Xcel Brands Stock Price, News & Analysis

Xcel Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ: XELB) is a media and consumer products company that focuses on the design, licensing, marketing, live streaming, and social commerce sales of branded consumer goods. According to its public disclosures, Xcel works with branded apparel, footwear, accessories, fine jewelry, home goods and other consumer products, and pursues the acquisition and development of dynamic consumer lifestyle brands. The company was founded in 2011 with a stated vision to reimagine shopping, entertainment, and social media as social commerce, and is headquartered in New York City.

Business model and brand portfolio

Xcel Brands describes itself as combining media capabilities with brand management. It promotes and sells products under its brands through interactive television, digital live-stream shopping, social commerce, brick-and-mortar retailers, and e-commerce channels. Its disclosures state that this approach is intended to position the company "to be everywhere its customers shop." The company highlights significant expertise in livestream shopping and social commerce across its management team.

The company reports that it owns the Halston, Judith Ripka, and C. Wonder brands. It also owns and manages the Longaberger brand through a controlling interest in Longaberger Licensing, LLC. In addition, Xcel has developed or co-developed a set of creator and collaboration brands, including:

• TowerHill by Christie Brinkley
• LB70 by Lloyd Boston (in certain disclosures)
• Trust. Respect. Love by Cesar Millan
• GemmaMade by Gemma Stafford
• A brand in development with Coco Rocha (as described in several releases)

Xcel also reports noncontrolling interests or long-term license agreements in brands such as the Isaac Mizrahi brand (in certain periods), Orme Live, and Mesa Mia Live by Jenny Martinez or Mesa Mia by Jenny Martinez, depending on the specific filing or release. These relationships reflect Xcel’s focus on influencer- and creator-led consumer brands.

Livestreaming, social commerce and distribution channels

The company emphasizes that it is "pioneering a modern consumer products sales strategy" that relies heavily on interactive television and digital live-stream shopping. Across multiple public communications, Xcel states that its previously owned and current brands have generated in excess of $5 billion in retail sales via livestreaming in interactive television and digital channels alone, and that its brands have been featured in more than 20,000 hours of live-stream and social commerce content production.

According to the company, its brand portfolio collectively reaches tens of millions of social media followers and has broadcast reach into approximately 200 million households. These figures are presented by Xcel to illustrate the scale of its media and social commerce footprint rather than to describe individual brand performance.

Licensing, partnerships and creator-led strategy

Xcel Brands’ public statements repeatedly describe a strategy centered on building "influencer-driven" and "creator-led" brands. The company licenses its brands to third parties and enters into collaborations with creators and partners. Examples disclosed include partnerships with TSC Product Lab to launch GemmaMade by Gemma Stafford, a kitchenware brand for everyday bakers and home cooks, and Mesa Mia by Jenny Martinez, a food brand inspired by Latin home cooking. Xcel also highlights Longaberger as a heritage home collectibles brand that it relaunched with a digital social selling business model.

Through these arrangements, Xcel positions itself as both a media company and a brand management and licensing company, combining content creation, live streaming, merchandising, and licensing activities. The company’s releases indicate that it seeks to align with creators who have established communities across social platforms, and then supports those brands with product development, marketing, and multi-channel distribution.

Capital markets and corporate structure

Xcel Brands’ common stock trades on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the ticker symbol XELB. The company has described itself in SEC filings as a smaller reporting company. In 2025, Xcel filed a registration statement on Form S-1 and related amendments for an offering of common stock and pre-funded warrants, and subsequently announced a public offering and concurrent private placements of its common stock. In separate announcements, the company disclosed additional equity financings, including a PIPE transaction, and amendments to its loan and security agreement.

The company has also reported actions related to its capital structure and listing requirements, such as a reverse stock split approved by stockholders and warrant-related proposals. These actions are described in its SEC filings and proxy materials, which provide further detail on share counts, voting results, and the terms of financing arrangements.

Governance, reporting and auditors

Xcel Brands files periodic reports, proxy statements, and current reports with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. In 2025, the company reported changes in its independent registered public accounting firms, including the dismissal of one firm and the engagement of Wolf & Company, PC as auditor for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2025. The company has also filed a Form 12b-25 notification of late filing for a Form 10-Q, explaining that additional time was required to compile and verify data for the period ended September 30, 2025.

In its proxy materials, Xcel describes its annual meeting agenda, including the election of directors, amendments to its equity incentive plan, and ratification of its independent registered public accounting firm. These documents outline the company’s governance processes and stockholder voting procedures.

Financial reporting and non-GAAP measures

In its earnings press releases and related Form 8-K filings, Xcel Brands provides information on revenues, net income or loss, and other financial metrics, along with non-GAAP measures such as non-GAAP net income, non-GAAP diluted EPS, and Adjusted EBITDA. The company explains that these non-GAAP measures exclude items such as amortization of trademarks, income or loss from equity method investments, stock-based compensation and cost of licensee warrants, losses on early extinguishment of debt, gains on sales of assets and investments, asset impairment charges, and income taxes.

Xcel states that management uses these non-GAAP measures to compare performance across periods and to identify business trends, and that these measures should be considered as supplements to, and not substitutes for, GAAP results. The company also notes that non-GAAP measures may not be comparable to similarly titled measures used by other companies.

Industry classification

For industry classification purposes, Xcel Brands is categorized under "Lessors of Nonfinancial Intangible Assets (except Copyrighted Works)" within the broader "Real Estate and Rental and Leasing" sector. This classification reflects the company’s focus on brand ownership, licensing, and related intangible asset activities, alongside its media and consumer products operations.

Scale and reach

Across multiple public communications, Xcel emphasizes the scale of its media and social commerce operations. The company reports that its brands have generated more than $5 billion in retail sales via livestreaming in interactive television and digital channels, that it has produced over 20,000 hours of live-stream and social commerce content, and that its brand portfolio reaches tens of millions of social media followers with broadcast reach into 200 million households. These figures are presented by the company as cumulative indicators of its historical activity and reach across its brand portfolio.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

• What does Xcel Brands, Inc. do?
  Xcel Brands, Inc. describes itself as a media and consumer products company engaged in the design, licensing, marketing, live streaming, and social commerce sales of branded apparel, footwear, accessories, fine jewelry, home goods and other consumer products, as well as the acquisition of dynamic consumer lifestyle brands.
• When was Xcel Brands founded?
  Public company materials state that Xcel was founded in 2011 with a vision to reimagine shopping, entertainment, and social media as social commerce.
• Where is Xcel Brands headquartered?
  According to its SEC filings and press releases, Xcel Brands is headquartered in New York City, New York.
• Which brands does Xcel Brands own?
  Xcel reports ownership of the Halston, Judith Ripka, and C. Wonder brands, and states that it owns and manages the Longaberger brand through its controlling interest in Longaberger Licensing, LLC. It also describes co-branded and collaboration brands such as TowerHill by Christie Brinkley, LB70 by Lloyd Boston, Trust. Respect. Love by Cesar Millan, GemmaMade by Gemma Stafford, and a brand in development with Coco Rocha.
• What creator or influencer relationships does Xcel highlight?
  Company disclosures reference collaborations and noncontrolling interests or long-term license agreements involving creators such as Gemma Stafford (GemmaMade), Jenny Martinez (Mesa Mia or Mesa Mia Live), and others, as part of its focus on creator-led and influencer-driven brands.
• On which exchange does Xcel Brands trade and what is its ticker symbol?
  Xcel Brands’ common stock is listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the ticker symbol XELB.
• How does Xcel Brands describe its sales and distribution channels?
  The company states that it promotes and sells products under its brands through interactive television, digital live-stream shopping, social commerce, brick-and-mortar retailers, and e-commerce channels.
• How large is Xcel Brands’ reported media and social commerce footprint?
  According to its press releases, Xcel’s previously owned and current brands have generated in excess of $5 billion in retail sales via livestreaming in interactive television and digital channels, with over 20,000 hours of live-stream and social commerce content, and a brand portfolio reaching tens of millions of social media followers and broadcast reach into 200 million households.
• What non-GAAP financial measures does Xcel Brands use?
  In its earnings communications, Xcel presents non-GAAP net income, non-GAAP diluted EPS, and Adjusted EBITDA, explaining that these measures exclude certain non-cash and non-recurring items and are used by management to evaluate operating performance.
• How is Xcel Brands classified by industry?
  The company is classified in the "Lessors of Nonfinancial Intangible Assets (except Copyrighted Works)" industry within the "Real Estate and Rental and Leasing" sector, reflecting its focus on brand ownership and licensing activities.