File this blog entry under “trivia”.
In the past, I have written about how an Indian company, Tata Motors, now owns the Land Rover company, which makes cars for the Queen of England. Corporate India’s long arm now extends to the White House as well, since President Obama’s favored suitmaker, Hartmarx Corporation, is owned by S. Kumar & Company. President Obama wore a tux made by the company’s Hart Schaffner Marx, based in Chicago at his inauguration.
In June 2009, The acquisition of Hartmarx Corporation, one of the last remaining American clothing manufacturers, brought 34 clothing brands, including some iconic ‘Made in America’ brands such as Reid & Taylor and Hart Schaffner Marx. The company acquired Chicago-based Hartmarx through its US subsidiary SKNL North America BV, along with its operating partner Emerisque UK for an enterprise value of $120 million and announced a further investment of $35 million into the entity.
When President Obama visited India, S Kumar gained some notoriety by running a one-off ad in major Indian newspapers showing the President on the TV program “The View” with his label showing.
