Nautica is a semi-premium American apparel brand of Authentic Brands Group featuring primarily men's, women's, children's apparel and accessories, as well as home, watches, and fragrance. Nautica was founded in 1983 by clothing designer David Chu and a partner. It was purchased for cash and stock in 1984 by State-O-Maine, a New York-based apparel company. State-O-Maine changed its name to Nautica in 1994. VF Corporation purchased Nautica in 2003.Nautica took its name from the Latin word nauticus - which comes from the Greek word \u03bd\u03b1\u03c5\u03c4\u03b9\u03ba\u03cc\u03c2 - for naval and in Italian language nautica means seamanship.\nOn the lower end, competitors to Nautica include mid-range brands such as Izod and Ralph Lauren Corporation's Chaps brand, while on the higher end, competitors include premium designer brands Tommy Hilfiger and Polo Ralph Lauren (Blue Label), with Nautica generally being priced between mid-range brands and premium designer brands.\nIn March 2018, Authentic Brands Group announced that they would acquire Nautica from VF Corporation. The sale was completed on April 30, 2018.
Nautica