well as our ability to leverage ORME in order to grow additional direct-to-consumer brands that would perform well in social commerce pursuant to our aforementioned brand development and acquisition strategies. ORME licenses the technology utilized by its marketplace from KonnectBio Inc., of which Robert D’Loren, our Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, and President, owns an approximate 20% noncontrolling interest.

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Licensing

Our working-capital-light “licensing plus” business model allows us to focus on our core competencies of design, marketing, and brand management without the investment requirements in inventory associated with traditional consumer product companies.

Qurate Agreements

Qurate Retail Group (“Qurate”) is an important strategic partner in our interactive television business, and is the largest licensee for the Lori Goldstein, C Wonder, and Isaac Mizrahi brands. Qurate’s business model is to promote and sell products through its interactive television programs featured on QVC and HSN and related e-commerce and mobile platforms. We employ and manage on-air spokespersons under each of these brands in order to promote products under our brands on QVC and HSN. Qurate’s programming currently reaches over 200 million homes worldwide. Our agreements with Qurate allow our on-air spokespersons to promote our non-Qurate product lines and certain strategic partnerships through QVC’s and HSN’s programs, subject to certain parameters including, in certain cases, the payment of a portion of our non-Qurate revenues to Qurate. We believe that our ability to continue to leverage Qurate’s media platform, reach, and attractive customer base to cross-promote products in and drive traffic to our other channels of distribution provides us a unique advantage.

Through our wholly owned subsidiaries, we have entered into direct-to-retail license agreements with Qurate, collectively referred to as the Qurate Agreements (individually, each a “Qurate Agreement”), pursuant to which we design, and Qurate sources and sells, various products under our LOGO by Lori Goldstein brand, the Longaberger brand, and the C Wonder brand. We were also previously party to similar agreements with Qurate related to the IsaacMizrahiLIVE brand and the Judith Ripka brand. Qurate owns the rights to all designs produced under these agreements, and the agreements include the sale of products across various categories through Qurate’s television media and related internet sites.

Pursuant to these agreements, we have granted to Qurate and its affiliates the exclusive, worldwide right to promote our branded products, and the right to use and publish the related trademarks, service marks, copyrights, designs, logos, and other intellectual property rights owned, used, licensed and/or developed by us, for varying terms as set forth below. In connection with the Qurate Agreements and during the same periods, Qurate and its subsidiaries have the exclusive, worldwide right to use the names, likenesses, images, voices, and performances of our spokespersons to promote the respective products.

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Under the Qurate Agreements, Qurate is obligated to make payments to us on a quarterly basis, based upon the net retail sales of the specified branded products. Net retail sales are defined as the aggregate amount of all revenue generated through the sale of the specified branded products by Qurate and its subsidiaries under the Qurate Agreements, net of customer returns, and excluding freight, shipping and handling charges, and sales, use, or other taxes.

The Qurate Agreements generally prohibit us from selling products under the specified respective brands to a direct competitor of Qurate without Qurate’s consent. Under certain of the Qurate Agreements, we may, with the permission of

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Qurate, sell the respective branded products via certain specified sales channels in exchange for making reverse royalty payments to Qurate based on the net retail sales of such products through such channels. However, we are generally restricted from selling products under the specified respective brands or trademarks to certain mass merchants.

Also, under certain of the Qurate Agreements, we may be required for a period of time to pay a royalty participation fee to Qurate on revenue earned from the sale, license, consignment, or any other form of distribution of any products, bearing, marketed in connection with, or otherwise associated with the specified trademarks and brands.

For the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, net licensing revenue from Qurate collectively accounted for approximately 34% and 44%, respectively, of the total net revenue of the Company.

Halston Master License

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On May 15, 2023, the Company, through our wholly owned subsidiaries, H Halston, LLC and H Heritage Licensing, LLC (collectively, the “Licensor”), entered into a master license agreement relating to the Halston Brand (the “Halston Master License”) with G-III (as licensee) for men’s and women’s apparel, men’s and women’s fashion accessories, children’s apparel and accessories, home, airline amenity and amenity kits, and such other product categories as mutually agreed upon. The Halston Master License provides for an upfront cash payment and royalties payable to the Company (including certain guaranteed minimum royalties), includes significant annual minimum net sales requirements, and has a twenty-five-year term (consisting of an initial five-year period, followed by a twenty-year period), subject to G-III’s right to terminate with at least 120 days’ notice prior to the end of each five-year period during the term. G-III has an option to purchase the Halston Brand for $5.0 million at the end of the twenty-five-year term, which right may be accelerated under certain conditions associated with an uncured material breach of the Halston Master License in accordance with the terms of the Halston Master License. The Licensor granted G-III a security interest in the Halston trademarks to secure the Licensor’s obligations under the Halston Master License, including to honor the obligations under the purchase option.

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As a result of the upfront cash payment and guaranteed minimum royalties discussed above, the Company has recognized $4.44 million of deferred revenue contract liabilities on its consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2023 related to this contract, of which $0.89 million was classified as a current liability and $3.55 million was classified as a long-term liability. The balance of the deferred revenue contract liabilities will be recognized ratably as revenue through December 31, 2028.

For the year ended December 31, 2023, net licensing revenue from the Halston Master License accounted for approximately 9% of the total net revenue of the Company.

Other Licensing Agreements

We have entered into numerous other licensing agreements for sales and distribution through e-commerce and traditional brick-and-mortar retailers. Authorized distribution channels include department stores, mass merchant retailers, clubs, and national specialty retailers. Under our other licenses, a supplier is granted rights, typically on an exclusive basis, to a single or small group of related product categories for sale to multiple accounts within an approved channel of distribution and territory. Our other license agreements typically provide the licensee with the exclusive rights for a certain product category in a specified territory and/or distribution channel under a specific brand or brands. Our other license agreements cover various categories, including but not limited to women’s apparel, footwear, and accessories; bath and body; jewelry; home products; men’s apparel and accessories; children’s and infant apparel, footwear, and accessories; and electronics cases and accessories. The terms of the agreements generally range from three to six years with renewal options.

We are in discussions with other potential licensees and strategic partners to license and/or co-brand our brand portfolio for additional categories. In certain cases, we have engaged licensing agents to assist in the procurement of such licenses for which we or our licensees pay such agents’ fees based upon a percentage of the net sales of licensed products by such licensees, or a percentage of the royalty payments that we receive from such licensees. While many of the new and proposed licensing agreements will likely require us to provide seasonal design services, most of our new and prospective licensing partners have their own design staff, and we therefore expect low incremental overhead costs related to expanding

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our licensing business. We will endeavor, where possible, to require licensees to provide guaranteed minimum royalties under their license agreements.

Our licensees currently sell our branded licensed products through brick-and-mortar retailers, e-commerce, and in certain cases supply products to interactive television companies for sale through their television programs and/or through their internet websites. We generally recognize revenues from our other licenses based on a percentage of the sales of products under our brands, but excluding (i) sales of products to interactive television networks, where we receive a retail royalty directly from the interactive television licensee, and (ii) sales of products through e-commerce sites operated by us. Additionally, based upon guaranteed minimum royalty provisions required under many of the license agreements, we are able to recognize revenue related to certain other licenses based on the greater of the sales-based royalty or the guaranteed minimum royalty.

Collaborations

In certain cases, the Company collaborates with and provides promotional services to other brands or companies, which arrangements may include the use of our brands for the promotion of such company or brands through the internet, television, or other digital content, print media, or other marketing campaigns featuring in-person appearances by our celebrity spokespersons, the development of limited collections of products (which may include co-branded products) for such company, or other services as determined on a case-by-case basis. These have included promotions with Sesame Street, Crayola, Hewlett Packard, Revlon, Johnson & Johnson, and Kleenex.

We also provide certain technology services to our retail partners and certain of our licensees under our proprietary integrated technology platform.

Marketing

Marketing is a critical element to maximize brand value to our licensees and our Company. We employ live streaming, social media, and other marketing and public relations support for our brands.

Given our true omni-channel retail sales strategy focusing on the sale of branded products through various distribution channels (including live-streaming, e-commerce, interactive television, and traditional brick-and-mortar sales channels), our marketing efforts currently focus on leveraging micro and mega-influencers, entertainment tie-ins, PR and editorial, social media campaigns, personal appearances, and digital content in order to drive retail sales of product and consumer awareness across our various sales distribution channels. We seek to create the intersection where shopping, entertainment, and social media meet. As such, our marketing is currently conducted primarily through live-streaming and social media, videos, images, and other digital content that are all updated regularly and are amplified by micro and mega-influencers and entertainment tie-ins. Our efforts also include promoting namesakes of our brands and our personalities through various media including live-streaming, television, design for performances, and other events. We also work with our retail partners to leverage their marketing resources, including e-commerce platforms and related digital marketing campaigns, social media platforms, direct mail pieces, and public relations efforts.

We also market the Lori Goldstein brand through www.lorigoldstein.com, the Halston Brand through www.halston.com, the Judith Ripka brand through www.judithripka.com, the C Wonder brand through www.cwonder.com, and the Longaberger brand through www.longaberger.com. Through our websites, we are able to present the products under our brands to customers with branding that reflects each brand’s heritage and unique point of view.

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Competition

Each of our current brands has and any future acquired brand will likely have many competitors within each of its specific distribution channels that span a broad variety of product categories, including the apparel, footwear, accessories, jewelry, home furnishings and décor, food products, and sporting goods industries. These competitors have the ability to compete with the Company and our licensees in terms of fashion, quality, price, products, and/or marketing, and ultimately retail floor space and consumer spending.

Because many of our competitors have significantly greater cash, revenues, and resources than we do, we must work to differentiate ourselves from our direct and indirect competitors to successfully compete for market share with the brands we own and for future acquisitions. We believe that the following factors help differentiate our Company in an increasingly crowded competitive landscape:

We expect our existing and future licenses to relate to products in the apparel, footwear, accessories, jewelry, home goods, and other consumer products industries, in which our licensees face intense competition, including from our other brands and licensees. In general, competitive factors include quality, price, style, name recognition, and service. In addition, various fashion trends and the limited availability of shelf space could affect competition for our licensees’ products. Many of our licensees’ competitors have greater financial, distribution, marketing, and other resources than our licensees and have achieved significant name recognition for their brand names. Our licensees may be unable to successfully compete in the markets for their products, and we may not be able to continue to compete successfully with respect to our licensing arrangements.

Trademarks

The Company, through its wholly owned subsidiaries, owns and exploits the Lori Goldstein brands, which include the trademarks and brands LOGO by Lori Goldstein, LOGO, LOGO Links, LOGO Lounge, LOGO Layers, and LOGO Luna; the Halston brands, which include the trademarks and brands Halston, Halston Heritage, Roy Frowick, H by Halston, and H Halston; the Ripka brands, which include the trademarks and brands Judith Ripka LTD, Judith Ripka Collection, Judith Ripka Legacy, Judith Ripka, and Judith Ripka Sterling; and the C Wonder brands, which include the trademarks and brands C Wonder and C Wonder Limited. We manage and have a 50% ownership interest in the brands and trademarks of the Longaberger brand through our business venture with Hilco Global. We also have a 30% ownership interest in IM Topco, which owns the Mizrahi brands, including the trademarks and brands Isaac Mizrahi, Isaac Mizrahi New York, IMNYC Isaac Mizrahi, and IsaacMizrahiLIVE.

Where laws limit our ability to record in our name trademarks that we have purchased, we have obtained by way of license all necessary rights to operate our business. Certain of these trademarks and associated marks are registered or pending registration with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in block letter and/or logo formats, as well as in combination with a variety of ancillary designs for use in connection with a variety of product categories, such as apparel, footwear and various other goods and services including, in some cases, home furnishings and decor. The Company intends to renew and maintain registrations as appropriate prior to expiration and it makes efforts to diligently prosecute all pending applications consistent with the Company’s business goals. In addition, the Company registers its trademarks in certain other countries and regions around the world as it deems appropriate.

The Company and its licensees do not presently earn a material amount of revenue from either the licensing of our trademarks internationally or the sale of products under our trademarks internationally. However, the Company has

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registered its trademarks in certain territories where it expects that it may do business in the foreseeable future. If the Company or a licensee intends to make use of the trademarks in international territories, the Company will seek to register its trademarks in such international territories as it deems appropriate based upon factors including the revenue potential, prospective market, and trademark laws in such territory or territories.

Generally, the Company is primarily responsible for monitoring and protecting its trademarks around the world. The Company seeks to require its licensing partners to advise the Company of any violations of its trademark rights of which its licensing partners become aware and relies primarily upon a combination of federal, state, and local laws, as well as contractual restrictions to protect its intellectual property rights both domestically and internationally.

Human Capital

Our employees’ knowledge, social, and personality attributes enable our company to achieve its goals, develop our business, and remain innovative. As of December 31, 2023, we had 34 full-time employees and 2 part-time employees. We value our employees and are committed to providing a healthy and safe work environment. For certain key employees, including our executives, brand ambassadors, and spokespersons, we typically enter into multi-year employment agreements. Overall, we believe that our relationship with our employees is good. None of our employees are represented by a labor union.

Government Regulation

We are subject to federal, state, and local laws and regulations affecting our business, including those promulgated under the Occupational Safety and Health Act, the Consumer Product Safety Act, the Flammable Fabrics Act, the Textile Fiber Product Identification Act, the rules and regulations of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, and various environmental laws and regulations. We believe that we are in compliance in all material respects with all applicable governmental regulations.

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Item 1A.   Risk Factors

In addition to the other information contained herein or incorporated herein by reference, the risks and uncertainties and other factors described below could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and share price and could also cause our future business, financial condition and results of operations to differ materially from the results contemplated by any forward-looking statement we may make herein, in any other document we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), or in any press release or other written or oral statement we may make. Please also see “Forward-Looking Statements” on page 3 for additional information regarding Forward-Looking Statements.

Summary of Risk Factors

Our business is subject to a number of risks, which include, but are not limited to, risks related to:

An investment in our securities is subject to a number of risks, which include, but are not limited to, risks related to:

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We are also subject to general risks, which include, but are not limited to, risks related to:

Risks Related to Our Business

We have a limited amount of cash to grow our operations. If we cannot obtain additional sources of cash, our growth prospects and future profitability may be materially adversely affected, and we may not be able to implement our business plan. Such additional financing may not be available on satisfactory terms or it may not be available when needed, or at all.

As of December 31, 2023, we had cash and cash equivalents of approximately $3.0 million, and during the year ended December 31, 2023, we used $6.5 million of cash in operating activities. On March 19, 2024, we closed on a public offering and private placement of our common stock, which resulted in aggregate net proceeds to us of approximately $2.0 million. Although we believe that our current levels of cash and our anticipated cash flow from operations will be sufficient to sustain our operations at our current expense levels for at least twelve months subsequent to the date of the filing of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, we may require significant additional cash to satisfy our working capital requirements, expand our operations, or acquire and develop additional brands. Our inability to finance our growth, either internally through our operations or externally, may limit our growth potential and our ability to execute our business strategy successfully. If we issue additional securities to raise capital to finance operations and/or pay down or restructure our debt, our existing stockholders may experience dilution. In addition, the new securities may have rights senior to those of our common stock.

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A substantial portion of our revenue is concentrated with a limited number of licensees such that the loss of any of such licensees could decrease our revenue and impair our cash flows.

A substantial portion of our revenue has been paid by Qurate, through the respective agreements with Qurate through QVC and HSN. During the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, Qurate accounted for approximately 34% and 44%, respectively, of our total net revenue. Because we are dependent on these agreements with Qurate for a significant portion of our revenues, if Qurate were to have financial difficulties, or if Qurate decides not to renew or extend its existing agreements with us, our revenue and cash flows could be reduced substantially. Our cash flow would also be significantly impacted if there were significant delays in our collection of receivables from Qurate. Additionally, we have limited control over the programming that Qurate devotes to our brands or its promotional sales with our brands (such as “Today’s Special Value” sales). If Qurate reduces or modifies its programming or promotional sales related to our brands, our revenues and cash flows could be reduced substantially. In order to increase sales of a brand through Qurate, we generally require additional television programming time dedicated to the brand by Qurate. Qurate is not required to devote any minimum amount of programming time for any of our brands.

Our Qurate revenues have declined since 2021, and there can be no guarantee that our Qurate revenues will grow in the future or that they will not decline further. Additionally, there can be no assurance that our other licensees will be able to generate sales of products under our brands or grow their existing sales of products under our brands, and if they do generate sales, there is no guarantee that they will not cause a decline in sales of products being sold through Qurate.

Our agreements with Qurate restrict us from selling products under our brands with certain retailers, or branded products we sell on Qurate to any other retailer except certain interactive television channels in other territories approved by Qurate, and provides Qurate with a right to terminate the respective agreement if we breach these provisions.

Although most of our licenses and our Qurate Agreements prohibit the sale of products under our brands to retailers who are restricted by Qurate, and our license agreements with other interactive television companies prohibit such licensees from selling products to retailers restricted by Qurate under the brands we sell on Qurate outside of certain approved territories, one or more of our licensees could sell to a restricted retailer or territory, putting us in breach of our agreements with Qurate and exposing us to potential termination by Qurate. A breach of any of these agreements could also result in Qurate seeking monetary damages, seeking an injunction against us and our other licensees, reducing the programming time allocated to our brands, and/or terminating the respective agreement, which could have a material adverse effect on our net income and cash flows.

We conduct certain of our operations through joint ventures. Joint ventures could fail to meet our expectations or cease to deliver anticipated benefits. There could also be disagreements with our joint venture partners that could adversely affect our interest a joint venture.

We hold a 30% interest in each of IM Topco, LLC and ORME. We may enter into additional joint ventures in the future. Our operating results are, in part, dependent upon the performance of IM Topco, LLC and ORME, and, in the future, could also be dependent in part upon the performance of future joint ventures. Joint ventures involve numerous risks, and could fail to meet our initial or ongoing expectations. While we provide certain services to IM Topco, LLC and may provide services to future joint ventures, we do not control the day-to-day operations of IM Topco, LLC or ORME, and may not control the day-to-day operations of future joint ventures. The anticipated synergies or other benefits of a joint venture may fail to materialize due to changing business conditions or changes in our business priorities or those of our joint venture partners. Our joint venture partners, as well as any future partners, may have interests that are different from our interests that may result in conflicting views as to the conduct of the business or future direction of the joint venture. In the event that we have a disagreement with a joint venture partner with respect to a particular issue to come before the joint venture, or as to the management or conduct of the business of the joint venture, we may not be able to resolve such disagreement in our favor. Any such disagreement could have a material adverse effect on our interest in the joint venture, the business of the joint venture, or the portion of our growth strategy related to the joint venture.

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We are dependent on our joint ventures to provide timely and accurate information about their sales and operations, which we rely upon to effectively manage their brands.

IM Topco, LLC and ORME are, and we expect any future joint ventures will be, contractually obligated to provide timely and accurate information regarding their sales and operations. We rely on this information to prepare our consolidated financial statements. Any delay in reporting reduces our visibility into the results of operations for IM Topco, LLC and any future joint ventures, and our inability to collect timely and accurate information may affect our ability to timely complete our financial statements and timely file reports and other information with the SEC and may adversely affect our business and results of operations.

We are dependent upon the promotional services of Lori Goldstein and our other spokespersons as they relate to our respective brands.

If we lose the services of Lori Goldstein, we may not be able to fully comply with the terms of our agreement with Qurate, and it may result in significant reductions in the value of the LOGO by Lori Goldstein brand and our prospects, revenues, and cash flows. Lori Goldstein is a key individual in our continued promotion of the LOGO by Lori Goldstein brand and the principal salesperson of the LOGO by Lori Goldstein brand on Qurate. Failure of Lori Goldstein to provide services to Qurate could result in a termination of related agreements with Qurate, which could trigger an event of default under our credit facility. Although we have entered into an employment agreement with Ms. Goldstein, there is no guarantee that we will not lose her services. To the extent that any of Ms. Goldstein’s services become unavailable to us, we will likely need to find a replacement for Ms. Goldstein to promote the LOGO by Lori Goldstein brand. Competition for skilled designers and high-profile brand promoters is intense, and compensation levels may be high, and there is no guarantee that we would be able to identify and attract a qualified replacement, or if Ms. Goldstein’s services are not available to us, that we would be able to promote the LOGO by Lori Goldstein brand as well as we are able to with Ms. Goldstein. This could significantly affect the value of the LOGO by Lori Goldstein brand and our ability to market the brand, and could impede our ability to fully implement our business plan and future growth strategy, which would harm our business and prospects. Additionally, while we acquired all trademarks, image, and likeness of Lori Goldstein, pursuant to the acquisition of the LOGO by Lori Goldstein assets and her employment agreement, Ms. Goldstein has retained certain rights to participate in outside business activities, including hosting and appearing in television shows, movies and theater productions, and writing and publishing books and other publications. Ms. Goldstein’s participation in these personal business ventures could limit her availability to us and affect her ability to perform under this employment agreement. Finally, there is no guarantee that Ms. Goldstein will not take an action that consumers view as negative, which may harm the LOGO by Lori Goldstein brand as well as our business and prospects.

We will also be dependent upon the services of our other spokespersons and our joint venture partner’s spokesperson to promote our other brands and the brands of our joint venture. The loss of a spokesperson or a joint ventures’ spokesperson could significantly affect the value of the related brand or our related joint venture interest and our or our related joint venture’s ability to market the brand which would harm our business and prospects.

The company has withheld and rescheduled payment of the $963,642 earnout payment for 2023 due to a spokesperson due to alleged uncured breaches of the spokesperson’s obligations under an employment agreement.

On February 16, 2024, counsel to Lori Goldstein, a brand spokesperson for the company, advised the company that the Company was in material breach of the March 31, 2021 asset purchase agreement for failure to pay the earn-out achieved for 2023 in the amount of $963,642 (the “2023 Earn-out”) under the terms of the agreement, and is instead intending on paying such amount quarterly in 2024. The Company does not dispute the amount of the 2023 Earn-out and advised Ms. Goldstein that due to Ms. Goldstein’s failure to make all of the QVC appearances as required by her employment agreement, the Company was not willing to pay the 2023 Earn-out in a lump sum but would make the payment in four quarterly installments. Failure to amicably resolve this dispute could adversely affect the Company’s cash flow and the availability of Ms. Goldstein’s services. To the extent that any of Ms. Goldstein’s services become unavailable to us, we will likely need to utilize our existing back-up guest hosts in lieu of Ms. Goldstein and/or find a replacement for Ms. Goldstein to promote the LOGO by Lori Goldstein brand. Competition for skilled designers and high-profile brand promoters is intense, and compensation levels may be high, and there is no guarantee that we would be able to identify and attract a qualified replacement, or if Ms. Goldstein’s services are not available to us, that we would be able to promote

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the LOGO by Lori Goldstein brand on QVC and otherwise. This could significantly affect the value of the LOGO by Lori Goldstein brand and our ability to market the brand, and could impede our ability to fully implement our business plan and future growth strategy for the Lori Goldstein brands, which would harm our business and prospects and adversely impact our results of operations, financial conditions, and cash flows.

​

The failure of our licensees to adequately produce, market, source, and sell quality products bearing our brand names in their license categories or to pay their obligations under their license agreements could result in a decline in our results of operations.

Our revenues are dependent on payments made to us under our licensing agreements. Although the licensing agreements for our brands typically require the advance payment to us of a portion of the licensing fees and in many cases provide for guaranteed minimum royalty payments to us, the failure of our licensees to satisfy their obligations under these agreements or their inability to operate successfully or at all, could result in their breach and/or the early termination of such agreements, the non-renewal of such agreements, or our decision to amend such agreements to reduce the guaranteed minimums or sales royalties due thereunder, thereby eliminating some or all of that stream of revenue. Moreover, during the terms of the license agreements, we are substantially dependent upon the efforts and abilities of our licensees to maintain the quality and marketability of the products bearing our trademarks, as their failure to do so could materially tarnish our brands, thereby harming our future growth and prospects. In addition, the failure of our licensees to meet their production, manufacturing, sourcing, and distribution requirements or actively market the branded licensed products could cause a decline in their sales and potentially decrease the amount of royalty payments (over and above the guaranteed minimums) due to us. A weak economy or softness in the apparel and retail sectors could exacerbate this risk. This, in turn, could decrease our potential revenues. The concurrent failure by several of our material licensees to meet their financial obligations to us could adversely affect our business, results of operations, and cash flows.

If our retail customers change their buying patterns, request additional allowances, develop their own private label brands or enter into agreements with national brand manufacturers to sell their products on an exclusive basis, our sales to these customers could be materially adversely affected.

Our retail customers’ buying patterns, as well as the need to provide additional allowances to customers, could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. Customers’ strategic initiatives, including developing their own private labels brands, selling national brands on an exclusive basis, reducing the number of vendors they purchase from, or reducing the floor space dedicated to our brands could also impact our sales to these customers. There is a trend among major retailers to concentrate purchasing among a narrowing group of vendors. To the extent that any key customer reduces the number of its vendors or allocates less floor space for our products and, as a result, reduces or eliminates purchases from us, there could be a material adverse effect on us.

Our business is dependent on continued market acceptance of our brands, our joint venture brands, and any future brands we may acquire directly or through a joint venture, and the products of our licensees.

Although certain of our licensees guarantee minimum net sales and minimum royalties to us, some of our licensees are not yet selling licensed products or currently have limited distribution of licensed products, and a failure of our brands or of our joint venture brands or of products bearing our brands or our joint venture brands to achieve or maintain broad market acceptance could cause a reduction of our licensing revenues, diminish the value of and generally affect the operating results of our joint ventures, and could further cause existing licensees not to renew their agreements. Such failure could also cause the devaluation of our trademarks, which are our primary assets and the primary assets of our joint ventures, making it more difficult for us or our joint ventures to renew our current licenses upon their expiration or enter into new or additional licenses for such trademarks. In addition, if such devaluation of our trademarks were to occur, a material impairment in the carrying value of one or more of our trademarks, which had an aggregate carrying value of $41.5 million as of December 31, 2023, could also occur and be charged as an expense to our operating results. Continued market acceptance of our brands, our joint ventures’ brands, and our licensees’ products, as well as market acceptance of any future products bearing any future brands we may acquire, is subject to a high degree of uncertainty and constantly changing consumer tastes, preferences, and purchasing patterns. Creating and maintaining market acceptance of our licensees’ products and creating market acceptance of new products and categories of products bearing our marks may require substantial marketing efforts, which may, from time to time, also include our expenditure of significant additional

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funds to keep pace with changing consumer demands, which funds may or may not be available on a timely basis, on acceptable terms or at all. Additional marketing efforts and expenditures may not, however, result in either increased market acceptance of, or additional licenses for, our trademarks or increased market acceptance, or sales, of our licensees’ products. Furthermore, we do not actually design or manufacture all of the products bearing our marks, and therefore, have less control over such products’ quality and design than a traditional product manufacturer might have. The failure of our licensees and joint ventures to maintain the quality of their products could harm the reputation and marketability of our brands and our joint ventures’ brands, which would adversely impact our business and the business of our joint ventures.

Negative claims or publicity regarding Xcel, IM Topco, LLC, any future joint ventures, our or their brands, or products could adversely affect our reputation and sales regardless of whether such claims are accurate. Social media, which accelerates the dissemination of information, can increase the challenges of responding to negative claims. In the past, many apparel companies have experienced periods of rapid growth in sales and earnings followed by periods of declining sales and losses. Our businesses may be similarly affected in the future.

Use of social media and influencers may materially and adversely affect our reputation or subject us to fines or other penalties.

We use and our joint ventures may use third-party social media platforms as, among other things, marketing tools. We also maintain, and our joint ventures may maintain, relationships with many social media influencers and engage in sponsorship initiatives. As existing e-commerce and social media platforms continue to rapidly evolve and new platforms develop, we and our joint ventures must continue to maintain a presence on these platforms and establish presences on new or emerging popular social media platforms. If we or our joint ventures are unable to cost-effectively use social media platforms as marketing tools or if the social media platforms we or our joint ventures use change their policies or algorithms, we or our joint ventures may not be able to fully optimize such platforms, and our and their ability to maintain and acquire customers and our financial condition may suffer.

Furthermore, as laws and regulations and public opinion rapidly evolve to govern the use of these platforms and devices, the failure by us, our employees, our network of social media influencers, our sponsors or third parties acting at our direction to abide by applicable laws and regulations in the use of these platforms and devices or otherwise could subject us to regulatory investigations, class action lawsuits, liability, fines or other penalties and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and operating results.

In addition, an increase in the use of social media for product promotion and marketing may cause an increase in the burden on us and our joint ventures to monitor compliance of such materials, and increase the risk that such materials could contain problematic product or marketing claims in violation of applicable regulations. For example, in some cases, the Federal Trade Commission has sought enforcement action where an endorsement has failed to clearly and conspicuously disclose a financial relationship or material connection between an influencer and an advertiser.

We do not prescribe what our influencers post, and if we were held responsible for the content of their posts or their actions, we could be fined or forced to alter our practices, which could have an adverse impact on our business.

Negative commentary regarding us, our joint ventures or our or their products or influencers and other third parties who are affiliated with us or our joint ventures may also be posted on social media platforms and may be adverse to our or our joint ventures’ reputation or business. Influencers with whom we or our joint ventures maintain relationships could engage in behavior or use their platforms to communicate directly with our customers in a manner that reflects poorly on our or our joint ventures’ brand and may be attributed to us or our joint ventures or otherwise adversely affect us or our joint ventures. It is not possible to prevent such behavior, and the precautions we and our joint ventures take to detect this activity may not be effective in all cases. Our and our joint ventures’ target consumers often value readily available information and often act on such information without further investigation and without regard to its accuracy. The harm may be immediate, without affording us and our joint ventures an opportunity for redress or correction.

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If we are unable to anticipate and respond to changing customer preferences and shifts in fashion and industry trends in a timely manner, our business, financial condition, and operating results could be harmed.

Our success largely depends on our ability to consistently gauge tastes and trends and provide a diverse and balanced assortment of merchandise that satisfies customer demands in a timely manner. Our ability to accurately forecast demand for our products could be affected by many factors, including an increase or decrease in demand for our products or for products of our competitors, our failure to accurately forecast acceptance of new products, product introductions by competitors, unanticipated changes in general market conditions, and weakening of economic conditions or consumer confidence in future economic conditions. We typically enter into agreements to manufacture and purchase our merchandise in advance of the applicable selling season and our failure to anticipate, identify or react appropriately, or in a timely manner to changes in customer preferences, tastes and trends or economic conditions could lead to, among other things, missed opportunities, excess inventory or inventory shortages, markdowns and write-offs, all of which could negatively impact our profitability and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and operating results. Failure to respond to changing customer preferences and fashion trends could also negatively impact the image of our brands with our customers and result in diminished brand loyalty.

If major department, mass merchant, and specialty store chains consolidate, continue to close stores, or cease to do business, our business could be negatively affected.

Certain of our licensees sell our branded products through major department, mass merchant, and specialty store chains. Continued consolidation in the retail industry, as well as store closures or retailers ceasing to do business, could negatively impact our business. Consolidation could also reduce the number of our customers and potential customers who can access our branded products. A store group could decide to close stores, decrease the amount of our branded product purchased from our licensees, modify the amount of floor space allocated to apparel in general or to our brands specifically, or focus on promoting private label products or national brand products for which it has exclusive rights rather than promoting our brands. Customers are also concentrating purchases among a narrowing group of vendors. These types of decisions could adversely affect our business.

We expect to achieve growth based upon our plans to expand our business under our existing brands and brands we may develop independently or through collaborations or acquire. If we fail to manage our expected future growth, our business and operating results could be materially harmed.

We expect to achieve growth in our existing brands and brands we may develop independently or through collaborations or acquire through expansion of our licensing activities and social media e-commerce platforms, including ORME. We continue to seek new opportunities and international expansion through interactive television and licensing arrangements, as well as joint ventures and collaborations. The success of our company, however, will remain largely dependent on our ability to build and maintain broad market acceptance of our brands, to contract with and retain key licensees and on our licensees’ ability to accurately predict upcoming fashion and design trends within customer bases and fulfill the product requirements of retail channels within the global marketplace.

Our ability to compete effectively and to manage future growth, if any, will depend on the sufficiency and adequacy of our current resources and infrastructure and our ability to continue to identify, attract and retain personnel to manage our brands and integrate any brands we may acquire into our operations. There can be no assurance that our personnel, systems, procedures and controls will be adequate to support our operations and properly oversee our brands. The failure to support our operations effectively and properly oversee our brands could cause harm to our brands and have a material adverse effect on the value of such brands and on our reputation, business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, we may be unable to leverage our core competencies in managing apparel and jewelry brands to managing brands in new product categories.

Also, there can be no assurance that we will be able to achieve and sustain meaningful growth. Our growth may be limited by a number of factors including increased competition among branded products at brick-and-mortar, internet and interactive retailers, decreased airtime on QVC, HSN, and JTV, competition for retail licenses and brand acquisitions, joint ventures and collaborations, and insufficient capitalization for future transactions.

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We are dependent upon our Chief Executive Officer and other key executives. If we lose the services of these individuals, we may not be able to fully implement our business plan and future growth strategy, which would harm our business and prospects.

Our success is largely dependent upon the efforts of Robert W. D’Loren, our Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of our board of directors. Our continued success is largely dependent upon his continued efforts and those of our other key executives. Although we entered into an employment agreement with Mr. D’Loren, as well as employment agreements with other executives and key employees, such persons can terminate their employment with us at their option, and there is no guarantee that we will not lose the services of our executive officers or key employees. To the extent that any of their services become unavailable to us, we will be required to hire other qualified executives, and we may not be successful in finding or hiring adequate replacements. This could impede our ability to fully implement our business plan and future growth strategy, which would harm our business and prospects.

If we are unable to identify and successfully acquire additional trademarks or enter into joint ventures or collaborations for brands, our growth may be limited and, even if additional trademarks are acquired or joint ventures and collaborations are formed, we may not realize anticipated benefits due to integration or licensing difficulties.

While we are focused on growing our existing brands, we intend to selectively seek to acquire additional intellectual property, either directly or through the formation of joint ventures or collaborations. However, as our competitors continue to pursue a brand management model, acquisitions, joint ventures, and collaborations may become more expensive and suitable candidates could become more difficult to find. In addition, even if we successfully acquire additional intellectual property or the rights to use additional intellectual property, we may not be able to achieve or maintain profitability levels that justify our investment in, or realize planned benefits with respect to, those additional brands.

Although we will seek to temper our acquisition, joint venture, and collaboration risks by following guidelines relating to purchase price and valuation, projected returns, existing strength of the brand, its diversification benefits to us, its potential licensing scale and creditworthiness of licensee base, acquisitions, joint ventures, and collaborations, whether they be of additional intellectual property assets or of the companies that own them, entail numerous risks, any of which could detrimentally affect our reputation, our results of operations, and/or the value of our common stock. These risks include, among others:

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When we acquire intellectual property assets or the companies that own them, or enter into joint ventures or collaborations, our due diligence reviews are subject to inherent uncertainties and may not reveal all potential risks. We may therefore fail to discover or inaccurately assess undisclosed or contingent liabilities, including liabilities for which we may have responsibility as a successor to the seller or the target company. As a successor, we may be responsible for any past or continuing violations of law by the seller or the target company. Although we will generally attempt to seek contractual protections through representations, warranties and indemnities, we cannot be sure that we will obtain such provisions or that such provisions will fully protect us from all unknown, contingent or other liabilities or costs. Finally, claims against us relating to any acquisition may necessitate our seeking claims against the seller for which the seller may not, or may not be able to, indemnify us or that may exceed the scope, duration or amount of the seller’s indemnification obligations.

Acquiring additional intellectual property could also have a significant effect on our financial position and could cause substantial fluctuations in our quarterly and yearly operating results. Acquisitions and joint ventures could result in the recording of significant goodwill and intangible assets on our financial statements, the amortization or impairment of which would reduce our reported earnings in subsequent years. No assurance can be given with respect to the timing, likelihood or financial or business effect of any possible transaction. Moreover, our ability to grow through the acquisition of additional intellectual property, joint ventures and collaborations will also depend on the availability of capital to complete the necessary acquisition arrangements. In the event that we are unable to obtain debt financing on acceptable terms for a particular transaction, we may elect to pursue the transaction through the issuance by us of shares of our common stock (and, in certain cases, convertible securities) as equity consideration, which could dilute our common stock and reduce our earnings per share, and any such dilution could reduce the market price of our common stock unless and until we were able to achieve revenue growth or cost savings and other business economies sufficient to offset the effect of such an issuance. Acquisitions of additional brands may also involve challenges related to integration into our existing operations, merging diverse cultures, and retaining key employees. Any failure to integrate additional brands successfully in the future may adversely impact our reputation and business.

As a result, there is no guarantee that our stockholders will achieve greater returns as a result of any future acquisitions we complete.

Intense competition in the apparel, fashion, and jewelry industries could reduce our sales and profitability.

As a fashion company, we face intense competition from other domestic and foreign apparel, footwear, accessories, and jewelry manufacturers and retailers. Competition has and may continue to result in pricing pressures, reduced profit margins, lost market share, or failure to grow our market share, any of which could substantially harm our business and results of operations. Competition is based on many factors including, without limitation, the following:

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Competition in the apparel, fashion and jewelry industries is intense and is dominated by a number of very large brands, many of which have longer operating histories, larger customer bases, more established relationships with a broader set of potential licensees, greater brand recognition, and greater financial, research and development, marketing, distribution, and other resources than we do. These capabilities of our competitors may allow them to better withstand downturns in the economy or apparel, fashion and jewelry industries. Any increased competition, or our failure to adequately address any of these competitive factors which we have seen from time to time, could result in reduced sales, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and operating results.

Competition, along with such other factors as consolidation within the retail industry and changes in consumer spending patterns, could also result in significant pricing pressure and cause the sales environment to be more promotional, as it has been in recent years, impacting our financial results. If promotional pressure remains intense, either through actions of our competitors or through customer expectations, this may cause a further reduction in our sales and gross margins and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and operating results.

Because of the intense competition within our existing and potential wholesale licensees’ markets and the strength of some of their competitors, we and our licensees may not be able to continue to compete successfully.

We expect our existing and future licenses to relate to products in the apparel, footwear, accessories, jewelry, home goods, and other consumer industries, in which our licensees face intense competition, including from our other brands and licensees. In general, competitive factors include quality, price, style, name recognition, and service. In addition, various fashion trends and the limited availability of shelf space could affect competition for our licensees’ products. Many of our licensees’ competitors have greater financial, distribution, marketing, and other resources than our licensees and have achieved significant name recognition for their brand names. Our licensees may be unable to successfully compete in the markets for their products, and we may not be able to continue to compete successfully with respect to our contractual arrangements.

If our competition for licenses increases, or any of our current licensees elect not to renew their licenses or renew on terms less favorable than today, our growth plans could be slowed and our business, financial condition and results of operations would be adversely affected.

To the extent we seek to acquire additional brands, we will face competition to retain licenses and to complete such acquisitions. The ownership, licensing, and management of brands is becoming a more widely utilized method of managing consumer brands as production continues to become commoditized and manufacturing capacity increases worldwide. We face competition from numerous direct competitors, both publicly and privately-held, including traditional apparel and consumer brand companies, other brand management companies and private equity groups. Companies that traditionally focused on wholesale manufacturing and sourcing models are now exploring licensing as a way of growing their businesses through strategic licensing partners and direct-to-retail contractual arrangements. Furthermore, our current or potential licensees may decide to develop or purchase brands rather than renew or enter into contractual agreements with us. In addition, this increased competition could result in lower sales of products offered by our licensees under our brands. If our competition for licenses increases, it may take us longer to procure additional licenses, which could slow our growth rate.

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Difficulties with foreign sourcing may adversely affect our business.

Our licensees work with several manufacturers overseas, primarily located overseas, including in China and Thailand. A manufacturing contractor’s failure to ship products to our licensees in a timely manner or to meet the required quality standards could cause the licensee to miss the delivery date requirements of its customers for those items or not have seasonal product available for a selling season. The failure to make timely deliveries may cause their customers to cancel orders, refuse to accept deliveries or demand reduced prices, any of which could reduce our licensing royalties, which could have a material adverse effect on us. As a result of the magnitude of our licensees’ foreign sourcing, our business is subject to the following risks:

If these risks limit or prevent our licensees from manufacturing products in any significant international market, prevent us from acquiring products from foreign suppliers, the production and sale of our brands be seriously disrupted until alternative suppliers are found or alternative markets are developed, which could negatively impact our business.

Our failure to protect our proprietary rights could compromise our competitive position and decrease the value of our brands.

We own, through our wholly owned subsidiaries, various U.S. federal trademark registrations and foreign trademark registrations for our brands, together with pending applications for registration, which are vital to the success and further growth of our business and which we believe have significant value. We rely primarily upon a combination of trademarks, copyrights, and contractual restrictions to protect and enforce our intellectual property rights domestically and internationally. We believe that such measures afford only limited protection and, accordingly, there can be no assurance that the actions taken by us to establish, protect, and enforce our trademarks and other proprietary rights will prevent

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infringement of our intellectual property rights by others, or prevent the loss of licensing revenue or other damages caused therefrom.

For instance, despite our efforts to protect and enforce our intellectual property rights, unauthorized parties may attempt to copy aspects of our intellectual property, which could harm the reputation of our brands, decrease their value, and/or cause a decline in our licensees’ sales and thus our revenues. Further, we and our licensees may not be able to detect infringement of our intellectual property rights quickly or at all, and at times, we or our licensees may not be successful in combating counterfeit, infringing, or knockoff products, thereby damaging our competitive position. In addition, we depend upon the laws of the countries where our licensees’ products are sold to protect our intellectual property. Intellectual property rights may be unavailable or limited in some countries because standards of registration and ownership vary internationally. Consequently, in certain foreign jurisdictions, we have elected or may elect not to apply for trademark registrations.

While we generally apply for trademarks in most countries where we license or intend to license our trademarks, we may not accurately predict all of the countries where trademark protection will ultimately be desirable. If we fail to timely file a trademark application in any such country, we may be precluded from obtaining a trademark registration in such country at a later date. Failure to adequately pursue and enforce our trademark rights could damage our brands, enable others to compete with our brands and impair our ability to compete effectively.

In addition, in the future, we may be required to assert infringement claims against third parties or more third parties may assert infringement claims against us. Any resulting litigation or proceeding could result in significant expense to us and divert the efforts of our management personnel, whether or not such litigation or proceeding is determined in our favor. To the extent that any of our trademarks were ever deemed to violate the proprietary rights of others in any litigation or proceeding or as a result of any claim, we may be prevented from using them, which could cause a termination of our contractual arrangements, and thus our revenue stream, with respect to those trademarks. Litigation could also result in a judgment or monetary damages being levied against us.

Risks Related to an Investment in Our Securities

Management exercises significant control over matters requiring shareholder approval, which may result in the delay or prevention of a change in our control.

Pursuant to voting agreements, certain shareholders agreed to appoint a person designated by our board of directors as their collective irrevocable proxy and attorney-in-fact with respect to the shares of the common stock received by them. The proxy holder will vote in favor of matters recommended or approved by the board of directors. The board of directors has designated Robert W. D’Loren as proxy. Also, pursuant to separate voting agreements, certain other stockholders have agreed to appoint Mr. D’Loren as their respective irrevocable proxy and attorney-in-fact with respect to the shares of the common stock issued to them by us. The proxy holder shall vote in favor of matters recommended or approved by the board of directors.

The combined voting power of the common stock ownership of our directors and executive officers is approximately 45% of our voting securities as of March 31, 2024. As a result, our management through such stock ownership will exercise significant influence over all matters requiring shareholder approval, including the election of our directors and approval of significant corporate transactions. This concentration of ownership in management may also have the effect of delaying or preventing a change in control of us that may be otherwise viewed as beneficial by stockholders other than management. There is also a risk that our existing management and a limited number of stockholders may have interests which are different from certain stockholders and that they will pursue an agenda which is beneficial to themselves at the expense of other stockholders.

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Our failure to meet the continued listing requirements of the Nasdaq Capital Market could result in a delisting of our common stock, which could negatively impact the market price and liquidity of our common stock and our ability to access the capital markets.

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On April 16, 2024, we received a letter from the Listing Qualifications Department of The Nasdaq Stock Market (“Nasdaq”) notifying us that the minimum bid price per share for our common stock fell below $1.00 for a period of 30 consecutive business days. Therefore, the Company did not meet the minimum bid price requirement set forth in the Nasdaq Listing Rules.

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The letter also states that pursuant to Nasdaq Listing Rules 5810(c)(3)(A), we will be provided 180 calendar days to regain compliance with the minimum bid price requirement, or until October 14, 2024.

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We can regain compliance if, at any time during the Tolling Period or such 180-day period, the closing bid price of our common stock is at least $1.00 for a minimum period of 10 consecutive business days. If by October 14, 2024, we do not regain compliance with the Nasdaq Listing Rules, we may be eligible for additional time to regain compliance pursuant to Nasdaq Listing Rule 5810(c)(3)(A)(ii). We would also need to provide written notice to Nasdaq of our intention to cure the minimum bid price deficiency during the second compliance period by effecting a reverse stock split, if necessary. As part of its review process, the Nasdaq staff will make a determination of whether it believes we will be able to cure this deficiency. Should the Nasdaq staff conclude that we will not be able to cure the deficiency, or should we determine not to submit a transfer application or make the required representation, Nasdaq will provide notice that our shares of common stock will be subject to delisting.

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If we do not regain compliance within the allotted compliance period, including any extensions that may be granted by Nasdaq, Nasdaq will provide notice that our shares of common stock will be subject to delisting from the Nasdaq Capital Market. At such time, we may appeal the delisting determination to a hearings panel.

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We intend to monitor our common stock closing bid price between now and October 14, 2024 and will consider available options to resolve the Company’s noncompliance with the minimum bid price requirement, as may be necessary. There can be no assurance that the Company will be able to regain compliance with the minimum bid price requirement or will otherwise be in compliance with other Nasdaq listing criteria.

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Our common stock may be subject to the penny stock rules adopted by the SEC that require brokers to provide extensive disclosure to their customers prior to executing trades in penny stocks. These disclosure requirements may cause a reduction in the trading activity of our common stock, which could make it more difficult for our stockholders to sell their securities.

Rule 3a51-1 of the Exchange Act establishes the definition of a “penny stock,” for purposes relevant to us, as any equity security that has a minimum bid price of less than $5.00 per share, subject to a limited number of exceptions, including for having securities registered on certain national securities exchanges. If our common stock were delisted from the NASDAQ, market liquidity for our common stock could be severely and adversely affected.

For any transaction involving a penny stock, unless exempt, the penny stock rules require that a broker or dealer approve a person’s account for transactions in penny stocks and the broker or dealer receive from the investor a written agreement to the transaction setting forth the identity and quantity of the penny stock to be purchased. In order to approve a person’s account for transactions in penny stocks, the broker or dealer must obtain financial information and investment experience and objectives of the person and make a reasonable determination that the transactions in penny stocks are suitable for that person and that that person has sufficient knowledge and experience in financial matters to be capable of evaluating the risks of transactions in penny stocks.

The broker or dealer must also deliver, prior to any transaction in a penny stock, a disclosure schedule prepared by the SEC relating to the penny stock market, which, in highlight form, sets forth:

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Disclosure also has to be made about the risks of investing in penny stocks in both public offerings and in secondary trading and commission payable to both the broker-dealer and the registered representative, current quotations for the securities and the rights and remedies available to an investor in cases of fraud in penny stock transactions. Finally, monthly statements have to be sent disclosing recent price information for the penny stock held in the account and information on the limited market in penny stocks.

Because of these regulations, broker-dealers may not wish to engage in the above-referenced necessary paperwork and disclosures and/or may encounter difficulties in their attempt to sell shares of our common stock, which may affect the ability of selling stockholders or other holders to sell their shares in any secondary market and have the effect of reducing the level of trading activity in any secondary market. These additional sales practice and disclosure requirements could impede the sale of our common stock even if and when our common stock becomes listed on the NASDAQ Capital Market. In addition, the liquidity for our common stock may decrease, with a corresponding decrease in the price of our common stock.

No assurance can be given that our stock will not be subject to these “penny stock” rules in the future.

Investors should be aware that, according to Commission Release No. 34-29093, the market for “penny stocks” has suffered in recent years from patterns of fraud and abuse. Such patterns include: (1) control of the market for the security by one or a few broker-dealers that are often related to the promoter or issuer; (2) manipulation of prices through prearranged matching of purchases and sales and false and misleading press releases; (3) boiler room practices involving high-pressure sales tactics and unrealistic price projections by inexperienced sales persons; (4) excessive and undisclosed bid-ask differential and markups by selling broker-dealers; and (5) the wholesale dumping of the same securities by promoters and broker-dealers after prices have been manipulated to a desired level, along with the resulting inevitable collapse of those prices and with consequent investor losses. The occurrence of these patterns or practices could increase the future volatility of our share price.

Our common stock has historically been thinly traded, and you may be unable to sell at or near ask prices or at all if you need to sell or liquidate a substantial number of shares at one time.

Although our common stock is listed on the NASDAQ Capital Market, our common stock has historically been traded at relatively low volumes. As a result, the number of persons interested in purchasing our common stock at or near bid prices at any given time may be relatively small. This situation is attributable to a number of factors, including that we are currently a small company which is still relatively unknown to securities analysts, stock brokers, institutional investors and others in the investment community that generate or influence sales volume, and that even if we came to the attention of such persons, they tend to be risk-averse and reluctant to follow an unproven company such as ours or purchase or recommend the purchase of our shares until such time as we become more seasoned and viable. As a consequence, there may be periods of several days or more when trading activity in our shares is minimal, as compared to a seasoned issuer which has a large and steady volume of trading activity that will generally support continuous sales without an adverse effect on share price. We cannot provide any assurance that a broader or more active public trading market for our common stock will develop or be sustained, or that trading levels will be sustained.

The market price of our common stock has declined over the past several years and may be volatile, which could reduce the market price of our common stock.

Currently the publicly traded shares of our common stock are not widely held, and do not have significant trading volume, and, therefore, may experience significant price and volume fluctuations. Although our common stock is quoted on the NASDAQ Capital Market, this does not assure that a meaningful, consistent trading market will develop or that the volatility will decline. This market volatility could reduce the market price of the common stock, regardless of our operating performance. In addition, the trading price of the common stock has been volatile over the past several years and could change significantly over short periods of time in response to actual or anticipated variations in our quarterly operating results, announcements by us, our licensees or our respective competitors, factors affecting our licensees’ markets generally and/or changes in national or regional economic conditions, making it more difficult for shares of the common stock to be sold at a favorable price or at all. The market price of the common stock could also be reduced by general market price declines or market volatility in the future or future declines or volatility in the prices of stocks for companies in the trademark licensing business or companies in the industries in which our licensees compete.

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We may issue a substantial number of shares of common stock upon exercise of outstanding warrants and options.

As of December 31, 2023, we had outstanding warrants and options to purchase 6,264,605 shares of our common stock with a weighted average exercise price of $1.96. The holders of warrants and options will likely exercise such securities at a time when the market price of our common stock exceeds the exercise price. Therefore, exercises of warrants and options will result in a decrease in the net tangible book value per share of our common stock and such decrease could be material.

The issuance of shares upon exercise of outstanding warrants and options will dilute our then-existing stockholders’ percentage ownership of our company, and such dilution could be substantial. In addition, our growth strategy includes the acquisition of additional brands, and we may issue shares of our common stock as consideration for acquisitions. Sales or the potential for sale of a substantial number of such shares could adversely affect the market price of our common stock, particularly if our common stock remains thinly traded at such time.

As of December 31, 2023, we had an aggregate of 3,103,941 shares of common stock available for grants under our 2021 Equity Incentive Plan (the "2021 Plan") to our directors, executive officers, employees, and consultants. Issuances of common stock pursuant to the exercise of stock options or other stock grants or awards which may be granted under our 2021 Plan will dilute your interest in us.

Holders of our common stock may be subject to restrictions on the use of Rule 144 by shell companies or former shell companies.

Historically, the SEC has taken the position that Rule 144 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, is not available for the resale of securities initially issued by companies that are, or previously were, shell companies (we were considered a shell company on and prior to September 29, 2011), to their promoters or affiliates despite technical compliance with the requirements of Rule 144. The SEC prohibits the use of Rule 144 for resale of securities issued by shell companies (other than business transaction related shell companies) or issuers that have been at any time previously a shell company. The SEC has provided an important exception to this prohibition, however, if the following conditions are met: the issuer of the securities that was formerly a shell company has ceased to be a shell company; the issuer of the securities is subject to the reporting requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act; the issuer of the securities has filed all Exchange Act reports and material required to be filed, as applicable, during the preceding 12 months (or such shorter period that the issuer was required to file such reports and materials), other than Form 8-K reports; and at least one year has elapsed from the time that the issuer filed current Form 10 type information with the SEC reflecting its status as an entity that is not a shell company. As such, due to the fact that we had been a shell company prior to September 2011, holders of “restricted securities” within the meaning of Rule 144, when reselling their shares pursuant to Rule 144, shall be subject to the conditions set forth herein.

We do not anticipate paying cash dividends on our common stock.

You should not rely on an investment in our common stock to provide dividend income, as we have not paid dividends on our common stock, and we do not plan to pay any dividends in the foreseeable future. Instead, we plan to retain any earnings to maintain and expand our existing licensing operations, further develop our trademarks, and finance the acquisition of additional trademarks. Accordingly, investors must rely on sales of their common stock after price appreciation, which may never occur, as the only way to realize any return on their investment. In addition, our credit facility limits the amount of cash dividends we may pay while amounts under the credit facility are outstanding.

Provisions of our corporate charter documents could delay or prevent change of control.

Our certificate of incorporation authorizes our board of directors to issue up to 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock without stockholder approval, in one or more series, and to fix the dividend rights, terms, conversion rights, voting rights, redemption rights and terms, liquidation preferences, and any other rights, preferences, privileges, and restrictions applicable to each new series of preferred stock. The designation of preferred stock in the future could make it difficult for third parties to gain control of our company, prevent or substantially delay a change in control, discourage bids for the common stock at a premium, or otherwise adversely affect the market price of the common stock.

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General Risks

A pandemic outbreak of disease or similar public health threat, or fear of such an event, could have a material adverse impact on the Company's business, operating results and financial condition.

A pandemic or outbreak of disease or similar public health threat, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, or fear of such an event, could have a material adverse impact on our business, operating results, and financial condition. The COVID-19 pandemic caused a disruption to our business, beginning in March 2020.

The impacts of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic (including actions taken by national, state, and local governments in response to COVID-19) negatively impacted the U.S. and global economy, disrupted consumer spending and global supply chains, and created significant volatility and disruption of financial markets. The initial onset of the pandemic in 2020 resulted in a sudden decrease in sales for many of the Company’s products, from which we have yet to fully recover. The global pandemic affected the financial health of certain of our customers, and the bankruptcy of certain other customers; as a result, we may be required to make additional adjustments for doubtful accounts which would increase our operating expenses in future periods and negatively impact our operating results.

Supply chain disruptions have adversely affected, and could continue to adversely affect, our licensees’ ability to import our products in a timely manner.

The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the shipping industry negatively impacted our and our licensees’ ability to import our branded products in a manner that allows for timely delivery to customers. Congestion at ports of loading and ports of entry caused significant delays in deliveries and changes to the itineraries of steamship carriers. Use of alternate routes or delivery methods would require additional trucking for our licensees and their customers. Truck driver shortages, shortages of truck equipment and the inability of ports to provide reliable pick up times, also negatively impacted our and our licensees’ ability to timely receive goods in the past. If our licensees are unable to mitigate supply chain disruptions, their ability to meet customer expectations, manage inventory and complete sales could be materially adversely affected.

Contractual shipping rates have increased as a result of increased demand for container space and the logistical delays experienced by the shipping industry. Costs have increased as a result of higher contractual shipping rates and the need to purchase additional container space on the secondary market at higher spot rates. Terminals are also now imposing additional fees on importers not picking up containers on time, even when equipment and labor shortages negatively affect the ability of importers to pick up in a timely manner.

If our licensees are unable to secure container space on a vessel for our branded product due to limited availability, they may experience delays in shipping product from overseas suppliers and ultimately to their customers. Furthermore, even if they are able to secure space, ports around the world are experiencing congestion from time to time, slowing transit times of product through ports of entry which negatively affects their ability to timely receive and deliver product to their retail partners and customers.

If our licensees are unable to mitigate these supply chain disruptions, their ability to meet customer expectations, manage inventory and complete sales could be materially adversely affected, which could adversely affect our results of operations.

The Ukrainian-Russian conflict could have a material adverse impact on our business.

The Ukrainian-Russian conflict, the responses thereto, such as sanctions imposed by the United States and other western democracies, and any expansion thereof is likely to have unpredictable and wide-ranging effects on the domestic and global economy and financial markets, which could have an adverse effect on our business and results of operations. Already the conflict has caused market volatility, a sharp increase in certain commodity prices, such as wheat and oil, and an increasing number and frequency of cybersecurity threats. So far, we have not experienced any direct impact from the conflict and, as our business is conducted exclusively in the United States, we are probably less vulnerable than companies with international operations. Nevertheless, we will continue to monitor the situation carefully and, if necessary, take action to protect our business, operations, and financial condition.

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A decline in general economic conditions resulting in a decrease in consumer spending levels and an inability to access capital may adversely affect our business.

The success of our operations depends on consumer spending. Consumer spending is impacted by a number of factors which are beyond our control, including actual and perceived economic conditions affecting disposable consumer income (such as unemployment, wages, energy costs and consumer debt levels), customer traffic within shopping and selling environments, business conditions, interest rates and availability of credit and tax rates in the general economy and in the international, regional and local markets in which our products are sold and the impact of natural disasters and pandemics and disease outbreaks such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Global economic conditions historically included significant recessionary pressures and declines in employment levels, disposable income and actual and/or perceived wealth and further declines in consumer confidence and economic growth. A depressed economic environment is often characterized by a decline in consumer discretionary spending and has disproportionately affected retailers and sellers of consumer goods, particularly those whose goods are viewed as discretionary or luxury purchases, including fashion apparel and accessories such as ours. Such factors as well as another shift towards recessionary conditions have in the past, and could in the future, devalue our brands, which could result in an impairment in its carrying value, which could be material, create downward pricing pressure on the products carrying our brands, and adversely impact our sales volumes and overall profitability. Further, economic and political volatility and declines in the value of foreign currencies could negatively impact the global economy as a whole and have a material adverse effect on the profitability and liquidity of our operations, as well as hinder our ability to grow through expansion in the international markets. In addition, domestic and international political situations also affect consumer confidence, including the threat, outbreak or escalation of terrorism, military conflicts or other hostilities around the world. Furthermore, changes in the credit and capital markets, including market disruptions, limited liquidity, and interest rate fluctuations, may increase the cost of financing or restrict our access to potential sources of capital for future acquisitions.

The risks associated with our business are more acute during periods of economic slowdown or recession. Accordingly, any prolonged economic slowdown or a lengthy or severe recession with respect to either the U.S. or the global economy is likely to have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition, and business prospects.

Inflation and/or a potential recession could adversely impact our business and results of operations.

Many of the components of our cost of goods sold are subject to price increases that are attributable to factors beyond our control, including but not limited to, global economic conditions, trade barriers or restrictions, supply chain disruptions, changes in crop size, product scarcity, demand dynamics, currency rates, water supply, weather conditions, import and export requirements, and other factors. The cost of raw materials, labor, manufacturing, energy, fuel, shipping and logistics, and other inputs related to the production and distribution of our products have increased and may continue to increase unexpectedly.

In addition, poor economic and market conditions, including a potential recession, may negatively impact market sentiment, decreasing the demand for apparel, footwear, accessories, fine jewelry, home goods, and other consumer products, which would adversely affect our operating income and results of operations. If we are unable to take effective measures in a timely manner to mitigate the impact of the inflation as well as a potential recession, our business, financial condition, and results of operations could be adversely affected.

Extreme or unseasonable weather conditions could adversely affect our business.

Extreme weather events and changes in weather patterns can influence customer trends and shopping habits. Extended periods of unseasonably warm temperatures during the fall and winter seasons, or cool weather during the summer season, may diminish demand for our seasonal merchandise. Heavy snowfall, hurricanes or other severe weather events in the areas in which our retail stores and the retail stores of our wholesale customers are located may decrease customer traffic in those stores and reduce our sales and profitability. If severe weather events were to force closure of or disrupt operations at the distribution centers we use for our merchandise, we could incur higher costs and experience longer lead times to distribute our products to our retail stores, wholesale customers or digital channel customers. If prolonged, such extreme or unseasonable weather conditions could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

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Our trademarks and other intangible assets are subject to impairment charges under accounting guidelines.

Our intangible assets including our trademarks had a net carrying value of $41.5 million as of December 31, 2023 and represent a substantial portion of our assets. Under accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”), finite-lived intangible assets are amortized over their estimated useful lives, and reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that their carrying value may not be recoverable. Non-renewal of license agreements or other factors affecting our market segments or brands could result in significantly reduced revenue for a brand, which could result in a devaluation of the affected trademark. If such devaluations of our trademarks were to occur, a material impairment in the carrying value of one or more of our trademarks could also occur and be charged as a non-cash expense to our operating results, which could be material. Any write-down of intangible assets resulting from future periodic evaluations would, as applicable, either decrease our net income or increase our net loss and those decreases or increases could be material.

Changes in effective tax rates or adverse outcomes resulting from examination of our income or other tax returns could adversely affect our results.

Our future effective tax rates could be adversely affected by changes in the valuation of our deferred tax assets and liabilities, or by changes in tax laws or by a change in allocation of state and local jurisdictions, or interpretations thereof. The Company currently files U.S. federal tax returns and various state tax returns. Tax years that remain open for assessment for federal and state purposes include the years ended December 31, 2020 through December 31, 2023. We regularly assess the likelihood of recovering the amount of deferred tax assets recorded on the balance sheet and the likelihood of adverse outcomes resulting from examinations by various taxing authorities in order to determine the adequacy of our provision for income taxes. Although under the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act Federal tax rates are lower, certain expenses will be either reduced or eliminated, causing the Company to have increased taxable income, which may have an adverse effect on our future income tax obligations. We cannot guarantee that the outcomes of these evaluations and continuous examinations will not harm our reported operating results and financial condition.

We must successfully maintain and/or upgrade our information technology systems.

We rely on various information technology systems to manage our operations, which subject us to inherent costs and risks associated with maintaining, upgrading, replacing, and changing these systems, including impairment of our information technology, potential disruption of our internal control systems, substantial capital expenditures, demands on management time, cyber security breaches and other risks of delays or difficulties in upgrading, transitioning to new systems, or of integrating new systems into our current systems.

System security risk issues as well as other major system failures could disrupt our internal operations or information technology services, and any such disruption could negatively impact our revenues, increase our expenses, and harm our reputation.

Consumers are increasingly concerned over the security of personal information transmitted over the internet, consumer identity theft, and user privacy, and any compromise of customer information could subject us to customer or government litigation and harm our reputation, which could adversely affect our business and growth. Moreover, we could incur significant expenses or disruptions of our operations in connection with system failures or breaches. In addition, sophisticated hardware and operating system software and applications that we procure from third parties may contain defects in design or manufacture, including “bugs” and other problems that could unexpectedly interfere with the operation of our systems. The costs to us to eliminate or alleviate security problems, viruses, and bugs, or any problems associated with our newly transitioned systems or outsourced services could be significant, and the efforts to address these problems could result in interruptions, delays or cessation of service that may impede our sales, distribution or other critical functions. In addition to taking the necessary precautions ourselves, we require that third-party service providers implement reasonable security measures to protect our customers’ identity and privacy as well as credit card information. We do not, however, control these third-party service providers and cannot guarantee that no electronic or physical computer break-ins and security breaches will occur in the future. We could also incur significant costs in complying with the multitude of state, federal, and foreign laws regarding the use and unauthorized disclosure of personal information, to the extent they are applicable. In the case of a disaster affecting our information technology systems, we may experience

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delays in recovery of data, inability to perform vital corporate functions, tardiness in required reporting and compliance, failures to adequately support our operations, and other breakdowns in normal communication and operating procedures that could materially and adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

We rely significantly on information technology systems and any failure, inadequacy, interruption, or security lapse of that technology, including any cybersecurity incidents, could harm our ability to operate our business effectively and have a material adverse effect on our business, reputation, financial condition, and results of operations.

We rely significantly on our information technology systems to effectively manage and maintain our operations, and internal reports. Any failure, inadequacy, or interruption of that infrastructure or security lapse (whether intentional or inadvertent) of that technology, including cybersecurity incidents or attacks, could harm our ability to operate our business effectively. Our investment in ORME also leverages certain artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, which ORME’s technology partner licenses from several third parties including but not limited to Amazon and ChatGPT, and which technologies are nascent and rapidly evolving.

In addition, our technology systems, including our cloud technologies, continue to increase in multitude and complexity, making them potentially vulnerable to breakdown, cyberattack, and other disruptions. Potential problems and interruptions associated with the implementation of new or upgraded technology systems or with maintenance or adequate support of existing systems could disrupt or reduce the efficiency of our operations and expose us to greater risk of security breaches. Cybersecurity incidents resulting in the failure of our enterprise resource planning system, production management, or other systems to operate effectively or to integrate with other systems, or a breach in security or other unauthorized access or unavailability of these systems or those of any third parties on whom we depend, have occurred in the past and may affect our ability in the future to manage and maintain our operations, internal reports, and result in reduced efficiency of our operations.

As part of our business, we collect, store, and transmit large amounts of confidential information, proprietary data, intellectual property, and personal data. The information and data processed and stored in our technology systems, and those of our licensees, joint ventures, and other third parties on whom we depend to operate our business, may be vulnerable to loss, damage, denial-of-service, unauthorized access, or misappropriation. Data security incidents may be the result of unauthorized or unintended activity (or lack of activity) by our employees, contractors, or others with authorized access to our network or malware, hacking, business email compromise, phishing, ransomware, or other cyberattacks directed by third parties. While we have implemented measures to protect our information and data stored in our technology systems and those of the third parties that we rely on, our efforts may not be successful. In addition, employee error, malfeasance, or other errors in the storage, use, or transmission of any such information could result in a disclosure to third parties outside of our network. As a result, we could incur significant expenses addressing problems created by any such inadvertent disclosure or any security breaches of our network.

We have experienced and may continue to experience cybersecurity incidents, including an unsuccessful ransomware attack in February 2024, although to our knowledge we have not experienced any material incident or interruption to date. If such a significant event were to occur, it could result in a material disruption of our business and commercial operations, including due to a loss, corruption, or unauthorized disclosure of our trade secrets, personal data, or other proprietary or sensitive information. Further, these cybersecurity incidents can lead to the public disclosure of personal information (including sensitive personal information) of our employees, customers, and others and result in demands for ransom or other forms of blackmail. Such attacks, including phishing attacks and attempts to misappropriate or compromise confidential or proprietary information or sabotage enterprise information technology systems, are of ever-increasing levels of sophistication and are made by groups and individuals with a wide range of motives (including industrial espionage) and expertise, including by organized criminal groups, “hacktivists,” nation states, and others. Moreover, the costs to us to investigate and mitigate cybersecurity incidents could be significant. Any security breach that results in the unauthorized access, use, or disclosure of personal data may require us to notify individuals, governmental authorities, credit reporting agencies, or other parties pursuant to privacy and security laws and regulations or other obligations. Such a security compromise could harm our reputation, erode confidence in our information security measures, and lead to regulatory scrutiny. To the extent that any disruption or security breach resulted in a loss of, or damage to, our data or systems, or inappropriate disclosure of confidential, proprietary, or personal information, we could be exposed to a risk of

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loss, enforcement measures, penalties, fines, indemnification claims, litigation and potential civil or criminal liability, which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Not all our contracts contain limitations of liability, and even where they do, there can be no assurance that limitations of liability in our contracts are sufficient to protect us from liabilities, damages, or claims related to our data privacy and security obligations. We cannot be sure that our insurance coverage will be adequate or sufficient to protect us from or to mitigate liabilities arising out of our privacy and security practices, that such coverage will continue to be available on commercially reasonable terms or at all, or that such coverage will pay future claims.

Further, the SEC has adopted new rules that require us to provide greater disclosures around proactive security protections that we employ and reactive issues (e.g., security incidents). Any such disclosures, including those under state data breach notification laws, can be costly, and the disclosures we make to comply with, or the failure to comply with, such requirements could lead to adverse consequences.

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Changes in laws could make conducting our business more expensive or otherwise change the way we do business.

We are subject to numerous domestic and international regulations, including labor and employment, customs, truth-in-advertising, consumer protection, data protection, and zoning and occupancy laws and ordinances that regulate retailers generally or govern the importation, promotion and sale of merchandise and the operation of stores and warehouse facilities. If these regulations were to change or were violated by our management, employees, vendors, independent manufacturers or partners, the costs of certain goods could increase, or we could experience delays in shipments of our products, be subject to fines or penalties, or suffer reputational harm, which could reduce demand for our merchandise and hurt our business and results of operations.

In addition to increased regulatory compliance requirements, changes in laws could make ordinary conduct of business more expensive or require us to change the way we do business. Laws related to employee benefits and treatment of employees, including laws related to limitations on employee hours, supervisory status, leaves of absence, mandated health benefits, overtime pay, unemployment tax rates and citizenship requirements, could negatively impact us, by increasing compensation and benefits costs, which would in turn reduce our profitability.

Moreover, changes in product safety or other consumer protection laws could lead to increased costs to us for certain merchandise, or additional labor costs associated with readying merchandise for sale. It is often difficult for us to plan and prepare for potential changes to applicable laws and future actions or payments related to such changes could be material to us.

If we fail to maintain an effective system of internal control, we may not be able to report our financial results accurately or in a timely fashion, and we may not be able to prevent fraud. In such case, our stockholders could lose confidence in our financial reporting, which would harm our business and could negatively impact the price of our stock.

Pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, we are required to include in our Annual Report on Form 10-K our assessment of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. We have dedicated a significant amount of time and resources to comply with this legislation for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, and will continue to do so for future fiscal periods. However, our management has concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was not effective as of December 31, 2023 due to the material weakness. We cannot be certain that our internal controls will become effective or that future material changes to our internal control over financial reporting will be effective. If we cannot adequately obtain and maintain the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting, we may be subject to sanctions or investigation by regulatory authorities, such as the SEC. Any such action could adversely affect our financial results and the market price of our common stock. Moreover, if we discover a material weakness, the disclosure of that fact, even if quickly remedied, could reduce the market’s confidence in our financial statements and harm our stock price.

Our independent registered public accounting firm will not be required to attest to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting until we are no longer a “smaller reporting company.” At such time that an attestation is required,

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our independent registered public accounting firm may issue a report that is adverse or qualified in the event that they are not satisfied with the level at which our controls are documented, designed or operating. Our remediation efforts may not enable us to avoid a material weakness or significant deficiency in the future.

There are limitations on the liabilities of our directors and executive officers. Under certain circumstances, we are obligated to indemnify our directors and executive officers against liability and expenses incurred by them in their service to us.

Pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and under Delaware law, our directors are not liable to us or our stockholders for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty, except for liability for breach of a director’s duty of loyalty, acts or omissions by a director not in good faith or which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law, dividend payments or stock repurchases that are unlawful under Delaware law or any transaction in which a director has derived an improper personal benefit. In addition, we have entered into indemnification agreements with each of our directors and executive officers. These agreements, among other things, require us to indemnify each director and executive officer for certain expenses, including attorneys’ fees, judgments, fines and settlement amounts, incurred by any such person in any action or proceeding, including any action by us or in our right, arising out of the person’s services as one of our directors or executive officers. The costs associated with providing indemnification under these agreements could be harmful to our business and have an adverse effect on results of operations.

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Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments

Not applicable.

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Item 1C.Cybersecurity  

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In the ordinary course of business, we receive, process, use, and store digitally large amounts of data, including customer data as well as confidential, sensitive, proprietary, and personal information. Maintaining the integrity and availability of our information technology systems and this information, as well as appropriate limitations on access and confidentiality of such information, is important to us and our business operations. To this end, we have implemented a program designed to assess, identify, and manage risks from potential unauthorized occurrences on or through our information technology systems that may result in adverse effects on the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of these systems and the data residing in them.

The program is managed by our executive management team, and includes mechanisms, controls, technologies, systems, policies, and other processes designed to prevent or mitigate data loss, theft, misuse, or other security incidents or vulnerabilities affecting the systems and data residing in them. We consult with and rely upon outside advisors and experts to assist us with assessing, identifying, and managing cybersecurity risks.

We consider cybersecurity, along with other significant risks that we face, within our overall enterprise risk management framework. Our Board of Directors has oversight for the most significant risks facing us and for our processes to identify, prioritize, assess, manage, and mitigate those risks. The Board of Directors receives periodic updates on cybersecurity and information technology matters and related risk exposures from management.

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Item 2.      Properties

We currently lease and maintain our corporate offices and operations facility located at 550 Seventh Avenue, 11th floor, New York, New York. We entered into a lease agreement effective February 29, 2024 for such offices of approximately 12,000 square feet of office space. This lease commenced in April 2024 and shall expire seven years from the commencement date, in 2031.

We also currently lease approximately 29,600 square feet of office space at 1333 Broadway, 10th floor, New York, New York; this location represented our former corporate offices and operations facility and shall expire on October 30, 2027. We have subleased this office space to a third-party subtenant through October 30, 2027.

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Item 3.      Legal Proceedings

In the ordinary course of business, from time to time we become involved in legal claims and litigation. In the opinion of management, based on consultations with legal counsel, the disposition of litigation currently pending against us is unlikely to have, individually or in the aggregate, a materially adverse effect on our business, financial position, results of operations, or cash flows.

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Item 4.       Mine Safety Disclosures

None.

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PART II

Item 5.Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

Market Information

Our common stock is listed on the NASDAQ Capital Market, under the trading symbol “XELB.”

Holders

As of December 31, 2023, the number of our stockholders of record was 556 (excluding beneficial owners and any shares held in street name or by nominees).

Dividends

We have never declared or paid any cash dividends on our common stock. We expect to retain future earnings to finance our operations and expansion. The payment of cash dividends in the future will be at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend upon our earnings levels, capital requirements, any restrictive loan covenants, and other factors the board of directors considers relevant.

Securities authorized for issuance under equity compensation plans

2021 Equity Incentive Plan

Our 2021 Equity Incentive Plan, which we refer to as the 2021 Plan, is designed and utilized to enable the Company to offer its employees, officers, directors, consultants, and others whose past, present, and/or potential contributions to the Company have been, are, or will be important to the success of the Company, an opportunity to acquire a proprietary interest in the Company. The following is a description of the 2021 Plan.

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2011 Equity Incentive Plan

The key terms and provisions of our Amended and Restated 2011 Equity Incentive Plan, which we refer to as the 2011 Plan, were substantially similar to the 2021 Plan described above, with the major difference being the number of shares of common stock reserved for issuance under the 2011 Plan. Stock-based awards (including options, warrants, and restricted stock) previously granted under the 2011 Plan remain outstanding, and shares of common stock may be issued to satisfy options or warrants previously granted under the 2011 Plan, although no new awards may be granted under the 2011 Plan.

Issuances

From time to time, the Company issues stock-based compensation to its officers, directors, employees, and consultants through its equity compensation plans. The maximum term of options granted is generally five years and generally options vest over a period of six months to two years. However, the Board may approve other vesting schedules. Options may be exercised in whole or in part. The exercise price of stock options granted is generally the fair market value of the Company’s common stock on the date of grant.

The fair value of each stock option award is estimated using the Black-Scholes option pricing model based on certain assumptions. The assumption for expected term is based on evaluations of expected future employee exercise behavior. Because of a lack of historical information related to exercise activity, we use the simplified method to determine the expected term. The risk-free interest rate is based on the U.S. Treasury rates at the date of grant with maturity dates approximately equal to the expected term at the grant date. The historical volatility of our common stock is used as the basis for the volatility assumption. The Company has never paid cash dividends, and does not currently intend to pay cash dividends, and thus assumes a 0% dividend yield.

The following table sets forth information as of December 31, 2023 regarding compensation plans under which our equity securities are authorized for issuance:  

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(1)   Pursuant to our 2011 and 2021 Equity Incentive Plans.

Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities

There were no sales of unregistered or registered securities during the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022.

Purchases of equity securities by the issuer and affiliated purchasers

We did not repurchase any shares of common stock during the fourth fiscal quarter ended December 31, 2023.

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Item 6.[Reserved]

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Item 7.Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

The following discussion and analysis should be read together with our consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto, included in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. This discussion summarizes the significant factors affecting our consolidated operating results, financial condition and liquidity and cash flows for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022. Except for historical information, the matters discussed in this Management’s Discussion

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and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties and are based upon judgments concerning factors that are beyond our control.

Overview

Xcel Brands is a media and consumer products company engaged in the design, licensing, marketing, live streaming, and social commerce sales of branded apparel, footwear, accessories, fine jewelry, home goods and other consumer products, and the acquisition of dynamic consumer lifestyle brands.

Xcel was founded in 2011 with a vision to reimagine shopping, entertainment, and social media as social commerce. Currently, Xcel’s brand portfolio consists of the LOGO by Lori Goldstein Brand, the Halston Brand, the Ripka Brand, the C Wonder Brand, the Longaberger Brand, the CB Brand, the Isaac Mizrahi Brand, and other proprietary brands, including:

We also own a 30% interest in ORME Live Inc. (“ORME”), a short-form video and social commerce marketplace that launched in the first quarter of 2024.

Xcel continues to pioneer a true omni-channel and social commerce sales strategy which includes the promotion and sale of products under its brands through interactive television, digital live-stream shopping, social commerce, traditional brick-and-mortar retailers, and e-commerce channels, to be everywhere its customers shop. Our brands have generated over $5 billion in retail sales via live streaming in interactive television and digital channels alone, and our brands collectively reach over 5 million social media followers through Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. All of the followers may not be unique followers, as many followers may follow multiple brands and follow our brands on multiple platforms.

Our objective is to build a diversified portfolio of lifestyle consumer products brands through organic growth and the strategic acquisition of new brands. To grow our brands, we are focused on the following primary strategies:

We believe that Xcel offers a unique value proposition to our retail and direct-to-consumer customers and our licensees for the following reasons:

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Business Model and Operations Restructuring

In the first quarter of 2023, we began to restructure and transition our business operations from a more capital-intensive wholesale/licensing hybrid model to a capital-light “licensing plus” model, by entering into new licensing agreements with best-in-class business partners. We entered into a new interactive television licensing agreement with America’s Collectibles Network, Inc. d/b/a JTV (“JTV”) for the Ripka Brand, and a separate license with JTV for the Ripka Brand’s e-commerce business. For apparel, similar transactions were executed. In conjunction with the launch of the C Wonder Brand on HSN, we licensed the wholesale production operations related to that brand to One Jeanswear Group, LLC (“OJG”); this new license with OJG also includes other new celebrity brands that we plan to launch in 2024 and beyond.

In the second quarter of 2023, we entered into a new master license agreement with G-III Apparel Group, an industry-leading wholesale apparel company, for the Halston Brand, covering men’s, women’s, and children’s apparel and accessories, and other product categories, for distribution through department stores, e-commerce, and other retailers. This master license for the Halston Brand provides for an upfront cash payment and royalties to the Company, including certain guaranteed minimum royalties, includes significant annual minimum net sales requirements, and has a twenty-five-year term (consisting of an initial five-year period, followed by a twenty-year period), subject to the licensee’s right to terminate with at least 120 days’ notice prior to the end of each five-year period during the term.

The transition of these operating businesses was substantially completed by the end of the second quarter of 2023.

In the third quarter of 2023, we entered into various settlements and incurred approximately $1 million of expenses to restructure certain contractual arrangements related to our former wholesale operations.

In the fourth quarter of 2023, we entered into a new term loan agreement, which provided us with approximately $5 million of additional liquidity. Additionally, Longaberger Licensing, LLC outsourced the operations of the Longaberger Brand through a license agreement with a third party to operate and manage the Longaberger e-commerce website  ’s e-commerce business to a third party.

Overall, we believe that this evolution of our operating model will provide significant cost savings and allow us to reduce and better manage our exposure to operating risks. As of December 31, 2023, the Company has reduced payroll costs by approximately $6 million and operating expenses (excluding non-recurring charges related to the restructuring) by approximately $9 million, on an annualized basis when compared to the corresponding periods in the prior year.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Critical accounting policies are those that are the most important to the portrayal of our financial condition and results of operations, and that require our most difficult, subjective, and complex judgments as a result of the need to make estimates about the effect of matters that are inherently uncertain. Critical accounting estimates are those that involve a significant level of estimation uncertainty and have had or are reasonably likely to have a material impact on our financial condition or results of operations. While our significant accounting policies and estimates are described in more detail in the notes to our consolidated financial statements, our most critical accounting policies and estimates, discussed below, pertain to revenue recognition, trademarks and other intangible assets, income taxes, and equity method investments. These include but are not limited to the estimation of the useful lives of our trademarks, the estimation of the future cash flows related to our trademarks, and the estimation of our incremental borrowing rate (for purposes of accounting for leases). In applying such policies, we must use some amounts that are based upon our informed judgments and best estimates.

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Estimates, by their nature, are based upon judgments and available information. The estimates that we make are based upon historical factors, current circumstances, and the experience and judgment of management. We evaluate our assumptions and estimates on an ongoing basis.

Revenue Recognition

Licensing

In connection with our “licensing plus” business model, we follow Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 606-10-55-65, by which we recognize licensing revenue at the later of when (1) the subsequent sale or usage occurs or (2) the performance obligation to which some or all of the sales- or usage-based royalty has been allocated is satisfied (in whole or in part). More specifically, we separately identify:

(i)   Contracts for which, based on experience, royalties are expected to exceed any applicable minimum guaranteed payments, and to which an output-based measure of progress based on the “right to invoice” practical expedient is applied because the royalties due for each period correlate directly with the value to the customer of our performance in each period (this approach is identified as “View A” by the FASB Revenue Recognition Transition Resource Group, “TRG”); and

(ii)   Contracts for which revenue is recognized based on minimum guaranteed payments using an appropriate measure of progress, in which minimum guaranteed payments are straight-lined over the term of the contract and recognized ratably based on the passage of time, and to which the royalty recognition constraint to the sales-based royalties in excess of minimum guaranteed is applied and such sales-based royalties are recognized to the distinct period only when the minimum guaranteed is exceeded on a cumulative basis (this approach is identified as “View C” by the TRG).

Wholesale Sales

Prior to the restructuring of our business model and operations in 2023, we generated a portion of our revenue through sale of branded jewelry and apparel to both domestic and international customers who, in turn, sold the products to their consumers. We recognized revenue from such transactions within net sales in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations when performance obligations identified under the terms of contracts with our customers were satisfied, which occurred upon the transfer of control of the merchandise in accordance with the contractual terms and conditions of the sale. Shipping to customers was accounted for as a fulfillment activity and was recorded within other selling, general and administrative expenses.

Direct-to-Consumer Sales

Our revenue associated with our e-commerce jewelry operations and the Longaberger brand (prior to the restructuring of our business model and operations in 2023) was recognized within net sales in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations at the point in time when product is shipped to the customer. Shipping to customers was accounted for as a fulfillment activity and was recorded within other selling, general and administrative expenses.

Trademarks and Other Intangible Assets

Our finite-lived intangible assets (primarily trademarks, along with other intangible assets) are amortized over their estimated useful lives, which are estimated based principally on our expected use and strategic plans for each asset, our own historical experience with similar assets, and our expectations related to demand, competition, and other economic factors.

Our finite-lived intangible assets are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that their carrying value may not be recoverable. To test our finite-lived intangible assets for impairment, we group assets and liabilities at the lowest level for which identifiable cash flows are largely independent of the cash flows of other assets and liabilities and evaluate the asset group against the sum of undiscounted future cash flows. If the undiscounted cash flows

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do not indicate the carrying amount of the asset is recoverable, an impairment charge is measured as the amount by which the carrying amount of the asset group exceeds its fair value based on discounted cash flows analysis or appraisals.

There were no impairment charges recorded for our intangible assets for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022.

Income Taxes

Income tax expense is the tax payable for the period and the change during the period in deferred tax assets and liabilities. Deferred income taxes are determined based on the temporary difference between the financial reporting and tax bases of assets and liabilities using enacted rates in effect during the year in which the differences are expected to reverse. Valuation allowances are established when necessary to reduce deferred tax assets to the amount expected to be realized. We consider forecasted earnings, future taxable income, and prudent and feasible tax planning strategies in determined the need for these valuation allowances.

With respect to any uncertainties in income taxes recognized in our financial statements, tax positions are initially recognized in the financial statements when it is more likely than not that the position will be sustained upon examination by the tax authorities. Such tax positions are initially and subsequently measured as the largest amount of tax benefit that has a probability of fifty percent or greater of being realized upon ultimate settlement with the tax authority, assuming full knowledge of the position and all relevant facts. Tax years that remain open for assessment for federal and state tax purposes include the years ended December 31, 2020 through December 31, 2023.

Equity Method Investments

We account for our investments in entities over which we have the ability to exercise significant influence, but do not control, under the equity method of accounting, and we recognize our proportionate share of income or losses from the entity within other operating costs and expenses (income) in the consolidated statement of operations.

We initially measure our investment in an equity method investee at cost. In cases where we retain a noncontrolling interest in an investee which we had previously consolidated, we initially measure such retained interest at fair value. In estimating fair value in such cases, we seek to maximize the use of observable inputs (market data obtained from independent sources) and to minimize the use of unobservable inputs (internal assumptions about how market participants would price assets and liabilities).

Subsequent recognition of an investor’s proportionate share of income or losses of an equity method investee is generally determined based on the investor’s proportional ownership interest. However, in cases where contractual agreements specify allocation ratios for profits and losses, specified costs and expenses, and/or distributions of cash from operations, that differ from our ownership interest, we use such specified allocation ratios for purposes of determining our share of income or losses from the investee if the agreement is considered substantive.

Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements

We adopted the provisions of Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2016-13, "Financial Instruments – Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments" (as amended by ASU No. 2018-19 in November 2018, ASU No. 2019-05 in May 2019, ASU No. 2019-10 and 2019-11 in November 2019, ASU No. 2020-02 in February 2020, and ASU No. 2022-02 in March 2022) effective January 1, 2023. This ASU requires entities to estimate lifetime expected credit losses for financial instruments, including trade and other receivables, which generally results in earlier recognition of credit losses. The adoption of this new guidance did not have a significant impact on our results of operations, cash flows, or financial condition.

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Summary of Operating Results

The consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this Form 10-K are as of or for the years ended December 31, 2023 (the “Current Year”), and December 31, 2022 (the “Prior Year”).

Revenues

Current Year net revenue decreased $8.0 million to $17.8 million from $25.8 million for the Prior Year.

Net licensing revenue decreased by approximately $5.5 million in the Current Year to approximately $9.2 million, compared with approximately $14.7 million in the Prior Year. This decrease in licensing revenue was primarily attributable to the May 31, 2022 sale of a majority interest in the Isaac Mizrahi brand through the sale of a 70% interest in IM Topco, LLC to WHP, partially offset by increased licensing revenue generated by the C Wonder brand through interactive television.

Net sales decreased by approximately $2.5 million in the Current Year to approximately $8.6 million, compared with approximately $11.1 million in the Prior Year. This decrease in net sales was primarily attributable to the exit from our wholesale apparel and fine jewelry sales operations in the Current Year as part of the restructuring and transformation of our business operating model.

Cost of Goods Sold and Gross Profit

Current Year cost of goods sold was $6.9 million, compared with $8.0 million for the Prior Year.

Gross profit margin from net product sales (net sales less cost of goods sold, divided by net sales) decreased from approximately 28% in the Prior Year to approximately 20% in the Current Year. This decrease in gross profit margin percentage was the result of selling our remaining jewelry inventory at an agreed-upon price which was less than historical margins and the sale of our remaining apparel inventory at discounted prices.

Gross profit (net revenue less cost of goods sold) decreased approximately $7.0 million to $10.8 million from $17.8 million in the Prior Year, primarily driven by the aforementioned decrease in net licensing revenue.

Direct Operating Costs and Expenses

Direct operating costs and expenses decreased approximately $9.8 million from $33.1 million in the Prior Year to $23.3 million in the Current Year. This decrease was primarily attributable to lower salaries, benefits and employment costs, driven by the combination of (i) the May 31, 2022 sale of a majority interest in the Isaac Mizrahi brand and the transfer of the employees associated with the Isaac Mizrahi brand to the IM Topco, LLC business venture, and (ii) reductions in staffing levels and other costs during 2023 related to the restructuring and transformation of our business operating model. These decreases were partially offset by $0.8 million in costs related to the restructuring of certain contractual arrangements in connection with the shift and evolution in the Company’s business operations, and also by a $0.1 million impairment charge related to certain capitalized software assets.

Other Operating Costs and Expenses (Income)

Depreciation and amortization expense was approximately $7.0 million and $7.3 million in the Current Year and Prior Year, respectively.

In the Prior Year, we recognized a gain on the sale of a majority interest in the Isaac Mizrahi brand of approximately $20.6 million, which was comprised of $46.2 million of cash proceeds plus the recognition of the fair value of our retained interest in the brand of $19.8 million, less $0.9 million of fees and expenses directly related to the transaction and the derecognition of the brand trademarks previously recorded on our balance sheet of $44.5 million.

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We account for our interest in the ongoing operations of IM Topco, LLC using the equity method of accounting. We recognized an equity method loss related to our investment of $2.1 million and $1.2 million for the Current Year and Prior Year, respectively, based on the distribution provisions set forth in the related business venture agreement.

Also during the Current Year, we recognized a gain of $0.36 million related to the sale of a limited partner ownership interest in an unconsolidated affiliate, which was entered into in 2016, and recognized a gain of $0.44 million related to a lease termination settlement with the landlord of our former retail store location.

In the Prior Year, we recognized a $0.9 million gain on the reduction of contingent obligations. In connection with our 2019 purchase of the Halston Heritage trademarks, we agreed to pay the seller additional consideration if certain royalty targets were met from 2019 through December 31, 2022. This potential earn-out was initially recorded as a liability of $0.9 million, based on the difference at the date of acquisition between the fair value of the acquired assets of the Halston Heritage trademarks and the total consideration paid. The final royalty target year ended on December 31, 2022, and the seller ultimately did not earn any additional consideration based on the formula set forth in the related asset purchase agreement.

Interest and Finance Expense

Interest and finance expense for the Current Year was $0.4 million, compared with $3.5 million for the Prior Year.

In the Prior Year, we incurred $1.2 million of interest expense related to term loan debt, reflecting an effective interest rate of approximately 9.8% on an average principal balance of $28.7 million from January 1, 2022 through May 31, 2022. We repaid all of such term loan debt on May 31, 2022 and recognized a loss on early extinguishment of debt of $2.3 million in the Prior Year.

In contrast, during the Current Year we did not have any outstanding debt for most of the year. In October 2023, we entered into a new term loan agreement for a borrowing of $5.0 million at a floating interest rate, incurring total interest expense of only $0.4 million during the Current Year.

Income Tax Provision (Benefit)

The effective income tax rate for the Current Year was approximately -6%, resulting in a $1.2 million income tax provision. During the Current Year, the federal statutory rate differed from the effective tax rate primarily due to the recording of a valuation allowance against the benefit that would have otherwise been recognized, as it was considered not more likely than not that the net operating losses generated during each period will be utilized in future periods.

The effective income tax rate for the Prior Year was approximately 10%, resulting in a $0.4 million income tax benefit. During the Prior Year, the effective tax rate was primarily attributable to the impacts of stock-based compensation, which decreased the effective rate by approximately 6%, and federal tax true-ups, which decreased the effective tax rate by approximately 5%. The effective tax rate was also impacted by recurring permanent differences; the largest such recurring permanent differences were state and local tax provisions, which increased the effective rate in 2022 by approximately 6%, and disallowed excess compensation, which decreased the effective rate in 2022 by approximately 5%.

Net Loss

We had a net loss of approximately $21.1 million for the Current Year, compared with a net loss of approximately $4.0 million for the Prior Year, as a result of the factors discussed above.

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Non-GAAP Net Income, Non-GAAP Diluted EPS, and Adjusted EBITDA

We had a non-GAAP net loss of $12.2 million or $(0.62) per share (“non-GAAP diluted EPS”) based on 19,711,637 weighted average shares outstanding for the Current Year, compared with a non-GAAP net loss of $15.0 million or $(0.77) per share based on 19,624,669 weighted average shares outstanding for the Prior Year. Non-GAAP net income is a non-GAAP unaudited term, which we define as net income (loss) attributable to Xcel Brands, Inc. stockholders, exclusive of asset impairments, amortization of trademarks, our proportional share of trademark amortization of equity method investees, stock-based compensation and cost of licensee warrants, loss on extinguishment of debt, certain adjustments to the provision for doubtful accounts related to the bankruptcy of and economic impact on certain retail customers, gains on sales of assets and investments, gain on lease termination, gain on reduction of contingent obligation, and income taxes. Non-GAAP net income and non-GAAP diluted EPS measures do not include the tax effect of the aforementioned adjusting items, due to the nature of these items and the Company’s tax strategy.

We had Adjusted EBITDA of approximately $(5.7) million for the Current Year, compared with Adjusted EBITDA of approximately $(12.5) million for the Prior Year. Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP unaudited measure, which we define as net income (loss) attributable to Xcel Brands, Inc. stockholders before asset impairments, depreciation and amortization, our proportional share of trademark amortization of equity method investees, interest and finance expenses (including loss on extinguishment of debt, if any), income taxes, other state and local franchise taxes, stock-based compensation and cost of licensee warrants, certain adjustments to the provision for doubtful accounts related to the bankruptcy of and economic impact on certain retail customers, gains on sales of assets and investments, gain on lease termination, gain on reduction of contingent obligation, and costs associated with restructuring of operations. Costs associated with restructuring of operations include the current year operating losses generated by certain of our businesses that have been restructured or discontinued (i.e., wholesale apparel and fine jewelry), as well as non-cash charges associated with the restructuring of certain contractual arrangements.

Management uses non-GAAP net income, non-GAAP diluted EPS, and Adjusted EBITDA as measures of operating performance to assist in comparing performance from period to period on a consistent basis and to identify business trends relating to the Company’s results of operations. Management believes non-GAAP net income, non-GAAP diluted EPS, and Adjusted EBITDA are also useful because these measures adjust for certain costs and other events that management believes are not representative of our core business operating results, and thus these non-GAAP measures provide supplemental information to assist investors in evaluating the Company’s financial results.

Non-GAAP net income, non-GAAP diluted EPS, and Adjusted EBITDA should not be considered in isolation or as alternatives to net income, earnings per share, or any other measure of financial performance calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP. Given that non-GAAP net income, non-GAAP diluted EPS, and Adjusted EBITDA are financial measures not deemed to be in accordance with GAAP and are susceptible to varying calculations, our non-GAAP net income, non-GAAP diluted EPS, and Adjusted EBITDA may not be comparable to similarly titled measures of other companies, including companies in our industry, because other companies may calculate these measures in a different manner than we do.

In evaluating non-GAAP net income, non-GAAP diluted EPS, and Adjusted EBITDA, you should be aware that in the future we may or may not incur expenses similar to some of the adjustments in this report. Our presentation of non-GAAP net income, non-GAAP diluted EPS, and Adjusted EBITDA does not imply that our future results will be unaffected by these expenses or any unusual or non-recurring items. When evaluating our performance, you should consider non-GAAP net income, non-GAAP diluted EPS, and Adjusted EBITDA alongside other financial performance measures, including our net income and other GAAP results, and not rely on any single financial measure.

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The following table is a reconciliation of net loss attributable to Xcel Brands, Inc. stockholders (our most directly comparable financial measure presented in accordance with GAAP) to non-GAAP net loss:  

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The following table is a reconciliation of diluted loss per share to non-GAAP diluted EPS:

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The following table is a reconciliation of net loss attributable to Xcel Brands, Inc. stockholders (our most directly comparable financial measure presented in accordance with GAAP) to Adjusted EBITDA:

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Liquidity and Capital Resources

General

As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, our cash and cash equivalents were $3.0 million and $4.6 million, respectively.

Our principal capital requirements have been to fund working capital needs, acquire new brands, and to a lesser extent, capital expenditures. Notwithstanding certain investments made in 2020 and 2021, our current “licensing plus” operating model is a working capital light business model, and generally does not require material capital expenditures. As of December 31, 2023, we have no significant commitments for future capital expenditures. Material cash requirements from known contractual and other obligations are discussed under “Obligations and Commitments” below.

Working Capital

Our working capital (current assets less current liabilities, excluding the current portion of lease obligations and any contingent liabilities payable in common stock) was $2.1 million and $8.8 million as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. Commentary on components of our cash flows for the Current Year compared with the Prior Year is set forth below.

Liquidity and Management’s Plans

We incurred net losses of approximately $21.1 million and $5.4 million during the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively (which included non-cash expenses of approximately $9.0 million and $8.2 million, respectively), and had an accumulated deficit of approximately $53.8 million and $32.8 million as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. Net cash used in operating activities was $6.5 million in 2023 and $14.2 million in 2022. These factors raise uncertainties about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern.

During the year ended December 31, 2023, management implemented a plan to mitigate an expected shortfall of capital and to support future operations by shifting its business from a wholesale/licensing hybrid model into a “licensing plus” model. In the first quarter of 2023, the Company began to restructure its business operations by entering into new licensing agreements and joint venture arrangements with best-in-class business partners. The Company entered into a new interactive television licensing agreement with America’s Collectibles Network, Inc. d/b/a Jewelry Television (“JTV”) for the Ripka Brand, and a separate license with JTV for the Ripka Brand’s e-commerce business. For apparel, similar

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transactions were executed. In conjunction with the launch of the C Wonder Brand on HSN, the Company licensed the wholesale operations related to the brand to One Jeanswear Group, LLC (“OJG”); this new license with OJG also includes certain other new celebrity brands that the Company plans to develop and launch in 2024 and beyond. In the second quarter of 2023, the Company entered into a new master license agreement for the Halston Brand, covering men’s, women’s, and children’s apparel, fashion accessories, and other product categories, with an industry-leading wholesale apparel company for distribution through department stores, e-commerce, and other retailers.

These restructuring initiatives were substantially completed as of June 30, 2023.  

Management believes that this evolution of the Company’s operating model will provide the Company with significant cost savings and allow the Company to reduce and better manage its exposure to operating risks. As of December 31, 2023, the Company has reduced payroll costs by approximately $6 million and operating expenses (excluding non-recurring charges related to the restructuring) by approximately $9 million, on an annualized basis when compared to the corresponding periods in the prior year.

Further, in October 2023, the Company entered into a new term loan agreement in the amount of $5 million. Subsequent to year end, in January 2024, the Company entered into a sublease of its offices at 1333 Broadway in New York, NY, and in March 2024, the Company issued new shares of common stock for net proceeds of approximately $2 million.

Based on these recent events and changes, management expects that existing cash and future operating cash flows will be adequate to meet the Company’s operating needs, term debt service obligations, and capital expenditure needs, for at least the twelve months subsequent to the filing date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K; therefore, such conditions and uncertainties with respect to the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern as of December 31, 2023, have been alleviated.

Operating Activities

Net cash used in operating activities was approximately $6.5 million and $14.2 million in the Current Year and Prior Year, respectively.

The Current Year’s cash used in operating activities was primarily attributable to the combination of the net loss of $(22.2) million, partially offset by non-cash items of approximately $10.5 million and a net change in operating assets and liabilities of approximately $5.2 million. Non-cash items were primarily comprised of, but not limited to, $7.0 million of depreciation and amortization, the $2.1 million undistributed proportional share of net loss of equity method investee, $1.1 million of deferred taxes, and $0.8 million of bad debt expense, partially offset by a $(0.4) million gain on the sale of a financial asset and a $(0.4) million gain on the settlement of a lease liability. The net change in operating assets and liabilities was primarily comprised of (i) an increase in deferred revenue of approximately $4.4 million, which was mainly attributable to the upfront payment received for the Halston Master License agreement entered into during the Current Year, (ii) a decrease in inventory of approximately $2.4 million, driven by the sale of all of our C Wonder apparel inventory to HSN and the sale of all of our Judith Ripka fine jewelry inventory to JTV, as part of the restructuring and transformation of our business operating model. Partially offsetting these net changes in operating assets and liabilities were decreases in various operating liabilities of approximately $(2.9) million.

The Prior Year’s cash used in operating activities was primarily attributable to the combination of the net loss of $(5.4) million plus non-cash items of approximately $(10.2) million, partially offset by a net change in operating assets and liabilities of approximately $1.4 million. Non-cash items were primarily comprised of, but not limited to, the net gain on sale of assets of $(20.6) million, $7.3 million of depreciation and amortization, a $2.3 million loss on extinguishment of debt, and the $1.2 million undistributed proportional share of net income of equity method investee. The net change in operating assets and liabilities notably included a decrease in accounts receivable of $2.1 million, a decrease in inventory of $0.5 million, a decrease in prepaid expenses and other assets of $0.6 million, and decreases in various operating liabilities of $(1.4) million. The decrease in accounts receivable was primarily related to the Prior Year sale of a majority interest in the Isaac Mizrahi brand, resulting in lower licensing revenues and thus lower receivable balances. The decreases in inventory and other operating assets and liabilities were primarily reflective of the declines in our wholesale business due to retailers pausing or canceling orders during the Prior Year.

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Investing Activities

Net cash provided by investing activities for the Current Year was approximately $0.2 million, primarily driven by $0.5 million of proceeds received from the sale of a limited partner ownership interest in an unconsolidated affiliate, partially offset by approximately $0.2 million capital contributions made to a new equity method investee.

Net cash provided by investing activities for the Prior Year was approximately $44.5 million, and was attributable to $45.4 million of net proceeds from the sale of a majority interest in the Isaac Mizrahi brand to WHP, partially offset by $0.6 million of capital contributions to our equity method investee IM Topco and approximately $0.3 million of capital expenditures.  

Financing Activities

Net cash provided by financing activities for the Current Year was approximately $4.7 million, which primarily consisted of $5.0 million of proceeds from borrowings incurred under new term loan debt, partially offset by the payment of $0.3 million of debt issuance costs.  

Net cash used in financing activities for the Prior Year was approximately $31.0 million, which mainly consisted of $29.0 million of repayments of our term loan debt, and, to a lesser extent, $1.5 million of prepayment and other fees associated with the early extinguishment of debt, as well as $0.4 million of shares repurchased related to withholding taxes on vested restricted stock.  

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Equity Transactions – Public Offering and Private Placement

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On March 19, 2024, the Company closed on a public offering of 3,284,421 shares of common stock at an offering price of $0.65 per share and a private placement of 294,642 shares of common stock at an offering price of $0.98 per share. In connection with the public offering, Robert W. D’Loren, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Company; an affiliate of Mark DiSanto, a director of the Company; and Seth Burroughs, Executive Vice President of Business Development and Treasury of the Company, purchased 146,250, 146,250, and 32,500 shares of common stock, respectively. Robert W. D’Loren, an affiliate of Mark DiSanto, and Seth Burroughs also purchased 132,589, 132,589, and 29,464 shares of common stock, respectively, in the private placement.  The aggregate net proceeds from the equity transactions were approximately $2.0 million.

Obligations and Commitments

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Term Loan Debt

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On October 19, 2023, H Halston IP, LLC (the “Borrower”), a wholly owned subsidiary of Xcel Brands, Inc., entered into a term loan agreement (the “Loan Agreement”) with Israel Discount Bank of New York (“IDB”). Pursuant to the Loan Agreement, IDB made a term loan in the aggregate amount of $5.0 million. The proceeds of this term loan were used to pay fees, costs, and expenses incurred in connection with entering into the Loan Agreement of approximately $0.1 million (including a commitment fee paid to IDB in the amount of $50,000 and legal fees paid to counsel of IDB in the amount of $82,000), and may be used for working capital purposes.

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In connection with the Loan Agreement, the Borrower and H Licensing, LLC (“H Licensing”), another wholly owned subsidiary of Xcel, entered into a security agreement in favor of IDB, and Xcel entered into a membership interest pledge agreement in favor of IDB. Pursuant to the security agreement, the Borrower and H Licensing granted IDB a security interest in substantially all of their respective assets, other than the trademarks owned by the Borrower and H Licensing, to secure the Borrower’s obligations under the Loan Agreement.  Pursuant to the membership interest pledge agreement, Xcel granted IDB a security interest in its membership interests in H Licensing to secure the Borrower’s obligations under the Loan Agreement.

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The term loan matures on October 19, 2028. Principal on the term loan is payable in quarterly installments of $250,000 on each of January 2, April 1, July 1, and October 1 of each year, commencing on April 1, 2024. The Borrower has the right to prepay all or any portion of the term loan at any time without penalty.

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Interest on the term loan accrues at Term SOFR (defined in the Loan Agreement as the forward-looking term rate based on secured overnight financing rate as administered by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York for an interest period equal to one month on the day that is two U.S. Government Securities Business Days prior to the first day of each calendar month) plus 4.25% per annum. Interest on the term loan is payable on the first day of each calendar month.

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The Loan Agreement contains customary covenants, including reporting requirements, trademark preservation, and certain financial covenants including annual guaranteed minimum royalty ratio, annual fixed charge coverage ratio, and minimum cash balance levels, all as specified and defined in the Loan Agreement.

In addition, on October 19, 2023, the Borrower also entered into a swap agreement with IDB, pursuant to which IDB will pay the Borrower Term SOFR plus 4.25% per annum on the notional amount of the swap in exchange for the Borrower paying IDB 9.46% per annum on such notional amount. The term and declining notional amount of the swap agreement is aligned with the amortization of the term loan principal amount.

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Contingent Obligation – Lori Goldstein Earn-Out

In connection with the April 1, 2021 purchase of the Lori Goldstein trademarks, we agreed to pay the seller additional cash consideration of up to $12.5 million, based on royalties earned during the six calendar year period commencing in 2021. The Lori Goldstein Earn-Out of was initially recorded as a liability of $6.6 million, based on the difference between the fair value of the acquired assets of the Lori Goldstein brand and the total consideration paid.

As of December 31, 2022, based on the performance of the Lori Goldstein brand to date, approximately $0.2 million of additional consideration was earned by the seller, and thus $0.2 million of the balance was recorded as a current liability and $6.4 million was recorded as a long-term liability. The $0.2 million of additional consideration was paid to the seller during 2023.

Based on the performance of the Lori Goldstein through December 31, 2023, approximately 1.0 million of incremental additional consideration was earned by the seller, which will be paid out in 2024. Accordingly, as of December 31, 2023, $1.0 million of the remaining balance was recorded as a current liability and approximately $5.4 million was recorded as a long-term liability.

Contingent Obligation – Isaac Mizrahi Transaction

In connection with the May 31, 2022 transaction related to the sale of a majority interest in the Isaac Mizrahi brand, we agreed with WHP (the buyer) that, in the event that IM Topco, LLC receives less than $13.3 million in aggregate royalties for any four consecutive calendar quarters over a three-year period ending on May 31, 2025, WHP would be entitled to receive from us up to $16 million, less all amounts of net cash flow distributed to WHP on an accumulated basis, as an adjustment to the purchase price previously paid by WHP. Such amount would be payable by us in either cash or equity interests in IM Topco, LLC held by us.

In November 2023, this agreement was amended such that the purchase price adjustment provision was waived until the measurement period ending March 31, 2024. No amount has been recorded in the Company’s consolidated balance sheets related to this contingent obligation.

Subsequently, in April 2024, the Company, WHP, and IM Topco, LLC entered into an amendment of this agreement, such that the purchase price adjustment provision within the membership purchase agreement was waived until the measurement period ending September 30, 2025. Additionally, the parties agreed that if IM Topco, LLC royalties are less than $13.5 million for the twelve-month period ending March 31, 2025 or less than $18.0 million for the year ending December 31, 2025, Xcel shall transfer equity interests in IM Topco, LLC to WHP, such that Xcel’s ownership interest in IM Topco,

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LLC would decrease from 30% to 17.5%, and WHP’s ownership interest in IM Topco, LLC would increase from 70% to 82.5%

Contingent Obligation – Halston Heritage Earn-Out

In connection with the February 11, 2019 purchase of the Halston Heritage trademarks, we agreed to pay the seller additional consideration of up to an aggregate of $6.0 million, based on royalties earned from 2019 through December 31, 2022. The final royalty target year ended on December 31, 2022, and the seller ultimately did not earn any additional consideration based on the formula set forth in the related asset purchase agreement. As such, during the year ended December 31, 2022, we recorded a $0.9 million gain on the reduction of contingent obligations in the accompanying consolidated statement of operations. As of December 31, 2022, there were no amounts remaining under the Halston Heritage Earn-Out.

Real Estate Leases

As described in Item 2 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, as of December 31, 2023 we had a lease for approximately 29,600 square feet of office space at 1333 Broadway, 10th floor, New York, New York. Future payments under this lease are expected to be approximately $1.6 million for each of the years ending December 31, 2024 – 2026, and $1.3 million for the year ending December 31, 2027.

Subsequent to December 31, 2023, we entered into a new lease of office space at 550 Seventh Avenue, 11th floor, New York, New York, and a sublease of our office space at 1333 Broadway. These leasing transactions are further described in Item 8, Note 12 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Employment Contracts

We have entered into contracts with certain executives and key employees. The future minimum payments under these contracts is expected to be approximately $17.7 million, of which, approximately $4.3 million is expected to be paid in 2024, approximately $2.1 million is expected to be paid for each of the years ending December 31, 2025 – 2030, and approximately $0.5 million is expected to be paid in 2031.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

We do not have any off-balance sheet arrangements that have or are reasonably likely to have a current or future material effect on our financial condition, results of operations or liquidity.

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Other Factors

We continue to seek to expand and diversify the types of licensed products being produced under our brands. We plan to continue to diversify the distribution channels within which licensed products are sold, in an effort to reduce dependence on any particular retailer, consumer, or market sector within each of our brands. The Lori Goldstein brand, Halston brand, C Wonder brand, and TowerHill by Christie Brinkley brand have a core business in fashion apparel and accessories. The Ripka brand is a fine jewelry business, and the Longaberger brand focuses on home good products, which we believe helps diversify our industry focus while at the same time complements our business operations and relationships.

While the 2022 sale of a majority interest in the Isaac Mizrahi brand has resulted in a decrease in our revenues, as that brand represented a significant portion of our historical revenues, we are taking actions to replace those revenues in the long-term with new strategic business initiatives, as we concentrate our resources on growing our brands, launching new brands, and entering into new business partnerships. We continue to seek new opportunities, including expansion through interactive television, live streaming, and additional domestic and international licensing arrangements, and acquiring and collaborating with additional brands, launching the C Wonder by Christian Siriano business on HSN, and the planned May 2024 launch of the TowerHill by Christie Brinkley brand.

During 2023, we restructured our business operations by shifting our business from a wholesale/licensing hybrid model into a “licensing plus” business model. These efforts included entering into new structured contractual arrangements with best-in-class business partners in order to more efficiently operate our wholesale and e-commerce businesses and reduce and better manage our exposure to operating risks. These restructuring initiatives, on a go-forward basis, are expected to provide us with approximately $15 million of cost savings on an annualized basis compared to our previous operating model.

However, we continue to face a number of headwinds in the current macroeconomic environment. Poor economic and market conditions, including inflation, rising consumer debt levels, and a potential recession, may negatively impact market sentiment, decreasing the demand for apparel, footwear, accessories, fine jewelry, home goods, and other consumer products, which would adversely affect our operating income and results of operations. If we are unable to take effective measures in a timely manner to mitigate the impact of inflation and/or a potential recession, our business, financial condition, and results of operations could be adversely affected.

Our long-term success, however, will still remain largely dependent on our ability to build and maintain our brands’ awareness and continue to attract wholesale and direct-to-consumer customers, and contract with and retain key licensees and business partners, as well as our and our licensees’ ability to accurately predict upcoming fashion and design trends within their respective customer bases and fulfill the product requirements of the particular retail channels within the global marketplace. Unanticipated changes in consumer fashion preferences and purchasing patterns, slowdowns in the U.S. economy, changes in the prices of supplies, consolidation of retail establishments, and other factors noted in the section captioned “Risk Factors” could adversely affect our licensees’ ability to meet and/or exceed their contractual commitments to us and thereby adversely affect our future operating results.

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Item 7A.Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

Not applicable.

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Item 8.      Financial Statements and Supplementary Data

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REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

To the Stockholders and Board of Directors of

Xcel Brands, Inc. and Subsidiaries

Opinion on the Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Xcel Brands, Inc. and Subsidiaries (collectively, the “Company”) as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, the related consolidated statements of operations, stockholders’ equity and cash flows for each of the two years in the period ended December 31, 2023, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the two years in the period ended December 31, 2023, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

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Basis for Opinion

These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company's management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company's financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) ("PCAOB") and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audits to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audits, we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company's internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.

Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

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Critical Audit Matters

The critical audit matters communicated below are matters arising from the current period audit of the financial statements that were communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that: (1) relate to accounts or disclosures that are material to the financial statements and (2) involved our especially challenging, subjective, or complex judgments. The communication of critical audit matters does not alter in any way our opinion on the financial statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matters below, providing separate opinions on the critical audit matters or on the accounts or disclosures to which they relate.

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Liquidity and Management’s Plans

Critical Audit Matter Description

As described further in Note 1 to the financial statements, the Company has incurred recurring losses from operations, has used net cash in operating activities, and has an accumulated deficit. The ability of the Company to continue as a going concern is dependent on executing its business plans and meeting its obligations as they come due within the next twelve months from the filing date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Accordingly, the Company has determined that these factors raise uncertainty as to the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. However, management has

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implemented plans which are expected to mitigate these conditions or events, and therefore, has concluded that such conditions or events have been alleviated.

How the Critical Audit Matter was Addressed in the Audit

We determined the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern is a critical audit matter due to the estimation and uncertainty regarding the Company’s available capital and the risk of bias in management’s judgments and assumptions in their determination. Our audit procedures related to considering whether the results of our audit procedures, when considered in the aggregate, indicate that there could be uncertainty about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern for a reasonable period of time, obtaining information about management’s plans that are intended to mitigate the effect of such conditions or events, and assessing the likelihood that such plans can be effectively implemented, included the following, among others:

Finite-Lived Trademarks and Other Intangible Assets

Critical Audit Matter Description

As described further in Note 4 to the financial statements, the carrying amount of finite-lived trademarks and other intangible assets was $41.5 million as of December 31, 2023. Under the applicable accounting guidance, these assets shall be tested for recoverability whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that carrying amounts may not be recoverable. Management has concluded that these assets are not impaired as of December 31, 2023.

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How the Critical Audit Matter was Addressed in the Audit

We determined the Company’s ability to assess if their finite-lived trademarks and other intangible assets are impaired is a critical audit matter due to the estimation and uncertainty regarding the Company’s ability to generate sufficient undiscounted cash flows, to be in excess of the carrying amounts of these assets.

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The Company evaluates its finite-lived trademarks and other intangible assets for impairment when events are triggered by economic conditions.  These events require the Company to compare the carrying values to the undiscounted cash flows from the operation and eventual disposition of these assets over their estimated useful lives (“undiscounted cash flows”).    

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If the carrying value of any of these assets is considered to be impaired, as described above, the amount of the impairment to be recognized is measured as the amount by which the carrying amount of the asset exceeds its fair value.                                    

Auditing the Company’s finite-lived trademarks and other intangible assets for impairment is complex and subjective due to the significant estimation required to determine the forecasted undiscounted cash flows used in the Company’s evaluation. Specifically, the forecasted undiscounted cash flows are sensitive to significant assumptions such as revenue growth rates, including the terminal growth rates, margins, and expenses over the estimated useful lives of these assets, all of which are affected by expected future market or economic conditions, and other factors.

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The primary procedures we performed to address this critical audit matter included the following, among others:

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/s/ Marcum LLP

Marcum LLP

We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2021.

New York, NY

April 18, 2024

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Xcel Brands, Inc. and Subsidiaries

Consolidated Balance Sheets

(in thousands, except share and per share data)

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See accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

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Xcel Brands, Inc. and Subsidiaries

Consolidated Statements of Operations

(in thousands, except share and per share data)

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