MCM Worldwide

MCM Worldwide is a luxury fashion brand originally founded in 1976 as the initialism of "Michael Cromer Munich". The brand’s signature logo-printed material, called Cognac Visetos, appears on many of its products. Its brass plate insignia is found on all heritage collection bags and most products; each brass plate is identified by a unique number at the bottom. MCM sells its products through wholesale accounts, franchises and directly operated stores.

MCM was bought out by Sungjoo Group of Korea in 2005. the brand makes roughly 70% of its sales in Asia, and roughly 30% in Europe, the Middle East, and the Americas.

History
The MCM label, originally stood popular during the 1980s for being "ostentatious and flashy". At the height of its popularity in 1993, it owned 250 branches worldwide and recorded sales of $250 million. Following a 1995 investigation of Cromer for alleged tax evasion by German tax authorities, banks and investors lost faith in MCM's financial stability. In 1997, the company was restructured, and its stores and trademark rights were split and sold.

In 2005, the worldwide rights to the MCM brand were acquired from a Swiss financier by Sungjoo Group, a South Korean retail business founded by Sung-Joo Kim, the youngest daughter of South Korean magnate Kim Soo-Keon. At the time, MCM's global sales stood at $100 million.

Michael Michalsky, 2006–2018
Kim hired designer Michael Michalsky and re-launched the brand in 2006 with a new store in Berlin. MCM thereafter reopened stores in New York, Toronto, Paris, London, Singapore, Tokyo, and China among others. In 2011, MCM debuted its largest store in Hong Kong’s Entertainment Building.

MCM established a Milan design studio in 2017. By 2018, the brand presented its first full-fledged ready-to-wear collection at Pitti Uomo.

Dirk Schönberger, 2018–2023
In 2018, Dirk Schönberger joined MCM from Adidas, initially as global creative officer; he was promoted to global brand officer in 2022. During his time at the brand, he build a design studio in Berlin to complement its creative centers in Seoul and Milan. In 2023, he left the company.

Other activities
MCM has had exclusive license agreements with Marchon Eyewear (2015–2023) and Marcolin (since 2023) for the design, production and worldwide distribution of the brand’s eyewear.

In 2019, MCM signed a 10-year licensing agreement with Inter Parfums; the first fragrance, called MCM Eau de Parfum, was launched in 2021.

Campaigns
For its advertising campaigns, MCM has been working with renowned photographers including Herb Ritts (1996), Daniel Sannwald (2015), Juergen Teller (2023), Craig McDean (2024) and Collier Schorr (2024). Campaigns have featured Cindy Crawford (1996, 2023), Billie Eilish (2019), Iann Dior (2022) and Matt Dillon (2024).