Saturday Group

Saturday Group is a fashion- and entertainment-oriented marketing group and investment platform founded in London by Swedish entrepreneurs Jens Grede and Erik Torstensson. The pair met in London while working for Tyler Brûlé at The Wallpaper* Group during the early 2000s. In 2003, with backing from Mother Holdings, they established Saturday London, a creative fashion agency that became the foundation for a broader portfolio of businesses serving fashion and luxury brands. The group itself was formed in 2008 as a holding structure for the founders’ expanding activities and investments. Rather than operating as a single consumer-facing product label, Saturday Group brought together businesses involved in creative direction, advertising, publicity, digital media, e-commerce, licensing, talent representation, sales and distribution, and brand management. Its model combined agency services with ownership or investment in media properties, fashion labels, and specialist commercial platforms. One of the group’s notable early projects was the creation of Mr Porter in partnership with Net-a-Porter in 2010. Mr Porter developed into an online luxury menswear retailer, giving Saturday’s founders a role in the development of digital luxury commerce. The founders also co-founded Fashion Networks International, a New York-based media company that published blogs and related content associated with fashion commentators including Elin Kling and Derek Blasberg. That business was sold to Condé Nast in 2012. Grede and Torstensson also expanded into editorial and fashion-industry media. They founded Man About Town and INDUSTRIE, serving as editors-in-chief, and advised or consulted for publications and major luxury and fashion groups including Vogue, GQ, Gucci Group, Richemont, and J.Crew. Their activities reflected Saturday Group’s emphasis on combining cultural influence, editorial credibility, marketing expertise, and commercial development. By 2014, the group was described as operating or holding interests in approximately 12 separate businesses. The portfolio included the Wednesday creative agency, INDUSTRIE Magazine, Tomorrow, a global fashion distribution company, Frame, a Los Angeles-based clothing brand, Independent Talent Brands, and RMO. Frame was among the group’s most visible fashion ventures and was stocked by prominent retailers such as Barneys, Lane Crawford, Selfridges, and Nordstrom at that time. Saturday Group maintained its base in London while also operating offices in New York, Los Angeles, Paris, and Milan. Its geographic footprint and portfolio structure positioned it between a creative agency, a fashion-industry investment firm, and a brand-management platform. Publicly available reference material describes the group’s activities through 2014, but does not establish its current ownership, executive structure, operating status, or complete present-day portfolio. Those matters therefore remain unconfirmed in this entry.

Saturday Group developed from the fashion-marketing work of Jens Grede and Erik Torstensson, two Swedish entrepreneurs who met in London while working for Tyler Brûlé at The Wallpaper* Group in the early 2000s. Their first major joint venture was Saturday London, a creative fashion agency founded in 2003 with support from Mother Holdings. The agency provided a base for work across fashion communications, creative direction, and brand development. As the founders began creating and investing in additional fashion-related ventures, they established Saturday Group in 2008 as a holding company for these activities. The group was not primarily a conventional consumer-goods corporation. Instead, it assembled a network of specialist businesses covering creative services, advertising, publicity, digital media, e-commerce, licensing, sales, distribution, talent brokering, and brand management. This structure allowed Grede and Torstensson to participate in both the marketing of established brands and the creation or development of new fashion and media properties. In 2010, the founders worked with Net-a-Porter to create Mr Porter, an online luxury menswear retailer. The project connected Saturday Group’s fashion and editorial perspective with the emerging digital-commerce sector. Around the same period, Grede and Torstensson co-founded Fashion Networks International in New York. The media company published blogs associated with fashion commentators such as Elin Kling and Derek Blasberg, reflecting the founders’ interest in editorial influence and digital fashion culture. Fashion Networks International was sold to Condé Nast in 2012. The founders also pursued magazine publishing and advisory work. They established Man About Town and INDUSTRIE, acting as editors-in-chief, and consulted for fashion publications and luxury-industry companies including Vogue, GQ, Gucci Group, Richemont, and J.Crew. These activities strengthened the group’s position at the intersection of fashion media, commercial marketing, and cultural image-making. By 2014, Saturday Group was reported to operate 12 separate businesses. Its portfolio included the Wednesday creative agency, INDUSTRIE Magazine, Tomorrow, a global fashion distribution business, Frame, a Los Angeles-based clothing brand, Independent Talent Brands, and RMO. Frame was being carried by major retailers including Barneys, Lane Crawford, Selfridges, and Nordstrom. The group had its headquarters in London and offices in New York, Los Angeles, Paris, and Milan. The available reference material documents the group’s formation, portfolio, and activities through 2014. It does not provide sufficiently current information to confirm whether Saturday Group continues to operate under the same structure, which businesses remain affiliated with it, or who currently controls and manages it.

• 2014

  Portfolio reaches approximately 12 businesses

  [1]Saturday Groupen.wikipedia.org

  Saturday Group was described as operating a portfolio of about 12 companies across fashion marketing, media, distribution, publicity, digital, licensing, and brand management.

• 2012

  Fashion Networks International is sold

  [1]Saturday Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The fashion media company co-founded by Grede and Torstensson was sold to Condé Nast.

• 2010

  Mr Porter is created

  [1]Saturday Groupen.wikipedia.org

  Saturday’s founders worked with Net-a-Porter to establish the online luxury menswear retailer Mr Porter.

• 2008

  Saturday Group is formed

  [1]Saturday Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The founders created Saturday Group as a holding company for their fashion-industry investments and operating ventures.

• 2003

  Saturday London is founded

  [1]Saturday Groupen.wikipedia.org

  Jens Grede and Erik Torstensson established a creative fashion agency in London with backing from Mother Holdings.

A fashion and entertainment marketing group combining creative-agency capabilities with investment, media, distribution, talent, and brand-management activities.

• Creative fashion agency · 2003

  Saturday London

  Saturday London was the creative fashion agency established by Jens Grede and Erik Torstensson in 2003. It formed the original operating base from which the founders expanded into a wider portfolio of marketing, media, and fashion businesses.

• Luxury e-commerce · 2010

  Mr Porter

  Mr Porter was created in 2010 through a collaboration between the founders of Saturday Group and Net-a-Porter. It was developed as an online luxury menswear shopping destination and represented the group’s move into digital retail and e-commerce.

• Fashion media

  INDUSTRIE Magazine

  INDUSTRIE Magazine was one of the fashion publications founded by Grede and Torstensson. The title contributed to Saturday Group’s editorial and cultural positioning within the international fashion industry.

• Fashion and lifestyle media

  Man About Town

  Man About Town was a magazine founded by the Saturday Group principals, who also served as editors-in-chief. It formed part of their broader strategy of combining publishing, fashion commentary, and commercial brand expertise.

• Fashion distribution

  Tomorrow

  Tomorrow was identified as a Saturday Group portfolio company involved in global fashion distribution. Available material does not provide enough detail to describe its complete brand roster, operating model, or current ownership.

• Apparel

  Frame

  Frame was a Los Angeles-based clothing brand associated with the founders’ later fashion ventures. In 2014, its products were reported as being stocked by retailers including Barneys, Lane Crawford, Selfridges, and Nordstrom.

• 2012

  Sale of Fashion Networks InternationalM&A

  Background

  Fashion Networks International operated as a New York-based digital media company publishing fashion-related blogs and content.

  Action taken

  The company was sold to Condé Nast.

  Aftermath

  The transaction transferred the media business to a major international publishing group; no transaction value is identified in the available material.

  Source

• 2010

  Development of Mr Porter with Net-a-PorterProduct launch

  Background

  Luxury fashion retail was expanding into online commerce, while the founders had experience in fashion marketing and editorial media.

  Action taken

  Saturday’s founders collaborated with Net-a-Porter to create an online luxury menswear shopping business.

  Aftermath

  The initiative extended the group’s activities from marketing and media into digital luxury retail.

  Source

• 2008

  Creation of a holding-company structureStrategy

  Background

  Grede and Torstensson had begun operating and investing in multiple fashion-related businesses after founding Saturday London.

  Action taken

  They formed Saturday Group to organize their investments and activities under a common group structure.

  Aftermath

  The structure supported expansion into creative services, media, e-commerce, distribution, licensing, talent, and fashion brands.

  Source

1. 1Saturday Groupen.wikipedia.org