IAG acquiring Coppley

by Harry Sheff

NEW YORK—Individualized Apparel Group (IAG) has acquired Coppley Corp., the Canadian custom clothing business owned by HMX Group, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last month. The acquisition must be approved by Canadian and US courts.

“Coppley has a tremendous reputation in the marketplace,” said IAG president and chairman Joe Blair. “They have worked diligently to build great loyalty from their customers both in Canada and the US. We have admired them for years as a worthy competitor and we are excited to have them join our IAG team of companies.”

Warwick Jones, Coppley’s executive chairman, added, “Coppley has produced tailored clothing continuously since 1883. We are proud of our ‘made in Canada’ heritage. This arrangement will provide us the expertise and financing to restore the Coppley business.”

IAG says that Coppley will remain in its Hamilton, Ontario headquarters and continue to produce the seven-day turnaround custom suits it’s been known for.

“We are looking forward to bringing Coppley back to its preeminent position as a leading custom maker,” said Blair. “We are very optimistic about their future. The talent is certainly in place in both companies for Coppley to return to what it does best. There are no plans to change the garment, the styling or the Canadian team.”