Authentic Brands takes majority stake in Drake's OVO

Authentic Brands Group has taken a majority stake in OVO, the lifestyle and apparel brand founded by musician Drake, according to WWD. As part of the deal, Vince Holdings has been named the brand's core global apparel and retail licensee, a structure typical of Authentic's playbook: acquire the intellectual property and brand equity, then hand day-to-day product and retail execution to an operating partner.

This is the model Authentic has used across its portfolio, from Reebok to Ted Baker to a string of celebrity and entertainment properties, and it underscores the firm's continued appetite for founder-led brands with cultural cachet but limited infrastructure of their own. OVO has built a loyal following through streetwear drops, its October's Very Own record label affiliation and Toronto Raptors ties, but it has operated at a smaller scale than the global licensing machine Authentic can offer.

The strategic logic cuts both ways. For Drake, partnering with Authentic and Vince brings the distribution, manufacturing and retail discipline needed to scale OVO into a durable global business rather than a musician's side project. For Authentic, it adds another culturally resonant, IP-rich asset to a portfolio built on licensing rather than owning stores or factories outright, a model that has proven resilient even as traditional retail has struggled.

Watch for how quickly OVO expands into new categories and territories under Vince's stewardship, and whether Authentic uses the deal as a template for further entertainment and music-adjacent acquisitions. The bigger test will be whether OVO can sustain relevance beyond Drake's own celebrity, the perennial challenge for any founder-fronted lifestyle brand once it passes into a licensing conglomerate's hands.

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