Digital Brands (DBGI) S-1IPO registration

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As Filed with Securities and Exchange Commission on January 30, 2023

Registration No. 333-       

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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM S-1

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

DIGITAL BRANDS GROUP, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

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1400 Lavaca Street

Austin, TX 78701

(209) 651-0172

(Address and telephone number of registrant’s principal executive offices)

John Hilburn Davis IV

President and Chief Executive Officer

1400 Lavaca Street

Austin, TX 78701

(209) 651-0172

(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

Copies to:

Thomas J. Poletti, Esq.
Veronica Lah, Esq.
Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP
695 Town Center Drive, 14th Floor
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Tel: (714) 312-7500

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Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public:

As soon as practicable after the effective date of this registration statement becomes effective.

If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933 check the following box: ☒

If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐

If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐

If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

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If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act. ☒

The Registrant hereby amends this Registration Statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the Registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this Registration Statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, or until the Registration Statement shall become effective on such date as the Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.

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You should read this prospectus carefully before you invest. It contains important information you should consider when making your investment decision. You should rely only on the information provided in this prospectus. We have not authorized anyone to provide you with different information.

The information in this document may only be accurate on the date of this document. You should assume that the information appearing in this prospectus is accurate only as of the date on the front cover of this prospectus. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since that date.

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PROSPECTUS SUMMARY

This summary highlights information contained elsewhere in the prospectus. Because it is a summary, it does not contain all of the information that you should consider before investing in our common stock. You should read and carefully consider this entire prospectus before making an investment decision, especially the information presented under the headings “Risk Factors,” and “Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.”

Unless otherwise indicated by the context, references to “DBG” refer to Digital Brands Group, Inc. solely, and references to the “Company,” “Digital Brands,” “our,” “we,” “us” and similar terms refer to Digital Brands Group, Inc., together with Bailey 44, LLC (“Bailey”), Harper & Jones, LLC (“H&J”), MOSBEST, LLC (“Stateside”) and Sunnyside, LLC (“Sundry”).

For accounting and reporting purposes, DBG has been identified as the accounting acquirer of Bailey, H&J, Stateside and Sundry.

Our Company

Digital Brands is a curated collection of lifestyle brands, including Bailey 44, DSTLD, Harper and Jones, Stateside, Sundry and ACE Studios, that offers a variety of apparel products through direct-to-consumer and wholesale distribution. Our complementary brand portfolio provides us with the unique opportunity to cross merchandise our brands. We aim for our customers to wear our brands head to toe and to capture what we call “closet share” by gaining insight into their preferences to create targeted and personalized content specific to their cohort. Operating our brands under one portfolio provides us with the ability to better utilize our technological, human capital and operational capabilities across all brands. As a result, we have been able to realize operational efficiencies and continue to identify additional cost saving opportunities to scale our brands and overall portfolio.

Our portfolio currently consists of four significant brands that leverage our three channels: our websites, wholesale and H&J Showrooms.

We believe that successful apparel brands sell in all revenue channels. However, each channel offers different margin structures and requires different customer acquisition and retention strategies. We were founded as a digital-first retailer that has strategically expanded into select wholesale and direct retail channels. We strive to strategically create omnichannel strategies for each of our brands that blend physical and online channels to engage consumers in the channel of their choosing. Our products are sold direct-to-consumers principally through our websites and our own showrooms, but also through our wholesale channel, primarily in specialty stores and select department stores. With the continued expansion of our wholesale distribution, we believe developing an omnichannel solution further strengthens our ability to efficiently acquire and retain customers while also driving high customer lifetime value.

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We believe that by leveraging a physical footprint to acquire customers and increase brand awareness, we can use digital marketing to focus on retention and a very tight, disciplined high value new customer acquisition strategy, especially targeting potential customers lower in the sales funnel. Building a direct relationship with the customer as the customer transacts directly with us allows us to better understand our customer’s preferences and shopping habits. Our substantial experience as a company originally founded as a digitally native-first retailer gives us the ability to strategically review and analyze the customer’s data, including contact information, browsing and shopping cart data, purchase history and style preferences. This in turn has the effect of lowering our inventory risk and cash needs since we can order and replenish product based on the data from our online sales history, replenish specific inventory by size, color and SKU based on real times sales data, and control our mark-down and promotional strategies versus being told what mark downs and promotions we have to offer by the department stores and boutique retailers.

Our Corporate Information

We were incorporated in Delaware in January 2013 under the name Denim.LA, Inc, and changed our name to Digital Brands Group, Inc. in December 2020. Our corporate offices are located at 1400 Lavaca Street, Austin, TX 78701. Our telephone number is (209) 651-0172. Our website is www.digitalbrandsgroup.co. None of the information on our website or any other website identified herein is part of this prospectus or the registration statement of which it forms a part.

The Offering

On January 11, 2023, we entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement (the “Purchase Agreement”) with a certain accredited investor (the “Investor”), pursuant to which the Company agreed to issue and sell, in a private placement (the “Private Placement”), an aggregate of 475,000 shares (the “Shares”) of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (“Common Stock”), 802,140 pre-funded warrants (the “Pre-Funded Warrants”) to purchase 802,140 shares of Common Stock (the “Pre-Funded Warrant Shares”), and accompanying 1,277,140 warrants (the “Common Stock Warrants”) to purchase 1,277,140 shares of Common Stock (the “Common Warrant Shares”) for aggregate gross proceeds from the Private Placement of approximately $5 million.

Each Common Stock Warrant has an exercise price of $3.80 per share, will be immediately exercisable upon issuance and will expire five years from the date of issuance.

The Pre-Funded Warrants were sold, in lieu of shares of Common Stock, to any Investor whose purchase of shares of Common Stock would otherwise result in such Investor, together with its affiliates and certain related parties, beneficially owning more than 4.99% (or, at such Investor’s option upon issuance, 9.99%) of the Company’s outstanding Common Stock after giving effect to the issuance of the Securities on the closing date of the Private Placement. Each Pre-Funded Warrant represents the right to purchase one share of Common Stock at an exercise price of $0.0001 per share. The Pre-Funded Warrants are exercisable immediately and may be exercised at any time until the Pre-Funded Warrants are exercised in full.

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Risk Factors Summary

Investing in shares of our common stock involves a high degree of risk. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page 6 of this prospectus for a discussion of factors you should carefully consider before investing in our common stock. If any of these risks actually occurs, our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and prospects would likely be materially and adversely affected. As a result, the trading price of our common stock would likely decline, and you could lose all or part of your investment. Listed below is a summary of some of the principal risks related to our business:

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RISK FACTORS

Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should consider carefully the risks and uncertainties described below before making an investment decision. If any of the following risks are realized, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects could be materially and adversely affected. In that event, the trading price of our securities could decline, and you could lose part or all of your investment.

Risks related to our financial condition and business

We have incurred significant net losses since our inception and cannot assure you that we will achieve or maintain profitable operations.

We have incurred significant net losses since inception. Our net loss was approximately $8.9 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2022 and $32.4 million and $10.7 million for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively. As of September 30, 2022, we had an accumulated deficit of $88.0 million. We may continue to incur significant losses in the future for a number of reasons, including unforeseen expenses, difficulties, complications, delays, and other unknown events, including the length of time COVID-19 related restrictions impact the business.

We anticipate that our operating expenses will increase substantially in the foreseeable future as we undertake the acquisition and integration of different brands, incur expenses associated with maintaining compliance as a public company, and increased marketing and sales efforts to increase our customer base. These increased expenditures may make it more difficult to achieve and maintain profitability. In addition, our efforts to grow our business may be more expensive than we expect, and we may not be able to generate sufficient revenue to offset increased operating expenses. If we are required to reduce our expenses, our growth strategy could be materially affected. We will need to generate and sustain significant revenue levels in future periods in order to become profitable, and, even if we do, we may not be able to maintain or increase our level of profitability.

Accordingly, we cannot assure you that we will achieve sustainable operating profits as we continue to expand our product offerings and infrastructure, further develop our marketing efforts, and otherwise implement our growth initiatives. Any failure to achieve and maintain profitability would have a materially adverse effect on our ability to implement our business plan, our results and operations, and our financial condition.

If we do not obtain adequate capital funding or improve our financial performance, we may not be able to continue as a going concern.

We have incurred a net loss in each year since our inception and expect to incur losses in future periods as we continue to increase our expenses in order to grow our business. We have a working capital deficit of $40.7 million at September 30, 2022. These factors raise substantial doubt about our Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. If we are unable to obtain adequate funding or if we are unable to grow our revenue substantially to achieve and sustain profitability, we may not be able to continue as a going concern. The report of our independent registered public accounting firm for the year ended December 31, 2021 included herein contains an explanatory paragraph indicating that there is substantial doubt as to our ability to continue as a going concern as a result of recurring losses from operations.

We have an immediate need to raise additional funds to support our operations. If we are unable to raise additional capital when required or on acceptable terms, we will be required to significantly delay, scale back or restrict our operations or obtain funds by entering into agreements on unattractive terms, which would have a material adverse effect on our business, stock price and our relationships with third parties with whom we have business relationships, at least until additional funding is obtained. If we do not have sufficient funds to continue operations, we could be required to seek bankruptcy protection or other alternatives that would likely result in our stockholders losing some or all of their investment in us. In addition, our ability to achieve profitability or to respond to competitive pressures would be significantly limited.

The amount and timing of our future funding requirements depends on many factors, including

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We cannot be certain that additional funding will be available on acceptable terms, or at all. In addition, we have in the past and may in the future be restricted or limited by our current outstanding indebtedness on our ability to enter into additional indebtedness and any future debt financing based upon covenants that restrict our operations, including limitations on our ability to incur liens or additional debt, pay dividends, redeem our stock, make certain investments and engage in certain merger, consolidation or asset sale transactions.

Widespread outbreak of an illness or any other public health crisis, including the recent coronavirus (COVID-19) global pandemic, could materially and adversely affect, and has materially and adversely affected, our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our business has been, and will continue to be, impacted by the effects of the COVID-19 global pandemic in countries where our suppliers, third-party service providers or consumers are located. These effects include recommendations or mandates from governmental authorities to close businesses, limit travel, avoid large gatherings or to self-quarantine, as well as temporary closures and decreased operations of the facilities of our suppliers, service providers and customers. The impacts on us have included, and in the future could include, but are not limited to:

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Any of these impacts could place limitations on our ability to execute on our business plan and materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. We continue to monitor the situation and may adjust our current policies and procedures as more information and guidance become available regarding the evolving situation. The impact of COVID-19 may also exacerbate other risks discussed in this “Risk Factors” section, any of which could have a material effect on us. This situation is changing rapidly and additional impacts may arise that we are not aware of currently.

If our efforts to locate desirable targets are unsuccessful or if we are unable to acquire desirable companies on commercially reasonable terms, we may not be able to grow the business and our revenues and operating results will be adversely affected.

One of our principal growth strategies has been and continues to be is to grow our business and increase our revenue through the acquisition of additional businesses within our industry.. It may be difficult for us to identify desirable companies to acquire. We may face competition in our pursuit to acquire additional businesses, which could limit the number of available companies for sale and may lead to higher acquisition prices. When we identify desirable companies, their owners may not be willing to sell their companies at all or on terms that we have determined to be commercially reasonable. If our efforts to locate and acquire desirable companies on terms that are acceptable to us are not successful, our revenues and operating results may be adversely affected.

We may not be able to successfully integrate future acquisitions or generate sufficient revenues from future acquisitions, which could cause our business to suffer.

A significant part of our grown strategy is acquiring additional businesses. If we buy a company or a division of a company in the future, there can be no assurance that we will be able to profitably manage such business or successfully integrate such business without substantial costs, delays or other operational or financial problems. Acquisitions also may require us to spend a substantial portion of our available cash, incur debt or other liabilities, amortize expenses related to intangible assets, incur write-offs of goodwill or other assets or obligate us to issue a substantial number of shares of our capital stock, which would result in dilution for our existing stockholders. There can be no assurance that the businesses we acquire in the future will achieve anticipated revenues or earnings. Additionally:

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Some or all of these factors could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Moreover, we may not benefit from our acquisitions as we expect, or in the time frame we expect. In the apparel industry, differing brands are used to reach different market segments and capture new market share. However, not every brand deployment is successful. In addition, integrating an acquired business or technology is risky. We may incur significant costs acquiring, developing, and promoting new brands only to have limited market acceptance and limited resulting sales. If this occurs, our financial results may be negatively impacted and we may determine it is in the best interest of the Company to no longer support that brand. If a new brand does not generate sufficient revenues or if we are unable to efficiently manage our expanded operations, our results of operations will be adversely affected. Finally, acquisitions could be viewed negatively by analysts, investors or our customers.

In addition, we may not be successful in acquiring businesses and may expend time and expenses in connection with failed acquisitions. For example, in connection with our Series CF financing, we disclosed that we were planning to acquire a New Jersey based apparel company. On September 10, 2020, we and the acquisition target mutually agreed to terminate the acquisition. In addition to such time and expenses, public announcement of a failed acquisition could also negatively impact the trading price of our common stock.

We may be subject to claims arising from the operations of our various businesses for periods prior to the dates we acquired them.

We may be subject to claims or liabilities arising from the ownership or operation of acquired businesses for the periods prior to our acquisition of them, including environmental, warranty, workers’ compensation and other employee-related and other liabilities and claims not covered by insurance. These claims or liabilities could be significant. Our ability to seek indemnification from the former owners of our acquired businesses for these claims or liabilities may be limited by various factors, including the specific time, monetary or other limitations contained in the respective acquisition agreements and the financial ability of the former owners to satisfy our indemnification claims. In addition, insurance companies may be unwilling to cover claims that have arisen from acquired businesses or locations, or claims may exceed the coverage limits that our acquired businesses had in effect prior to the date of acquisition. If we are unable to successfully obtain insurance coverage of third-party claims or enforce our indemnification rights against the former owners, or if the former owners are unable to satisfy their obligations for any reason, including because of their current financial position, we could be held liable for the costs or obligations associated with such claims or liabilities, which could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

Our ability to acquire additional businesses may require issuances of our common stock and/or debt financing that we may be unable to obtain on acceptable terms.

The timing, size and success of our acquisition efforts and the associated capital commitments cannot be readily predicted. We intend to use our common stock, cash, debt and borrowings under our credit facility, if necessary, as consideration for future acquisitions of companies. The issuance of additional common stock in connection with future acquisitions may be dilutive to holders of shares of common stock issued in this offering. In addition, if our common stock does not maintain a sufficient market value or potential acquisition candidates are unwilling to accept common stock as part of the consideration for the sale of their businesses, we may be required to use more of our cash resources, including obtaining additional capital through debt financing. However, there can be no assurance that we will be able to obtain financing if and when it is needed or that it will be available on terms that we deem acceptable. As a result, we may be unable to pursue our acquisition strategy successfully, which may prevent us from achieving our growth objectives.

We have an amount of debt which may be considered significant for a company of our size which could adversely affect our financial condition and our ability to react to changes in our business.

As of September 30, 2022, we had an aggregate principal amount of debt outstanding of approximately $15.2 million.

We believe this is an amount of indebtedness which may be considered significant for a company of our size and current revenue base. Our substantial debt could have important consequences to us. For example, it could:

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Any of the foregoing impacts of our substantial indebtedness could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We may not be able to generate sufficient cash to service all of our debt or refinance our obligations and may be forced to take other actions to satisfy our obligations under such indebtedness, which may not be successful.

Our ability to make scheduled payments on our indebtedness or to refinance our obligations under our debt agreements, will depend on our financial and operating performance, which, in turn, will be subject to prevailing economic and competitive conditions and to the financial and business risk factors we face as described in this section, many of which may be beyond our control. We may not be able to maintain a level of cash flows from operating activities sufficient to permit us to pay the principal, premium, if any, and interest on our indebtedness.

If our cash flows and capital resources are insufficient to fund our debt service obligations, we may be forced to reduce or delay capital expenditures or planned growth objectives, seek to obtain additional equity capital or restructure our indebtedness. In the future, our cash flows and capital resources may not be sufficient for payments of interest on and principal of our debt, and such alternative measures may not be successful and may not permit us to meet scheduled debt service obligations. In addition, the recent worldwide credit crisis could make it more difficult for us to refinance our indebtedness on favorable terms, or at all.

In the absence of such operating results and resources, we may be required to dispose of material assets to meet our debt service obligations. We may not be able to consummate those sales, or, if we do, we will not control the timing of the sales or whether the proceeds that we realize will be adequate to meet debt service obligations when due.

Our results of operations for the year ended December 31, 2022 will be adversely affected as a result of asset impairments.

When we acquire a business, we record goodwill in an amount equal to the amount we paid for the business minus the fair value of the net tangible assets and other identifiable intangible assets of the acquired business. As a result of our recent acquisitions, our goodwill and intangible assets as of September 30, 2022 were $18.2 million and $11.2 million, respectively. Goodwill and other intangible assets that have indefinite useful lives cannot be amortized, but instead must be tested at least annually for impairment. In January 2023, we began our annual review for possible impairment of our goodwill and other intangible assets and have preliminarily concluded that impairments exist for both Bailey and H&J in an amount which could be as high as approximately $14 million for the year ended December 31, 2022. Such an impairment charge would reduce our goodwill and other intangible assets, as well as stockholders’ equity, by the amount of the charge and have a corresponding charge to earnings [in an equal amount], which could have a material adverse effect on the price of our common stock. There can be no assurance that the amount of the actual impairment charge for the year ended December 31, 2022 will not be less than or greater than the referenced amount. In addition, any future impairments, including impairments of goodwill, intangible assets, long- lived assets or investments, could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations for the period in which the impairment is recognized.

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If we fail to effectively manage our growth, our business, financial condition and operating results could be harmed.

We have grown and expect to continue to grow rapidly and to effectively manage our growth, we must continue to implement our operational plans and strategies, improve our business processes, improve and expand our infrastructure of people and information systems, and expand, train and manage our employee base. Since our inception and as a result of our acquisitions, we have rapidly increased our employee headcount across our organization to support the growth of our business. To support continued growth, we must effectively integrate, develop and motivate a large number of new employees while maintaining our corporate culture. We face significant competition for personnel. To attract top talent, we have had to offer, and expect to continue to offer, competitive compensation and benefits packages before we can validate the productivity of new employees. We may also need to increase our employee compensation levels to remain competitive in attracting and retaining talented employees. The risks associated with a rapidly growing workforce will be particularly acute as we choose to expand into new merchandise categories and internationally. Additionally, we may not be able to hire new employees quickly enough to meet our needs. If we fail to effectively manage our hiring needs or successfully integrate new hires, our efficiency, our ability to meet forecasts and our employee morale, productivity and retention could suffer, which may have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and operating results.

We are also required to manage numerous relationships with various vendors and other third parties. Further growth of our operations, vendor base, fulfillment center, information technology systems or internal controls and procedures may not be adequate to support our operations. If we are unable to manage the growth of our organization effectively, our business, financial condition and operating results may be adversely affected.

If we are unable to anticipate and respond to changing customer preferences and shifts in fashion and industry trends in a timely manner, our business, financial condition and operating results could be harmed.

Our success largely depends on our ability to consistently gauge tastes and trends and provide a diverse and balanced assortment of merchandise that satisfies customer demands in a timely manner. Our ability to accurately forecast demand for our products could be affected by many factors, including an increase or decrease in demand for our products or for products of our competitors, our failure to accurately forecast acceptance of new products, product introductions by competitors, unanticipated changes in general market conditions, and weakening of economic conditions or consumer confidence in future economic conditions. We typically enter into agreements to manufacture and purchase our merchandise in advance of the applicable selling season and our failure to anticipate, identify or react appropriately, or in a timely manner to changes in customer preferences, tastes and trends or economic conditions could lead to, among other things, missed opportunities, excess inventory or inventory shortages, markdowns and write-offs, all of which could negatively impact our profitability and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and operating results. Failure to respond to changing customer preferences and fashion trends could also negatively impact the image of our brands with our customers and result in diminished brand loyalty.

Our business depends on our ability to maintain a strong portfolio of brands and engaged customers.. We may not be able to maintain and enhance our existing brand portfolio if we receive customer complaints, negative publicity or otherwise fail to live up to consumers’ expectations, which could materially adversely affect our business, operating results and growth prospects.

Our ability to acquire or offer new brands and maintain and enhance the appeal of our existing brands is critical to expanding our base of customers. A significant portion of our customers’ experience depends on third parties outside of our control, including vendors, suppliers and logistics providers such as FedEx, UPS and the U.S. Postal Service. If these third parties do not meet our or our customers’ expectations, including timely delivery of our products, or if they increase their rates, our business may suffer irreparable damage or our costs may increase. Also, if we fail to promote and maintain our brands, or if we incur excessive expenses in this effort, our business, operating results and financial condition may be materially adversely affected. We anticipate that as our market becomes increasingly competitive, our ability to acquire or offer new brands and to maintain and enhance our existing brands may become increasingly difficult and expensive and will depend largely on our ability to provide high quality products to our customers and a reliable, trustworthy and profitable sales channel to our vendors, which we may not do successfully.

Customer complaints or negative publicity about our sites, products, product delivery times, customer data handling and security practices or customer support, especially on blogs, social media websites and our sites, could rapidly and severely diminish consumer use of our sites and consumer and supplier confidence in us and result in harm to our brands.

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An economic downturn or economic uncertainty in the United States may adversely affect consumer discretionary spending and demand for our products.

Our operating results are affected by the relative condition of the United States economy as many of our products may be considered discretionary items for consumers. Our customers may reduce their spending and purchases due to job loss or fear of job loss, foreclosures, bankruptcies, higher consumer debt and interest rates, reduced access to credit, falling home prices, increased taxes, and/or lower consumer confidence. Consumer demand for our products may not reach our targets, or may decline, when there is an economic downturn or economic uncertainty. Current, recent past, and future conditions may also adversely affect our pricing and liquidation strategy; promotional activities, product liquidation, and decreased demand for consumer products could affect profitability and margins. Any of the foregoing factors could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and financial condition.

Additionally, many of the effects and consequences of U.S. and global financial and economic conditions could potentially have a material adverse effect on our liquidity and capital resources, including the ability to raise additional capital, if needed, or could otherwise negatively affect our business and financial results. For example, global economic conditions may also adversely affect our suppliers’ access to capital and liquidity with which to maintain their inventory, production levels, and product quality and to operate their businesses, all of which could adversely affect our supply chain. Market instability could make it more difficult for us and our suppliers to accurately forecast future product demand trends, which could cause us to carry too much or too little merchandise in various product categories.

We operate in highly competitive markets and the size and resources of some of our competitors may allow them to compete more effectively than we can, resulting in a loss of our market share and a decrease in our net revenue.

The markets in which we compete are highly competitive. Competition may result in pricing pressures, reduced profit margins or lost market share, or a failure to grow or maintain our market share, any of which could substantially harm our business and results of operations. We compete directly against wholesalers and direct retailers of apparel, including large, diversified apparel companies with substantial market share and strong worldwide brand recognition. Many of our competitors, including Vince, James Perse, Rag & Bone, Madewell, AG, FRAME, All Saints, Zegna and Ralph Lauren, have significant competitive advantages, including longer operating histories, larger and broader customer bases, more established relationships with a broader set of suppliers, greater brand recognition and greater financial, research and development, marketing, distribution, and other resources than we do.

As a result, these competitors may be better equipped than we are to influence consumer preferences or otherwise increase their market share by:

Our inability to compete successfully against our competitors and maintain our gross margin could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Use of social media and influencers may materially and adversely affect our reputation or subject us to fines or other penalties.

We use third-party social media platforms as, among other things, marketing tools. We also maintain relationships with many social media influencers and engage in sponsorship initiatives. As existing e-commerce and social media platforms continue to rapidly evolve and new platforms develop, we must continue to maintain a presence on these platforms and establish presences on new or emerging popular social media platforms. If we are unable to cost-effectively use social media platforms as marketing tools or if the social media platforms we use change their policies or algorithms, we may not be able to fully optimize such platforms, and our ability to maintain and acquire customers and our financial condition may suffer.

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Furthermore, as laws and regulations and public opinion rapidly evolve to govern the use of these platforms and devices, the failure by us, our employees, our network of social media influencers, our sponsors or third parties acting at our direction to abide by applicable laws and regulations in the use of these platforms and devices or otherwise could subject us to regulatory investigations, class action lawsuits, liability, fines or other penalties and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and operating results.

In addition, an increase in the use of social media for product promotion and marketing may cause an increase in the burden on us to monitor compliance of such materials, and increase the risk that such materials could contain problematic product or marketing claims in violation of applicable regulations. For example, in some cases, the FTC has sought enforcement action where an endorsement has failed to clearly and conspicuously disclose a financial relationship or material connection between an influencer and an advertiser.

We do not prescribe what our influencers post, and if we were held responsible for the content of their posts or their actions, we could be fined or forced to alter our practices, which could have an adverse impact on our business.

Negative commentary regarding us, our products or influencers and other third parties who are affiliated with us may also be posted on social media platforms and may be adverse to our reputation or business. Influencers with whom we maintain relationships could engage in behavior or use their platforms to communicate directly with our customers in a manner that reflects poorly on our brand and may be attributed to us or otherwise adversely affect us. It is not possible to prevent such behavior, and the precautions we take to detect this activity may not be effective in all cases. Our target consumers often value readily available information and often act on such information without further investigation and without regard to its accuracy. The harm may be immediate, without affording us an opportunity for redress or correction.

If we fail to retain existing customers, or fail to maintain average order value levels, we may not be able to maintain our revenue base and margins, which would have a material adverse effect on our business and operating results.

A significant portion of our net sales are generated from sales to existing customers. If existing customers no longer find our offerings appealing, or if we are unable to timely update our offerings to meet current trends and customer demands, our existing customers may make fewer or smaller purchases in the future. A decrease in the number of our customers who make repeat purchases or a decrease in their spending on the merchandise we offer could negatively impact our operating results. Further, we believe that our future success will depend in part on our ability to increase sales to our existing customers over time, and if we are unable to do so, our business may suffer. If we fail to generate repeat purchases or maintain high levels of customer engagement and average order value, our growth prospects, operating results and financial condition could be materially adversely affected.

We purchase inventory in anticipation of sales, and if we are unable to manage our inventory effectively, our operating results could be adversely affected.

Our business requires us to manage a large volume of inventory effectively. We regularly add new apparel, accessories and beauty styles to our sites, and we depend on our forecasts of demand for and popularity of various products to make purchase decisions and to manage our inventory of stock-keeping units, or SKUs. Demand for products, however, can change significantly between the time inventory is ordered and the date of sale. Demand may be affected by seasonality, new product launches, rapid changes in product cycles and pricing, product defects, promotions, changes in consumer spending patterns, changes in consumer tastes with respect to our products and other factors, and our consumers may not purchase products in the quantities that we expect.

It may be difficult to accurately forecast demand and determine appropriate levels of product. We generally do not have the right to return unsold products to our suppliers. If we fail to manage our inventory effectively or negotiate favorable credit terms with third-party suppliers, we may be subject to a heightened risk of inventory obsolescence, a decline in inventory values, and significant inventory write-downs or write-offs. In addition, if we are required to lower sale prices in order to reduce inventory level or to pay higher prices to our suppliers, our profit margins might be negatively affected. Any failure to manage owned brand expansion or accurately forecast demand for owned brands could adversely affect growth, margins and inventory levels. In addition, our ability to meet customer demand has been and may be in the future negatively impacted by disruptions in the supply chain from a number of factors, including, for example, the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak in China. The COVID-19 coronavirus has and is expected to continue to impact our supply chain and may delay or prevent the manufacturing or transport of product. Any of the above may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.

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Merchandise returns could harm our business.

We allow our customers to return products, subject to our return policy. If the rate of merchandise returns increases significantly or if merchandise return economics become less efficient, our business, financial condition and operating results could be harmed. Further, we modify our policies relating to returns from time to time, which may result in customer dissatisfaction or an increase in the number of product returns. From time to time our products are damaged in transit, which can increase return rates and harm our brands.

We rely on third-party suppliers and manufacturers to provide raw materials for and to produce our products, and we have limited control over these suppliers and manufacturers and may not be able to obtain quality products on a timely basis or in sufficient quantity.

We rely on third-party suppliers primarily located outside of the United States to provide raw materials for our products. In addition, we do not own or operate any manufacturing facilities and rely solely on unaffiliated manufacturers primarily located outside the United States to manufacture our products. Increases in the costs of labor and other costs of doing business in these countries could significantly increase our costs to produce our products and could have a negative impact on our operations, net revenue, and earnings. In addition, certain of our manufacturers are subject to government regulations related to wage rates, and therefore the labor costs to produce our products may fluctuate. Factors that could negatively affect our business include a potential significant revaluation of the currencies used in these countries, which may result in an increase in the cost of producing products, labor shortages and stoppages and increases in labor costs, and difficulties in moving products manufactured out of the countries in which they are manufactured and through the ports in North America, whether due to port congestion, labor disputes, product regulations and/or inspections or other factors, and natural disasters or health pandemics. A labor strike or other transportation disruption affecting these ports could significantly disrupt our business. In addition, the imposition of trade sanctions or other regulations against products imported by us from, or the loss of “normal trade relations” status with any country in which our products are manufactured, could significantly increase our cost of products and harm our business. We may also experience increased costs in raw goods, transportation and labor. Additionally, we are also subject to global supply chain disruptions, which may include longer lead times for raw fabrics, inbound shipping and longer production times Supply chain issues have specifically impacted the following for our brands:

The operations of our suppliers can be subject to additional risks beyond our control, including shipping delays, labor disputes, trade restrictions, tariffs and embargos, or any other change in local conditions. We may experience a significant disruption in the supply of fabrics or raw materials from current sources or, in the event of a disruption, we may be unable to locate alternative materials suppliers of comparable quality at an acceptable price, or at all. We do not have any long-term supply contracts in place with any of our suppliers and we compete with other companies, including many of our competitors, for fabrics, raw materials, production and import quota capacity. We have occasionally received, and may in the future receive, shipments of products that fail to comply with our specifications or that fail to conform to our quality control standards. We have also received, and may in the future receive, products that are otherwise unacceptable to us or our customers. Under these circumstances, we may incur substantial expense to remedy the problems and may be required to obtain replacement products. If we fail to remedy any such problem in a timely manner, we risk the loss of net revenue resulting from the inability to sell those products and related increased administrative and shipping costs. Additionally, if the unacceptability of our products is not discovered until after such products are purchased by our customers, our customers could lose confidence in our products or we could face a product recall. In such an event our brand reputation may be negatively impacted which could negatively impact our results of operations.

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These and other factors beyond our control could result in our third-party suppliers and manufacturers being unable to fill our orders in a timely manner. If we experience significant increased demand, or we lose or need to replace an existing third- party supplier and manufacturer as a result of adverse economic conditions or other reasons, we may not be able to secure additional manufacturing capacity when required or on terms that are acceptable to us, or at all, or manufacturers may not be able to allocate sufficient capacity to us in order to meet our requirements. In addition, even if we are able to find new third-party suppliers or manufacturers, we may encounter delays in production and added costs as a result of the time it takes to train our manufacturers on our methods, products and quality control standards. Moreover, it is possible that we will experience defects, errors, or other problems with their work that will materially affect our operations and we may have little or no recourse to recover damages for these losses. Any delays, interruption or increased costs in the supply of fabric or manufacture of our products could have an adverse effect on our ability to meet retail customer and consumer demand for our products and result in lower net revenues and net income both in the short and long term.

In addition to the foregoing, one of our subsidiary’s depends on two primary suppliers located in China and Turkey for the substantial portion of raw materials used in its products and the manufacture of these products, which makes it vulnerable to a disruption in the supply of its products. As a result, termination of these supply arrangements, an adverse change in the financial condition of these suppliers or an adverse change in their ability to manufacture and/or deliver desired products on a timely basis each could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our sales and gross margins may decline as a result of increasing product costs and decreasing selling prices.

The fabrics used in our products include synthetic fabrics whose raw materials include petroleum-based products, as well as natural fibers such as cotton. Significant price fluctuations or shortages in petroleum or other raw materials can materially adversely affect our cost of net revenues.

In addition, the United States and the countries in which our products are produced or sold internationally have imposed and may impose additional quotas, duties, tariffs, or other restrictions or regulations, or may adversely adjust prevailing quota, duty or tariff levels. Countries impose, modify and remove tariffs and other trade restrictions in response to a diverse array of factors, including global and national economic and political conditions, which make it impossible for us to predict future developments regarding tariffs and other trade restrictions. Trade restrictions, including tariffs, quotas, embargoes, safeguards, and customs restrictions, could increase the cost or reduce the supply of products available to us or may require us to modify our supply chain organization or other current business practices, any of which could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our operations are currently dependent on a single warehouse and distribution center, and the loss of, or disruption in, the warehouse and distribution center and other factors affecting the distribution of merchandise could have a material adverse effect on our business and operations.

Our warehouse and fulfillment/distribution functions are currently primarily handled from a single facility in Vernon, California. Our current fulfillment/distribution operations are dependent on the continued use of this facility. Any significant interruption in the operation of the warehouse and fulfillment/ distribution center due to COVID-19 restrictions, natural disasters, accidents, system issues or failures, or other unforeseen causes that materially impair our ability to access or use our facility, could delay or impair the ability to distribute merchandise and fulfill online orders, which could cause sales to decline.

We also depend upon third-party carriers for shipment of a significant amount of merchandise directly to our customers. An interruption in service by these third-party carriers for any reason could cause temporary disruptions in business, a loss of sales and profits, and other material adverse effects.

Our sales and gross margins may decline as a result of increasing freight costs.

Freight costs are impacted by changes in fuel prices through surcharges, among other factors. Fuel prices and surcharges affect freight costs both on inbound freight from suppliers to the distribution center as well as outbound freight from the distribution center to stores/shops, supplier returns and third-party liquidators, and shipments of product to customers. The cost of transporting our products for distribution and sale is also subject to fluctuation due in large part to the price of oil. Because most of our products are manufactured abroad, our products must be transported by third parties over large geographical distances and an increase in the price of oil can significantly increase costs. Manufacturing delays or unexpected transportation delays can also cause us to rely more heavily

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on airfreight to achieve timely delivery to our customers, which significantly increases freight costs. Increases in fuel prices, surcharges, and other potential factors may increase freight costs. Any of these fluctuations may increase our cost of products and have an adverse effect on our margins, results of operations and financial condition.

Increases in labor costs, including wages, could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Labor is a significant portion of our cost structure and is subject to many external factors, including unemployment levels, prevailing wage rates, minimum wage laws, potential collective bargaining arrangements, health insurance costs and other insurance costs and changes in employment and labor legislation or other workplace regulation. From time to time, legislative proposals are made to increase the federal minimum wage in the United States, as well as the minimum wage in California and a number of other states and municipalities, and to reform entitlement programs, such as health insurance and paid leave programs. As minimum wage rates increase or related laws and regulations change, we may need to increase not only the wage rates of our minimum wage employees, but also the wages paid to our other hourly or salaried employees. Any increase in the cost of our labor could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations or if we fail to pay such higher wages we could suffer increased employee turnover. Increases in labor costs could force us to increase prices, which could adversely impact our sales. If competitive pressures or other factors prevent us from offsetting increased labor costs by increases in prices, our profitability may decline and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Security breaches and other disruptions could compromise our information and expose us to liability, which would cause our business and reputation to suffer.

In the ordinary course of our business, we collect and store sensitive data, including intellectual property, our proprietary business information, and financial and other personally identifiable information of our customers and employees. The secure processing, maintenance, and transmission of this information is critical to our operations and business strategy. Despite our security measures, our information technology and infrastructure may be vulnerable to attacks by hackers or breached due to employee error, malfeasance, or other disruptions. Any such breach could compromise our networks and the information stored there could be accessed, publicly disclosed, lost, or stolen. Advanced attacks are multi-staged, unfold over time, and utilize a range of attack vectors with military-grade cyber weapons and proven techniques, such as spear phishing and social engineering, leaving organizations and users at high risk of being compromised. The vast majority of data breaches, whether conducted by a cyber attacker from inside or outside of the organization, involve the misappropriation of digital identities and user credentials. These credentials are used to gain legitimate access to sensitive systems and high-value personal and corporate data. Many large, well-known organizations have been subject to cyber-attacks that exploited the identity vector, demonstrating that even organizations with significant resources and security expertise have challenges securing their identities. Any such access, disclosure, or other loss of information could result in legal claims or proceedings, liability under laws that protect the privacy of personal information, regulatory penalties, a disruption of our operations, damage to our reputation, or a loss of confidence in our business, any of which could adversely affect our business, revenues, and competitive position.

Our future success depends on our key executive officers and our ability to attract, retain, and motivate qualified personnel.

Our future success largely depends upon the continued services of our executive officers and management team, especially our Chief Executive Officer and President, Mr. John “Hil” Davis. If one or more of our executive officers are unable or unwilling to continue in their present positions, we may not be able to replace them readily, if at all. Additionally, we may incur additional expenses to recruit and retain new executive officers. If any of our executive officers joins a competitor or forms a competing company, we may lose some or all of our customers. Finally, we do not maintain “key person” life insurance on any of our executive officers. Because of these factors, the loss of the services of any of these key persons could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations, and thereby an investment in our stock.

In addition, our continuing ability to attract and retain highly qualified personnel, especially employees with experience in the fashion and fitness industries, will also be critical to our success because we will need to hire and retain additional personnel as our business grows. There can be no assurance that we will be able to attract or retain highly qualified personnel. We face significant competition for skilled personnel in our industries. This competition may make it more difficult and expensive to attract, hire, and retain qualified managers and employees. Because of these factors, we may not be able to effectively manage or grow our business, which could adversely affect our financial condition or business. As a result, the value of your investment could be significantly reduced or completely lost.

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If we cannot successfully protect our intellectual property, our business could suffer.

We rely on a combination of intellectual property rights, contractual protections and other practices to protect our brand, proprietary information, technologies and processes. We primarily rely on copyright and trade secret laws to protect our proprietary technologies and processes, including the algorithms we use throughout our business. Others may independently develop the same or similar technologies and processes, or may improperly acquire and use information about our technologies and processes, which may allow them to provide a service similar to ours, which could harm our competitive position. Our principal trademark assets include the registered trademarks “DSTLD”, “Bailey 44”, “ACE STUDIOS”, “STATESIDE” and “SUNDRY” and our logos and taglines. Our trademarks are valuable assets that support our brand and consumers’ perception of our services and merchandise. We also hold the rights to the “www.digitalbrandsgroup.co”, www.dstld.com, “www.bailey44.com”, and www.harperandjones.com. Internet domain name and various related domain names, which are subject to Internet regulatory bodies and trademark and other related laws of each applicable jurisdiction. If we are unable to protect our trademarks or domain names, our brand recognition and reputation would suffer, we would incur significant expense establishing new brands and our operating results would be adversely impacted. Further, to the extent we pursue patent protection for our innovations, patents we may apply for may not issue, and patents that do issue or that we acquire may not provide us with any competitive advantages or may be challenged by third parties. There can be no assurance that any patents we obtain will adequately protect our inventions or survive a legal challenge, as the legal standards relating to the validity, enforceability and scope of protection of patent and other intellectual property rights are uncertain. We may be required to spend significant resources to monitor and protect our intellectual property rights, and the efforts we take to protect our proprietary rights may not be sufficient.

If the technology-based systems that give our customers the ability to shop with us online do not function effectively, our operating results could be materially adversely affected.

A substantial number of our customers currently shop with us through our e-commerce website and mobile application. Increasingly, customers are using tablets and smart phones to shop online with us and with our competitors and to do comparison shopping. Any failure on our part to provide an attractive, effective, reliable, user-friendly e-commerce platform that offers a wide assortment of merchandise with rapid delivery options and that continually meet the changing expectations of online shoppers could place us at a competitive disadvantage, result in the loss of sales, harm our reputation with customers, and could have a material adverse impact on our business and results of operations.

Organizations face growing regulatory and compliance requirements.

New and evolving regulations and compliance standards for cyber security, data protection, privacy, and internal IT controls are often created in response to the tide of cyber-attacks and will increasingly impact organizations. Existing regulatory standards require that organizations implement internal controls for user access to applications and data. In addition, data breaches are driving a new wave of regulation with stricter enforcement and higher penalties. Regulatory and policy-driven obligations require expensive and time-consuming compliance measures. The fear of non-compliance, failed audits, and material findings has pushed organizations to spend more to ensure they are in compliance, often resulting in costly, one-off implementations to mitigate potential fines or reputational damage. Any substantial costs associated with failing to meet regulatory requirements, combined with the risk of fallout from security breaches, could have a material adverse effect on our business and brand.

Our failure to comply with trade and other regulations could lead to investigations or actions by government regulators and negative publicity.

The labeling, distribution, importation, marketing and sale of our products are subject to extensive regulation by various federal agencies, including the Federal Trade Commission, Consumer Product Safety Commission and state attorneys general in the U.S., as well as by various other federal, state, provincial, local and international regulatory authorities in the locations in which our products are distributed or sold. If we fail to comply with those regulations, we could become subject to significant penalties or claims or be required to recall products, which could negatively impact our results of operations and disrupt our ability to conduct our business, as well as damage our brand image with consumers. In addition, the adoption of new regulations or changes in the interpretation of existing regulations may result in significant unanticipated compliance costs or discontinuation of product sales and may impair the marketing of our products, resulting in significant loss of net revenues.

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Any international operations are also subject to compliance with the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, or FCPA, and other anti-bribery laws applicable to our operations. Although we have policies and procedures to address compliance with the FCPA and similar laws, there can be no assurance that all of our employees, agents and other partners will not take actions in violations of our policies. Any such violation could subject us to sanctions or other penalties that could negatively affect our reputation, business and operating results.

Our business is affected by seasonality.

Our business is affected by the general seasonal trends common to the retail apparel industry. This seasonality may adversely affect our business and cause our results of operations to fluctuate, and, as a result, we believe that comparisons of our operating results between different quarters within a single fiscal year are not necessarily meaningful and that results of operations in any period should not be considered indicative of the results to be expected for any future period.

The price of our common stock has in the past and may in the future fluctuate substantially, and your investment may decline in value.

The market price of our common stock has in the past and could in the future be extremely volatile. From May 2021 to January 23, 2023, the high and low prices of our common stock as quoted on the NasdaqCM was $880 and $2.38, respectively (as appropriately adjusted for a 1-100 reverse stock split effected by the Company in November 2022). The future market price of our common stock may be significantly affected by factors, such as:

These and other factors may lower the market price of our common stock, regardless of our actual operating performance. As a result, our common stock may trade at prices significantly below the public offering price.

Furthermore, in recent years the stock market has experienced significant price and volume fluctuations. This volatility has had a significant impact on the market price of securities issued by many companies. The changes frequently appear to occur without regard to the operating performance of the affected companies. Hence, the price of our common stock could fluctuate based upon factors that

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have little or nothing to do with us, and these fluctuations could materially reduce the price of our common stock and materially affect the value of your investment.

In the past, securities class action litigation often has been instituted against companies following periods of volatility in the market price of their securities. This type of litigation, if directed at us, could result in substantial costs and a diversion of management’s attention and resources.

If we are not able to comply with the applicable continued listing requirements or standards of NasdaqCM, NasdaqCM could delist our common stock.

Our common stock is listed on the NasdaqCM. In order to maintain that listing, we must satisfy minimum financial and other continued listing requirements and standards, including those regarding director independence and independent committee requirements, minimum stockholders’ equity, minimum share price, and certain corporate governance requirements. There can be no assurances that we will be able to comply with the applicable listing standards.

On May 31, 2022, we received a letter from the Listing Qualifications Staff (the “Staff”) of Nasdaq indicating that the bid price of our common stock had closed below $1.00 per share for 30 consecutive business days and, as a result, we are not in compliance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(a)(2), which sets forth the minimum bid price requirement for continued listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market (the “Minimum Bid Requirement”).

Nasdaq’s notice has no immediate effect on the listing of common stock on Nasdaq. Pursuant to Nasdaq Listing Rule 5810(c)(3)(A), we were afforded a 180-calendar day grace period, through November 28, 2022, to regain compliance with the bid price requirement. Compliance can be achieved by evidencing a closing bid price of at least $1.00 per share for a minimum of ten consecutive business days (but generally not more than 20 consecutive business days) during the 180-calendar day grace period.

If we do not regain compliance with the bid price requirement by November 28, 2022, we may be eligible for an additional 180-calendar day compliance period so long as it satisfies the criteria for initial listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market and the continued listing requirement for market value of publicly held shares and we provide written notice to Nasdaq of its intention to cure the deficiency during the second compliance period by effecting a reverse stock split, if necessary. In the event we are not eligible for the second grace period, the Nasdaq staff will provide written notice that our Common Stock is subject to delisting; however, we may request a hearing before the Nasdaq Hearings Panel (the “Panel”), which request, if timely made, would stay any further suspension or delisting action by the Staff pending the conclusion of the hearing process and expiration of any extension that may be granted by the Panel.

On January 19, 2022, we received a letter from the Listing Qualifications Department of the Nasdaq notifying us that our common stock Market Value of Listed Securities (“MVLS”) had been below the minimum $35,000,000 required for continued inclusion as set forth in Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(b)(2) (“MVLS Requirement”).

The letter also states that we would be provided 180 calendar days, or until July 18, 2022, to regain compliance with the MVLS Requirement (“Compliance Period”). If we did not regain compliance within the Compliance Period, we would receive a written notification from Nasdaq that our securities are subject to delisting. At that time, we may appeal the delisting determination to a Hearings Panel.

On July 21, 2022, we received a letter from Nasdaq stating that the Company has not regained compliance with the MVLS Standard, since our common stock was below the $35 million minimum MVLS requirement for continued listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market under Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(b)(2) (the “MLVS Rule”) and had not been at least $35 million for a minimum of 10 consecutive business days at any time during the 180-day grace period granted to us.

Pursuant to the Letter, unless we requested a hearing to appeal this determination by 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time on July 28, 2022, our Common Stock would be delisted from The Nasdaq Capital Market, trading of our Common Stock would be suspended at the opening of business on August 1, 2022, and a Form 25-NSE will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which will remove the our securities from listing and registration on Nasdaq.

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On July 27, 2022, the Company requested a hearing before the Nasdaq Hearings Panel (the “Panel”) to appeal the Letter on July 21, 2022. The request for a hearing was granted and held on September 8, 2022. On September 21, 2022, the Nasdaq Listing Qualifications Panel (the “Hearings Panel”) granted the Company an extension until January 17, 2022, to demonstrate compliance with Listing Rule 5550(b)(1) to allow continued listing requirement of The Nasdaq Capital Market, conditioned upon achievement of certain milestones included in a plan of compliance which the Company previously submitted to the Hearings Panel. On November 29, 2022, Nasdaq formally notified the Company that it had regained compliance with the Bid Price Rule.

On November 3, 2022, Digital Brands Group, Inc. (the “Company”) received notice from the Listing Qualifications Staff (the “Staff”) of The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (“Nasdaq”) that the Company’s bid price had closed below $0.10 per share for the preceding ten consecutive trading days, in contravention of Nasdaq Listing Rule 5810(3)(A)(iii) and, as a result, the Nasdaq Hearings Panel (the “Panel”) would consider the deficiency as an additional basis for delisting.

Effective as of 5 pm EST on November 3, 2022, the Company implemented a reverse stock split at a ratio of 1-for-100 shares, which the Company believes will remedy both the $0.10 threshold price deficiency and the $1.00 bid price deficiency cited by the Staff. In order to evidence compliance with Nasdaq’s bid price criteria, the Company must evidence a closing bid price of at least $1.00 per share for a minimum of 10 (though generally not more than 20) consecutive business days. As of the close of business on November 11, 2022, the Company had evidenced a closing bid price in excess of $1.00 per share for six consecutive business days.

On January 17, 2023, Digital Brands Group, Inc. (the “Company”) was notified by the Nasdaq Hearings Panel (the “Panel”) that the Company has evidenced compliance with all applicable requirements for continued listing on The Nasdaq Capital Market, including the $2.5 million stockholders’ equity requirement set forth in Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(b). The Company remains subject to a “Panel Monitor,” as that term is defined by Nasdaq Listing Rule 5815(d)(4)(A), through January 17, 2024.

There can be no assurance that we will be successful in its efforts to maintain the Nasdaq listing. If our Common Stock and warrants cease to be listed for trading on the Nasdaq Capital Market, we would expect that our Common Stock and warrants would be traded on one of the three tiered marketplaces of the OTC Markets Group. If Nasdaq were to delist our common stock and warrants, it would be more difficult for our stockholders to dispose of our common stock or warrants and more difficult to obtain accurate price quotations on our common stock or warrants. Our ability to issue additional securities for financing or other purposes, or otherwise to arrange for any financing we may need in the future, may also be materially and adversely affected if our common stock or warrants are not listed on a national securities exchange.

If we are unable to implement and maintain effective internal control over financial reporting, investors may lose confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports, which could adversely affect the market price of our common stock.

We are not currently required to comply with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, and are therefore not required to make an assessment of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting for that purpose. We have identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting. These material weaknesses relate to the fact that we do not maintain a comprehensive policies and procedures manual designed to establish internal controls over financial reporting to reduce the risk of publishing materially misstated financial statements, as well as define responsibilities and segregate incompatible duties to reduce the risk of unauthorized transactions.

We are in the process of taking steps intended to remedy these material weaknesses, and we will not be able to fully address these material weaknesses until these steps have been completed.

As a public company, we are required to maintain internal control over financial reporting and to report any material weaknesses in such internal controls. A material weakness is defined in the standards established by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) as a deficiency, or an acquisition of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. In addition, we will be required to furnish a report by management on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, or Section 404, at the time of our second annual report on Form 10-K, which will be for our year ending December 31, 2022. We intend to begin the process of designing, implementing and testing the internal control over financial reporting required to comply with this obligation upon the completion of this offering, which process is time consuming, costly and complex. If we fail to increase and maintain the number and expertise of our staff for our accounting and finance functions and to improve and maintain internal control over financial reporting adequate to meet the demands

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that will be placed upon us as a public company, including the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, or the Sarbanes- Oxley Act, we may be unable to report our financial results accurately and prevent fraud. In addition, we cannot be certain that any such steps we undertake will successfully remediate the material weaknesses or that other material weaknesses and control deficiencies will not be discovered in the future. If our remediation efforts are not successful or other material weaknesses or control deficiencies occur in the future, we may be unable to report our financial results accurately or on a timely basis, which could cause our reported financial results to be materially misstated and result in the loss of investor confidence or delisting and cause our stock price to decline. As a result of such failures, we could also become subject to investigations by NasdaqCM, the SEC, or other regulatory authorities, and become subject to litigation from investors and stockholders, any of which could harm our reputation and financial condition, and divert financial and management resources. Even if we are able to report our consolidated financial statements accurately and timely, if we do not make all the necessary improvements to address the material weaknesses, continued disclosure of our material weaknesses will be required in future filings with the SEC, which could reduce investor confidence in our reported results and our cause our stock price to decline.

We are an emerging growth company and a smaller reporting company within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and as a result of the reduced disclosure and governance requirements applicable to emerging growth companies and smaller reporting companies, our common stock may be less attractive to investors and may make it more difficult to compare our performance with other public companies.

We are an emerging growth company, as defined in the JOBS Act, and we are eligible to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies. Those exemptions include, but are not limited to, a requirement to present only two years of audited financial statements, an exemption from the auditor attestation requirement of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure about executive compensation arrangements in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and no requirement to seek non-binding advisory votes on executive compensation or golden parachute arrangements. We have elected to adopt these reduced disclosure requirements. We may take advantage of these provisions until we are no longer an emerging growth company.

We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of (1) the last day of the fiscal year following the fifth anniversary of the completion of this offering, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.0 billion or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our common stock that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the prior December 31st, and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt during the prior three-year period. We cannot predict if investors will find our common stock less attractive as a result of our taking advantage of these exemptions. If some investors find our common stock less attractive as a result of our choices, there may be a less active trading market for our common stock and our stock price may be more volatile.

Further, Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such election to opt out is irrevocable. We have elected not to opt out of such extended transition period which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, we, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of our financial statements with another public company which is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company which has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.

Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Rule 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates exceeds $250 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter, or (2) our annual revenues exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter. If we are a smaller reporting company at the time we cease to be an emerging growth company, we may continue to rely on exemptions from certain disclosure requirements that are available to smaller reporting companies. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements in our Annual Report on Form 10-K and, similar to emerging growth companies, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation. Furthermore, as long as we are neither a “large accelerated filer” nor an

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“accelerated filer,” as a smaller reporting company, we would not be required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. To the extent we take advantage of such reduced disclosure obligations, it may also make comparison of our financial statements with other public companies difficult or impossible.

Future sales of our common stock, or the perception in the public markets that these sales may occur, may depress our stock price.

The market price of our common stock could decline significantly as a result of sales of a large number of shares of our common stock in the market after this offering. These sales, or the perception that these sales might occur, could depress the market price of our common stock or make it more difficult for us to sell equity securities in the future at a time and at a price that we deem appropriate.

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SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This prospectus contains forward-looking statements, which reflect the views of our management with respect to future events and financial performance. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such statements. Forward-looking statements are identified by words such as “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “projects,” “targets,” and similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements may be contained in the sections “Risk Factors,” and “Business,” among other places in this prospectus. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which are based on the information available to management at this time and which speak only as of this date. We undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. For a discussion of some of the factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those suggested by the forward-looking statements, please read carefully the information under “Risk Factors.”

The identification in this document of factors that may affect future performance and the accuracy of forward-looking statements is meant to be illustrative and by no means exhaustive. All forward-looking statements should be evaluated with the understanding of their inherent uncertainty. You may rely only on the information contained in this prospectus.

We have not authorized anyone to provide information different from that contained in this prospectus. Neither the delivery of this prospectus nor the sale of our common stock means that information contained in this prospectus is correct after the date of this prospectus. This prospectus is not an offer to sell or solicitation of an offer to buy these securities in any circumstances under which the offer or solicitation is unlawful.

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USE OF PROCEEDS

All securities sold pursuant to this prospectus will be offered and sold by the selling stockholders. We will not receive any proceeds from the sale of common stock offered by the selling stockholders. However, upon the exercise of the Common Stock Warrants, and Placement Agent Warrants by payment of cash, we would receive aggregate gross proceeds of approximately $5.3 million. Any proceeds from the exercise of the Common Stock Warrants, and Placement Agent Warrants will be used for working capital and general corporate purposes. We cannot predict when or if the Common Stock Warrants, and Placement Agent Warrants will be exercised, and it is possible that the Common Stock Warrants, and Placement Agent Warrants may expire and never be exercised or may be exercised pursuant to a cashless exercise. We will bear the out-of-pocket costs, expenses and fees incurred in connection with the registration of shares of our common stock to be sold by the selling stockholders, including registration, listing and qualifications fees, printers and accounting fees, and fees and disbursements of counsel, or collectively, the Registration Expenses. Other than Registration Expenses, the selling stockholders will bear underwriting discounts, commissions, placement agent fees or other similar expenses payable with respect to sales of shares.

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DIVIDEND POLICY

We have never declared or paid any cash dividends on our capital stock and do not anticipate paying any cash dividends in the foreseeable future. We currently expect to retain future earnings, if any, to finance the growth and development of our business. Any future determination to declare cash dividends will be made at the discretion of our board of directors, subject to applicable laws, and will depend on a number of factors, including our financial condition, results of operations, capital requirements, contractual restrictions, general business conditions, and other factors that our board of directors may deem relevant.

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MARKET PRICE OF AND DIVIDENDS ON COMMON STOCK AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS

Market Information

Our common stock and warrants are quoted on the NasdaqCM under the symbols DBGI and DBGIW, respectively. Until May 2021, there was no public market for our common stock or Class A warrants.

The following table sets forth the high and low sales prices as reported on the NasdaqCM. The quotations reflect inter-dealer prices, without retail mark-up, mark-down or commission, and may not represent actual transactions.

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The last reported sales price of our common stock on the NasdaqCM on January 23, 2023 was $3.13.

Holders

As of January 23, 2023, there were approximately 1,877 stockholders of record of our common stock.

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SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA

The selected historical financial information for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020 represents the historical financial information of DBG. The statements of operations data for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020 have been derived from the audited financial statements of DBG included elsewhere in this prospectus. Our historical results are not necessarily indicative of the results that should be expected in any future periods.

You should review the information below together with “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” and the audited financial statements of DBG, Bailey, H&J, Stateside and Sundry and the related notes all included elsewhere in this prospectus.

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UNAUDITED PRO FORMA COMBINED FINANCIAL INFORMATION

The following unaudited pro forma combined financial information presents the unaudited pro forma combined balance sheet and statement of operations based upon the combined historical financial statements of DBG and Sundry after giving effect to the business combinations and adjustments described in the accompanying notes.

The unaudited pro forma combined balance sheets of DBG and Sundry as of September 30, 2022 has been prepared to reflect the effects of the acquisition as if it occurred on June 30, 2022. The unaudited pro forma combined statements of operations for the nine months ended September 30, 2022 combine the historical results and operations of DBG and Sundry giving effect to the transaction as if it occurred on January 1, 2022. The unaudited pro forma combined statements of operations for the year ended December 31, 2021 combine the historical results and operations of DBG, Harper & Jones, Stateside and Sundry giving effect to the transactions as if they occurred on January 1, 2021.

The unaudited pro forma combined financial information should be read in conjunction with the audited and unaudited historical financial statements of each of DBG, Harper & Jones, Stateside and Sundry and the notes thereto. Additional information about the basis of presentation of this information is provided in Note 2 below.

The unaudited pro forma combined financial information was prepared in accordance with Article 11 of Regulation S-X. The unaudited pro forma adjustments reflecting the transaction have been prepared in accordance with business combination accounting guidance as provided in Accounting Standards Codification Topic 805, Business Combinations and reflect the preliminary allocation of the purchase price to the acquired assets and liabilities based upon the preliminary estimate of fair values, using the assumptions set forth in the notes to the unaudited pro forma combined financial information.

The unaudited pro forma combined financial information is provided for informational purposes only and is not necessarily indicative of the operating results or financial position that would have occurred if the transaction had been completed as of the dates set forth above, nor is it indicative of the future results or financial position of the combined company. In connection with the pro forma financial information, DBG allocated the purchase price using its best estimates of fair value. Accordingly, the pro forma acquisition price adjustments are preliminary and subject to further adjustments as additional information becomes available and as additional analyses are performed. The unaudited pro forma combined financial information also does not give effect to the potential impact of current financial conditions, any anticipated synergies, operating efficiencies or cost savings that may result from the transaction or any integration costs.

Furthermore, the unaudited pro forma combined statements of operations do not include certain nonrecurring charges and the related tax effects which result directly from the transaction as described in the notes to the unaudited pro forma combined financial information.

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UNAUDITED PRO FORMA COMBINED STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS

FOR THE NINE MONTHS ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 2022

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UNAUDITED PRO FORMA COMBINED STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS FOR THE
YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2021

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UNAUDITED PRO FORMA COMBINED BALANCE SHEET AS OF SEPTEMBER 30, 2022

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NOTES TO THE UNAUDITED PRO FORMA FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

On February 12, 2020, the Company entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger with Bailey 44, LLC (“Bailey”), a Delaware limited liability company. On the acquisition date, Bailey 44, LLC became a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company.

On May 18, 2021, the Company closed its acquisition of Harper & Jones, LLC (“H&J”) pursuant to its Membership Interest Stock Purchase Agreement with D. Jones Tailored Collection, Ltd. to purchase 100% of the issued and outstanding equity of Harper & Jones, LLC. On the acquisition date, H&J became a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company.

On August 30, 2021, the Company closed its acquisition of Mosbest, LLC dba Stateside (“Stateside”) pursuant to its Membership Interest Purchase Agreement with Moise Emquies to purchase 100% of the issued and outstanding equity of Stateside. On the acquisition date, Stateside became a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company.

Sundry

On October 13, 2022, Digital Brands Group, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company” or “DBG”), entered into a Second Amended and Restated Membership Interest Purchase Agreement (the “Agreement”) with Moise Emquies, George Levy, Matthieu Leblan and Carol Ann Emquies (“Sellers”), Sunnyside, LLC, a California limited liability company (“Sundry”), and George Levy as the Sellers’ representative (the “Sellers’ Representative”), pursuant to which the Company will acquire all of the issued and outstanding membership interests of Sundry (such transaction, the “Acquisition”).

Pursuant to the Agreement, Sellers, as the holders of all of the outstanding membership interests of Sundry, will exchange all of such membership interests for (i) $7.5 million in cash, of which (a) $2.5 million first shall be paid to each of George Levy and Matthieu Leblan (for a total of $5 million); (b) $900,000 will be used to pay off outstanding indebtedness of Sundry and (c) the remaining $1.6 million will be paid to each of the Sellers, Jenny Murphy and Elodie Crichi pro rata in accordance to the percentages set forth in the Agreement; (ii) $5.5 million in promissory notes issued by the Company to each of the Sellers, Jenny Murphy and Elodie Crichi pro rata in accordance to the percentage set forth in the Agreement; and (iii) $1 million paid in the Company’s common stock, with a par value of $0.0001 per share (the “Buyer Shares”), at $0.11 per share, which is the per share closing price of the Buyer Shares on Nasdaq on October 13, 2022 (the “Issuance Price”) issued to each of the Sellers, Jenny Murphy and Elodie Crichi pro rata in accordance to the percentage set forth in the Agreement. Each promissory note carries an initial per annual interest rate of eight percent (8%) and a maturity date of February 15, 2023.

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The historical financial information has been adjusted to give pro forma effect to events that are directly attributable to the transaction, (ii) factually supportable, and (iii) with respect to the unaudited pro forma combined balance sheets and unaudited pro forma combined statements of operations, expected to have a continuing impact on the combined results.

The transactions were accounted for as a business acquisition whereas Harper & Jones, Stateside and Sundry are the accounting acquirees and DBG is the accounting acquirer.

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As a result of the acquisition, DBG recorded pro forma intangible assets of $10,362,323, including $3,137,643 attributable to brand name and $7,224,680 attributable to customer relationships. DBG recorded $254,689 in pro forma goodwill representing the remaining excess purchase price of the fair value of net assets acquired and liabilities assumed.

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The following table shows the preliminary allocation of the purchase price for Sundry to the acquired net identifiable assets and pro forma goodwill:

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MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF
FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with the historical financial statements of the relevant entities and the pro forma financial statements and the notes thereto included elsewhere in this prospectus. This discussion and analysis contains forward- looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including those set forth under “Risk Factors” and “Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.”

Unless otherwise indicated by the context, references to “DBG” refer to Digital Brands Group, Inc. solely, and references to the “Company,” “our,” “we,” “us” and similar terms refer to Digital Brands Group, Inc., together with its wholly-owned subsidiaries Bailey 44, LLC (“Bailey”), Harper & Jones LLC (“H&J”), MOSBEST, LLC (“Stateside”) and Sunnyside (“Sundry”).

Business Overview

Digital Brands Group is a curated collection of lifestyle brands, including Bailey 44, DSTLD, Harper & Jones, Stateside, Sundry and ACE Studios, that offers a variety of apparel products through direct-to-consumer and wholesale distribution. Our complementary brand portfolio provides us with the unique opportunity to cross merchandise our brands. We aim for our customers to wear our brands head to toe and to capture what we call “closet share” by gaining insight into their preferences to create targeted and personalized content specific to their cohort. Operating our brands under one portfolio provides us with the ability to better utilize our technological, human capital and operational capabilities across all brands. As a result, we have been able to realize operational efficiencies and continue to identify additional cost saving opportunities to scale our brands and overall portfolio.

Our portfolio currently consists of four significant brands that leverage our three channels: our websites, wholesale and H&J Showrooms.

We believe that successful apparel brands sell in all revenue channels. However, each channel offers different margin structures and requires different customer acquisition and retention strategies. We were founded as a digital-first retailer that has strategically expanded into select wholesale and direct retail channels. We strive to strategically create omnichannel strategies for each of our brands that blend physical and online channels to engage consumers in the channel of their choosing. Our products are sold direct-to-consumers principally through our websites and our own showrooms, but also through our wholesale channel, primarily in specialty stores and select department stores. With the continued expansion of our wholesale distribution, we believe developing an

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omnichannel solution further strengthens our ability to efficiently acquire and retain customers while also driving high customer lifetime value.

We believe that by leveraging a physical footprint to acquire customers and increase brand awareness, we can use digital marketing to focus on retention and a very tight, disciplined high value new customer acquisition strategy, especially targeting potential customers lower in the sales funnel. Building a direct relationship with the customer as the customer transacts directly with us allows us to better understand our customer’s preferences and shopping habits. Our substantial experience as a company originally founded as a digitally native-first retailer gives us the ability to strategically review and analyze the customer’s data, including contact information, browsing and shopping cart data, purchase history and style preferences. This in turn has the effect of lowering our inventory risk and cash needs since we can order and replenish product based on the data from our online sales history, replenish specific inventory by size, color and SKU based on real times sales data, and control our mark-down and promotional strategies versus being told what mark downs and promotions we have to offer by the department stores and boutique retailers.

We define “closet share” as the percentage (“share”) of a customer’s clothing units that (“of closet”) she or he owns in her or his closet and the amount of those units that go to the brands that are selling these units. For example, if a customer buys 20 units of clothing a year and the brands that we own represent 10 of those units purchased, then our closet share is 50% of that customer’s closet, or 10 of our branded units divided by 20 units they purchased in entirety. Closet share is a similar concept to the widely used term wallet share, it is just specific to the customer’s closet. The higher our closet share, the higher our revenue as higher closet share suggests the customer is purchasing more of our brands than our competitors.

We have strategically expanded into an omnichannel brand offering these styles and content not only on-line but at selected wholesale and retail storefronts. We believe this approach allows us opportunities to successfully drive Lifetime Value (“LTV”) while increasing new customer growth. We define Lifetime Value or LTV as an estimate of the average revenue that a customer will generate throughout their lifespan as our customer. This value/revenue of a customer helps us determine many economic decisions, such as marketing budgets per marketing channel, retention versus acquisition decisions, unit level economics, profitability and revenue forecasting.

We acquired Bailey in February 2020, H&J in May 2021, Stateside in August 2021 and Sundry in December 2022. We agreed on the consideration that we paid in each acquisition in the course of arm’s length negotiations with the holders of the membership interests in each of Bailey, H&J, Stateside and Sundry. In determining and negotiating this consideration, we relied on the experience and judgment of our management and our evaluation of the potential synergies that could be achieved in combining the operations of Bailey, H&J, Stateside and Sundry. We did not obtain independent valuations, appraisals or fairness opinions to support the consideration that we paid/agreed to pay.

Material Trends, Events and Uncertainties

COVID-19

After the impact of COVID-19, we have implemented cost controls to reduce discretionary spending to help mitigate the loss of sales and to conserve cash while continuing to support employees. We are also assessing our forward inventory purchase commitments to ensure proper matching of supply and demand, which will result in an overall reduction in future commitments. As we continue to actively monitor the situation, we may take further actions that affect our operations.

Supply Chain Disruptions

We are subject to global supply chain disruptions, which may include longer lead times for raw fabrics, inbound shipping and longer production times. Supply chain issues have specifically impacted the following for our brands:

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Seasonality

Our quarterly operating results vary due to the seasonality of our individual brands, and are historically stronger in the second half of the calendar year.

Components of Our Results of Operations

Net Revenue

DSTLD sells its products to our customers directly through our website. In those cases, sales, net represents total sales less returns, promotions, and discounts.

Bailey sells its products directly to customers. Bailey also sells its products indirectly through wholesale channels that include third-party online channels and physical channels such as specialty retailers and department stores.

H&J sells its products directly to customers through their showrooms and sales reps.

Stateside sells its products directly to customers. Stateside also sells its products indirectly through wholesale channels that include third-party online channels and physical channels such as specialty retailers and department stores.

Cost of Net Revenue

DSTLD, Bailey and Stateside’s cost of net revenue include direct cost of purchased merchandise; inventory shrinkage; inventory adjustments due to obsolescence, including excess and slow-moving inventory and lower of cost and net realizable reserves, duties; and inbound freight.

H&J’s cost of net revenue sold is associated with procuring fabric and custom tailoring each garment.

Operating Expenses

Our operating expenses include all operating costs not included in cost of net revenues. These costs consist of general and administrative, sales and marketing, and fulfillment and shipping expense to the customer.

General and administrative expenses consist primarily of all payroll and payroll-related expenses, stock-based compensation, professional fees, insurance, software costs, and expenses related to our operations at our headquarters, including utilities, depreciation and amortization, and other costs related to the administration of our business.

Sales and marketing expense primarily includes digital advertising; photo shoots for wholesale and direct-to-consumer communications, including email, social media and digital advertisements; and commission expenses associated with sales representatives.

We expect to incur additional expenses as a result of operating as a public company, including costs to comply with the rules and regulations applicable to companies listed on a national securities exchange, costs related to compliance and reporting obligations pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC and higher expenses for insurance, investor relations and professional services. We expect these costs will increase our operating costs

Distribution expenses includes costs paid to our third-party logistics provider, packaging and shipping costs to the customer from the warehouse and any returns from the customer to the warehouse.

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At each reporting period, we estimate changes in the fair value of contingent consideration and recognize any change in fair in our consolidated statement of operations, which is included in operating expenses. Additionally, amortization of the identifiable intangibles acquired in the acquisitions is also included in operating expenses.

Interest Expense

Interest expense consists primarily of interest related to our debt outstanding to our senior lender, convertible debt, and other interest bearing liabilities.

Results of Operations

Three Months Ended September 30, 2022 compared to Three Months Ended September 30, 2021

The following table presents our results of operations for the three months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021:

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Net Revenues

Revenues increased by $1.2 million to $3.4 million for the three months ended September 30, 2022, compared to $2.2 million in the corresponding fiscal period in 2021. The increase was primarily due to full results in 2022 pertaining to the acquisition of Stateside in August 2021, as well we increased results from the Company’s other brands including Bailey.

Gross Profit

Our gross profit increased by $0.5 million for the three months ended September 30, 2022 to $1.7 million from a gross profit of $1.2 million for the corresponding fiscal period in 2021. The increase in gross margin was primarily attributable to increased revenue in the three months ended September 30, 2022 and the gross profit achieved by Stateside since the acquisition.

Our gross margin was 48.3% for three months ended September 30, 2022 compared to 55.9% for the three months ended September 30, 2021. The decrease in the gross margin was due to H&J and Stateside’s higher margins in 2021, as well as lower margins achieved by Bailey in 2022.

Operating Expenses

Our operating expenses decreased by $4.9 million for the three months ended September 30, 2022 to $4.2 million compared to $9.1 million for the corresponding fiscal period in 2021. The decrease in operating expenses was primarily due to the change in fair value of contingent consideration of $4.0 million in 2021, as well as slightly lower marketing and general and administrative expenses in 2022 due to various cost cutting measures. We expect operating expenses to increase in total dollars and as a percentage of revenues as our revenue base increases.

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Other Income (Expenses)

Other income/expenses increased by $1.3 million to $2.3 million in the three months ended September 30, 2022 compared to other expenses of $1.0 million in the corresponding fiscal period in 2021. The increase in other expenses in 2022 was primarily due to the amortization of debt discount and interest expense on the Company’s outstanding notes.

Net Loss

Our net loss decreased by $4. million to a loss of $4.9 million for the three months ended September 30, 2022 compared to a loss of $8.9 million for the corresponding fiscal period in 2021 primarily due to less operating expenses driven by the change in fair value of contingent consideration.

Nine months Ended September 30, 2022 compared to Three Months Ended September 30, 2021

The following table presents our results of operations for the nine months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021:

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Net Revenues