Skins, stylized SKINS, is an Australian manufacturing company founded in 1996 that designs and produces compression garment for athletes and sports enthusiasts. After filing for bankruptcy in 2019, the company was acquired by Hong Kong-based holding Symphony, which owns rights over the "Skins" brand. History The company was founded in 1996 by Brad Duffy, an Australian physiologist and ski enthusiast. In 1998, SKINS launched their first three product ranges: 'JetSkins' for travel, 'SportsSkins' for multi sports and 'SnowSkins' for Alpine pursuits. Australian cricket captain Steve Waugh was chosen as the public face of the new products. Initially, the range was limited to long tights only and was sold exclusively online and through telesales. By 2002, the product was still being manufactured in Sydney but was being sold through around 20 retail outlets in Australia. In the same year, Australian entrepreneur Jaimie Fuller was appointed as CEO of SKINS. In 2003, other styles were added to the SKINS range, including half-tights and tops, and the expanded manufacturing operation was moved to Fiji. The year after, SKINS lodged patents on their compression technology. In 2005, manufacturing was moved to China with a product redesign and a new range for women. SKINS were launched in the UK in 2006 with the US/global launch taking place the following year. SKINS currently sell over 160 different compression products including specific ranges for golf, cycling, triathlon and snow sports. The company currently has around 80 full-time members of staff and retails through more than 800 speciality retailers in their home territory of Australia. After filing for bankruptcy with the Swiss court in January 2019, the SKINS brand and associated intellectual property was acquired by Symphony Holdings, a public company based in Hong Kong, and placed under new management. Advertising and controversy SKINS has a history of bold and controversial advertising. A series of adverts that ran in 2005–06 caused the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) to allege that SKINS had engaged in misleading and deceptive conduct. The adverts in question stated that "We don't pay sports stars to wear our product. They pay us". The ACCC contested this claim and produced a list of athletes who were sponsored and paid by SKINS. In 2009 the Federal Court of Australia handed down judgment in favour of the ACCC and SKINS agreed to provide undertakings to the Court, pay costs and publish corrective advertisements. The same court