Barneys New York Inc. is an American luxury brand founded in New York City in 1923. It has introduced major designers including Armani, Azzedine Alaïa, Comme des Garçons, Christian Louboutin, and Ermenegildo Zegna to the US market. Barneys New York was sold in November 2019 to Authentic Brands Group for $271.4 million. The New York Times reported that Authentic Brands Group's strategy is "essentially betting that the future of retail lies with abstract values." On Friday, January 15, 2021, Saks Fifth Avenue unveiled a 54,000-square-foot space on the fifth floor of its flagship in New York, titled Barneys at Saks. The collaboration is aimed at continuing Barneys New York tradition of unearthing and promoting emerging designers. On Monday, January 25, 2021, Saks Fifth Avenue unveiled the first standalone Barneys at Saks store at a 14,000-square-foot location in Greenwich, Connecticut. Operations under Pressman family ownership Early history Barney Pressman initially opened a men's discount clothing store. His first store was in a space with of frontage at Seventh Avenue and West 17th Street in Manhattan in 1923. He raised the $500 to pay the lease by pawning his wife's engagement ring. Barney's Clothes were stocked with 40 brand name suits and a big sign with a slogan, "No Bunk, No Junk, No Imitations". Barney's sold clothing at discounted prices by purchasing showroom samples, retail overstocks, and manufacturers' closeouts at auctions and bankruptcy sales. He also offered free alterations and free parking to attract customers. And this first of its kind store landed Barney Pressman on many TV and Radio shows. Pressman claimed to be the first Manhattan retailer to use radio and television, beginning with "Calling All Men to Barney's" radio spots in the 1930s that parodied the introduction of the Dick Tracy show. He sponsored radio programs featuring Irish tenors and bands playing jigs to advertise Irish woolens. Women encased in barrels gave away matchbooks with the store name and address. He also chartered a boat to take 2,000 of his customers from Manhattan to Coney Island. During the 1960s "Barney's son, Fred, helped transition from a discount store to a luxury retailer." In a 1973 interview with Business Week, Fred Pressman, Barney Pressman's son, stated that he became "convinced that the discount route definitely was not for us. My father and I have always hated cheap goods ... I didn't want to sell low-end merchandise. Now, many of those