Nautica is an American apparel brand, primarily specializing in nautical style clothing and lifestyle products. It is known for its men's, women's and children's apparel and accessories, as well as homeware, watches, and fragrance. Nautica took its name from the Latin word nauticus—which comes from the Greek word ναυτικός—for naval and in Italian language nautica means seamanship.
Now owned by Authentic Brands Group (ABG) and manufactured and marketed by Catalyst Brands, Nautica was founded in 1983 by clothing designer David Chu and a partner. It was purchased for cash and stock in 1984 by State-O-Maine, a New York–based apparel company. State-O-Maine changed its name to Nautica in 1994. VF Corporation purchased Nautica in 2003.[1]
In March 2018, ABG announced that they would acquire Nautica from VF Corporation.[2] The sale was completed on April 30, 2018.[3]