Item 9A. Controls and Procedures
ITEM 9A.
CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
We maintain “disclosure controls and procedures” as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in the reports we file and submit under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms. Disclosure controls and procedures include, without limitation, controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by us in the reports we file or submit under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. In designing and evaluating our disclosure controls and procedures, management recognizes that any controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving their objectives, and management necessarily applies its judgment in evaluating the benefits of possible controls and procedures relative to their costs.
Our management, with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, who serve as our principal executive officer and principal financial and accounting officer, respectively, has evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures as of December 31, 2022. In making this evaluation, our management considered the material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting described below. Based on such evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer have concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were not effective as of such date.
We have initiated various remediation efforts, including the hiring of additional financial personnel/consultants with the appropriate public company and technical accounting expertise and other actions that are more fully described below. As such remediation efforts are still ongoing, we have concluded that the material weaknesses have not been fully remediated. Our remediation efforts to date have included the following:
● We have made an assessment of the basis of accounting, revenue recognition policies and accounting period cutoff procedures. In some cases, we made the necessary adjustments to convert the basis of accounting from cash basis to accrual basis. In all cases we have done the required analytical work to ensure the proper cutoff of the financial position and results of operations for the presented accounting periods.
● We have made an assessment of the current accounting personnel, financial reporting and information system environments and capabilities. Based on our preliminary findings, we have found these resources and systems lacking and have concluded that these resources and systems will need to be supplemented and/or upgraded. We are in the process of identifying a single, unified accounting and reporting system that can be used by the Company and Bailey, with the goal of ensuring consistency
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and timeliness in reporting, real time access to data while also ensuring ongoing data integrity, backup and cyber security procedures and processes.
● We engaged external consultants with public company and technical accounting experience to facilitate accurate and timely accounting closes and to accurately prepare and review the financial statements and related footnote disclosures. We plan to retain these financial consultants until such time that the internal resources of the Company have been upgraded and the required financial controls have been fully implemented.
● We have made an assessment on significant judgments and estimates, including impairment of long-lived assets and inventory valuation. We plan to take the steps as noted above to have the proper resources to conduct proper analyses on areas requiring judgments and estimates.
The actions that have been taken are subject to continued review, implementation and testing by management, as well as audit committee oversight. While we have implemented a variety of steps to remediate these weaknesses, we cannot assure you that we will be able to fully remediate them, which could impair our ability to accurately and timely meet our public company reporting requirements.
Notwithstanding the assessment that our internal controls over financial reporting are not effective and that material weaknesses exist, we believe that we have employed supplementary procedures to ensure that the financial statements contained in this filing fairly present our financial position, results of operations and cash flows for the reporting periods covered herein in all material respects.
Limitations on Effectiveness of Controls and Procedures
Our management, including our Chief Executive Officer (Principal Executive Officer) and Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial Officer), does not expect that our disclosure controls and procedures will prevent all errors and all fraud. A control system, no matter how well conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the control system are met. Further, the design of a control system must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints and the benefits of controls must be considered relative to their costs. Because of the inherent limitations in all control systems, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that all control issues and instances of fraud, if any, within the Company have been detected. These inherent limitations include, but are not limited to, the realities that judgments in decision-making can be faulty and that breakdowns can occur because of simple error or mistake. Additionally, controls can be circumvented by the individual acts of some persons, by collusion of two or more people, or by management override of the control. The design of any system of controls also is based in part upon certain assumptions about the likelihood of future events and there can be no assurance that any design will succeed in achieving its stated goals under all potential future conditions. Over time, controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate. Because of the inherent limitations in a cost-effective control system, misstatements due to error or fraud may occur and not be detected.
Management believes that the material weakness set forth above did not have an effect on our financial results.
Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
No change in our internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act) occurred during the year ended December 31, 2022 that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION
None.
ITEM 9C DISCLOSURE REGARDING FOREIGN JURISDICTIONS THAT PREVENT INSPECTIONS
Not applicable.
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PART III
ITEM 10.
DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
The following table sets forth the names, ages and titles of our directors, director nominees, executive officers and key personnel:
Executive Officers and Directors
The following table sets forth certain information with respect to our executive officers and directors as of December 31, 2022.
Name
Age
Position
Executive Officers and Directors
John Hilburn Davis IV
50
President and Chief Executive Officer
Laura Dowling
43
Chief Marketing Officer
Reid Yeoman
40
Chief Financial Officer
Mark T. Lynn
38
Director
Trevor Pettennude
55
Director
Jameeka Aaron
42
Director
Huong “Lucy” Doan
53
Director
Board Composition
Our board of directors may establish the authorized number of directors from time to time by resolution.
No current or pending member of our board of directors or Compensation Committee serves as a member of the board of directors or the compensation committee of any entity that has one or more executive officers serving as a member of our board of directors or compensation committee.
Executive Officers
John Hilburn Davis IV, “Hil ”, has served as our President and Chief Executive Officer since March 2019 and a Director since November 2020. He joined DSLTD to overhaul its supply chain in March 2018. Prior to that, Mr. Davis founded two companies, BeautyKind and J.Hilburn. He founded and was CEO of BeautyKind from October 2013 to January 2018. He also founded and was CEO of J.Hilburn from January 2007 to September 2013, growing it from $0 to $55 million in revenues in six years. From 1998 to 2006 Mr. Davis worked as an equity research analyst covering consumer luxury publicly traded companies at Thomas Weisel Partners, SunTrust Robinson Humphrey and Citadel Investment Group. He graduated from Rhodes College in 1995 with a BA in Sociology and Anthropology. On December 16, 2021, Mr. Davis filed for personal bankruptcy through the filing of a Chapter 7 bankruptcy petition in Texas federal court.
Laura Dowling has served as our Chief Marketing Officer since February 2019. Prior to that she was the Divisional Vice President of Marketing & PR, North America at Coach from February 2016 to August 2018. At Coach Ms. Dowling led a team of 25 and was held accountable for $45 million profit and loss. From August 2011 to February 2016, she was the Director of Marketing & PR at Harry Winston and from March 2009 to August 2011 she was the Director of Wholesale Marketing at Ralph Lauren. Ms. Dowling holds both a Masters degree (2002) and Bachelors degree (2001) in Communications & Media Studies with a Minor in French from Fordham University.
Reid Yeoman has served as our Chief Financial Officer since October 2019. Mr. Yeoman is a finance professional with a core Financial Planning & Analysis background at major multi-national Fortune 500 companies — including Nike & Qualcomm. He has a proven track record of driving growth and expanding profitability with retail. From November 2017 to September 2019, Mr. Yeoman served as CFO/ COO at Hurley — a standalone global brand within the Nike portfolio — where he managed the full profit and loss/Balance Sheet, reporting directly to Nike and oversaw the brand’s logistics and operations. He is a native Californian and graduated with an MBA from UCLA’s Anderson School of Management in 2013 and a BA from UC Santa Barbara in 2004.
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Nonemployee Board Members
Mark T. Lynn has been a director of our company since inception and served as our Co-Chief Executive Officer from September 2013 to the October 2018. Prior to joining us, until September 2011 he was Co-Founder of WINC, a direct-to-consumer e-commerce company which was then the fastest growing winery in the world, backed by Bessemer Venture Partners. Prior to Club W, Mr. Lynn co-founded a digital payments company that was sold in 2011. He holds a digital marketing certificate from Harvard Business School’s Executive Education Program.
Trevor Pettennude is a seasoned financial services executive. In 2013, Mr. Pettennude became the CEO of 360 Mortgage Group, where he oversees a team of 70 people generating over $1 billion of annual loan volume. He is also the founder and principal of Banctek Solutions, a global merchant service company which was launched in 2009 and which processes over $300 million of volume annually.
Jameeka Green Aaron became a director of our company in May 2021. Ms. Aaron is the Chief Information Security Officer at Auth0. Ms Aaron is responsible for the holistic security and compliance of Auth0’s platform, products, and corporate environment. Auth0 provides a platform to authenticate, authorize, and secure access for applications, devices, and users. Prior to her current role Ms. Aaron was the Chief Information Officer Westcoast Operations at United Legwear and Apparel. Her 20+ years of experience include serving as the Director of North American Technology and Director of Secure Code and Identity and Access Management at Nike, and as Chief of Staff to the CIO of Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company. Ms. Aaron is also a 9-year veteran of the United States Navy. Ms. Aaron’s dedication to service has extended beyond her military career. She is committed to advancing women and people of color in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields she is an alumni of the U.S. State Department’s TechWomen program and the National Urban League of Young Professionals. Ms. Aaron currently sits on the board of the California Women Veterans Leadership Council, is an advisor for U.C. Riverside Design Thinking Program, and is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Born in Stockton, California, Ms. Aaron holds a bachelor’s degree in Information Technology from the University of Massachusetts, Lowell. Ms. Aaron’s extensive corporate and leadership experience qualifies her to serve on our board of directors.
Huong “Lucy” Doan is a seasoned finance and strategy executive who brings expertise working with some of the world’s best-known brands. Since 2018, Ms. Doan serves as advisor to CEOs and founders of high-growth DTC, ecommerce and retail brands, in apparel and consumer products. In this capacity, she provides strategic guidance to successfully scale businesses while driving profitability, with focus on operational excellence and capital resource planning. In 2019, she became a board member of Grunt Style, a patriotic apparel brand. Prior, Ms. Doan spent 20 years in senior executive roles at Guitar Center, Herbalife International, Drapers & Damons, and Fox Television, where she built high performance teams to drive execution of business plans and growth strategies.
Committees of the Board of Directors
Our board of directors has established an audit committee, a compensation committee and a nominating and corporate governance committee, each of which operates pursuant to a charter adopted by our board of directors. The board of directors may also establish other committees from time to time to assist our company and the board of directors. The composition and functioning of all of our committees will comply with all applicable requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, NasdaqCM and SEC rules and regulations, if applicable. Each committee’s charter is available on our website at www.digitalbrandsgroup.co. The reference to our website address does not constitute incorporation by reference of the information contained at or available through our website.
Audit committee
Trevor Pettennude, Jameeka Green Aaron and Hong Doan serve on the audit committee, which is chaired by Trevor Pettennude. Our board of directors has determined that each are “independent” for audit committee purposes as that term is defined by the rules of the SEC and NasdaqCM, and that each has sufficient knowledge in financial and auditing matters to serve on the audit committee. Our Board of directors has designated Trevor Pettennude as an “audit committee financial expert,” as defined under the applicable rules of the SEC. The audit committee’s responsibilities include:
● appointing, approving the compensation of, and assessing the independence of our independent registered public accounting firm;
● pre-approving auditing and permissible non-audit services, and the terms of such services, to be provided by our independent registered public accounting firm;
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● reviewing the overall audit plan with our independent registered public accounting firm and members of management responsible for preparing our financial statements;
● reviewing and discussing with management and our independent registered public accounting firm our annual and quarterly financial statements and related disclosures as well as critical accounting policies and practices used by us;
● coordinating the oversight and reviewing the adequacy of our internal control over financial reporting;
● establishing policies and procedures for the receipt and retention of accounting-related complaints and concerns;
● recommending, based upon the audit committee’s review and discussions with management and our independent registered public accounting firm, whether our audited financial statements shall be included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K;
● monitoring the integrity of our financial statements and our compliance with legal and regulatory requirements as they relate to our financial statements and accounting matters;
● preparing the audit committee report required by SEC rules to be included in our annual proxy statement;
● reviewing all related person transactions for potential conflict of interest situations and approving all such transactions; and
● reviewing quarterly earnings releases.
Compensation committee
Trevor Pettennude, Jameeka Green Aaron and Hong Doan serve on the compensation committee, which is chaired by Jameeka Green Aaron. Our board of directors has determined that each member of the compensation committee is “independent” as defined in the applicable NasdaqCM rules. The compensation committee’s responsibilities include:
● annually reviewing and recommending to the board of directors the corporate goals and objectives relevant to the compensation of our Chief Executive Officer;
● evaluating the performance of our Chief Executive Officer in light of such corporate goals and objectives and based on such evaluation: (i) recommending to the board of directors the cash compensation of our Chief Executive Officer, and (ii) reviewing and approving grants and awards to our Chief Executive Officer under equity-based plans;
● reviewing and recommending to the board of directors the cash compensation of our other executive officers;
● reviewing and establishing our overall management compensation, philosophy and policy;
● overseeing and administering our compensation and similar plans;
● reviewing and approving the retention or termination of any consulting firm or outside advisor to assist in the evaluation of compensation matters and evaluating and assessing potential and current compensation advisors in accordance with the independence standards identified in the applicable NasdaqCM rules;
● retaining and approving the compensation of any compensation advisors;
● reviewing and approving our policies and procedures for the grant of equity-based awards;
● reviewing and recommending to the board of directors the compensation of our directors; and
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● preparing the compensation committee report required by SEC rules, if and when required, to be included in our annual proxy statement.
None of the members of our compensation committee has at any time during the prior three years been one of our officers or employees. None of our executive officers currently serves, or in the past fiscal year has served, as a member of the board of directors or compensation committee of any entity that has one or more executive officers serving on our board of directors or compensation committee.
Nominating and corporate governance committee
Trevor Pettennude, Jameeka Green Aaron and Hong Doan serve on the nominating and corporate governance committee, which is chaired by Hong Doan. Our board of directors has determined that each member of the nominating and corporate governance committee is “independent” as defined in the applicable NasdaqCM rules. The nominating and corporate governance committee’s responsibilities include:
● developing and recommending to the board of directors’ criteria for board and committee membership;
● establishing procedures for identifying and evaluating board of director candidates, including nominees recommended by stockholders; and
● reviewing the composition of the board of directors to ensure that it is composed of members containing the appropriate skills and expertise to advise us.
Involvement in Certain Legal Proceedings
There are no legal proceedings that have occurred within the past ten years concerning our directors, or control persons which involved a criminal conviction, a criminal proceeding, an administrative or civil proceeding limiting one’s participation in the securities or banking industries, or a finding of securities or commodities law violations.
On December 16, 2021, Mr. Davis filed for personal bankruptcy through the filing of a Chapter 7 bankruptcy petition in Texas federal court. Except for Mr. Davis, none of our directors and officers has been affiliated with any company that has filed for bankruptcy within the last ten years. We are not aware of any proceedings to which any of our officers or directors, or any associate of any such officer or director, is a party adverse to us or any of our or has a material interest adverse to us or any of our subsidiaries.
Code of Conduct
The Company’s Code of Conduct applies to all of its employees, officers and directors, including those officers responsible for financial reporting. The Code of Conduct is available on its website at www.digitalbrandsgroup.co. Information contained on or accessible through such website is not a part of this Annual Report, and the inclusion of the website address in this Annual Report is an inactive textual reference only. The Company intends to disclose any amendments to the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, or any waivers of its requirements, on its website to the extent required by the applicable rules and exchange requirements.
Delinquent Section 16(a) Reports
Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act requires the Company’s directors and executive officers and persons who beneficially own more than 10% of the Company’s common stock to file with the SEC reports showing initial ownership of and changes in ownership of the Company’s common stock and other registered equity securities. Based solely upon our review of the copies of such forms or written representations from certain reporting persons received by us with respect to fiscal year 2022, the Company believes that its directors and executive officers and persons who own more than 10% of a registered class of its equity securities have complied with all applicable Section 16(a) filing requirements for fiscal year 2022.
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ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
Compensation of Named Executive Officers
The summary compensation table below shows certain compensation information for services rendered in all capacities for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021. Other than as set forth herein, no executive officer’s salary and bonus exceeded $100,000 in any of the applicable years. The following information includes the dollar value of base salaries, bonus awards, the number of stock options granted and certain other compensation, if any, whether paid or deferred.
Fiscal
Option
Stock
Name and Principal Position
Year
Salary
Bonus
Awards
Awards(1)
Total
John “Hil” Davis
2022
$
350,000
$
—
$
—
$
—
$
—
President and Chief Executive Officer
2021
$
350,000
$
—
$
3,704,483
$
233,184
$
4,287,667
Laura Dowling
2022
$
300,000
$
—
$
—
$
—
$
—
Chief Marketing Officer
2021
$
300,000
$
—
$
691,135
$
—
$
991,135
Reid Yeoman
2022
$
250,000
$
—
$
—
$
—
$
—
Chief Financial Officer
2021
$
250,000
$
—
$
221,163
$
—
$
471,163
(1) Upon closing of the IPO, 1,273 shares of common stock were issued to the CEO as conversion of an outstanding note payable and related accrued interest, accrued compensation and other consideration. As of a result of the transaction, the Company recorded an additional $233,184 in stock compensation expense, which is included in general and administrative expenses in the condensed consolidated statements of operations.
Executive Officer Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year-End
The following table provides certain information concerning any common share purchase options, stock awards or equity incentive plan awards held by each of our named executive officers that were outstanding as of December 31, 2022. The number of shares of common stock referred to in this “Executive Compensation” section gives effect to the one-for 100 share reverse stock split that we effectuated on November 3, 2022, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.
Option Awards
Stock Awards
Equity
Equity
Incentive
Incentive
Plan
Plan
Awards:
Awards:
Market or
Number
Payout
Equity
of
Value
Incentive
Market
Unearned
of
Plan
Number of
Value of
Shares,
Unearned
Awards:
Shares or
Shares
Units or
Shares,
Number of
Number of
Number of
Units of
or
Other
Units or
Securities
Securities
Securities
Stock
Units of
Rights
Other
Underlying
Underlying
Underlying
That Have
Stock That
That
Rights
Unexercised
Unexercised
Unexercised
Option Exercise
Option
Not
Have
Have
That Have
Options(#)
Options(#)
Unearned
Price
Expiration
Vested
Not
Not
Not
Name
Exercisable
Unexercisable
Options (#)
($)
Date
(#)
Vested
Vested
Vested
John “Hil” Davis
21,440
18,909
2,531
$
421.88
May-23
—
—
—
—
Laura Dowling
4,640
3,968
672
$
408.94
May-23
—
—
—
—
Reid Yeoman
1,760
1,354
406
$
396.31
May-23
—
—
—
—
Employment Agreements
In December 2020, we entered into an offer letter with Mr. Davis, our Chief Executive Officer and a member of our board. The offer letter provides for an annual base salary of $350,000 effective October 1, 2020, and for Mr. Davis to be appointed to our board effective November 30, 2020. Effective January 1, 2021, Mr. Davis is also eligible to receive an annual bonus with a target of 175%, and with a range from 0% to a maximum of 225%, of his base salary based upon achievement of Company and individual goals. He is
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also eligible to participate in employee benefit plans that we offer to our other senior executives. In the event of a termination of his employment after June 30, 2021, Mr. Davis is eligible for severance benefits as may be approved by the Board. Mr. Davis is subject to our recoupment, insider trading and other company policies, a perpetual non-disclosure of confidential information covenant, a non-disparagement covenant and a non-solicitation of employees covenant. Mr. Davis’ offer letter also provided for an option grant exercisable for up to 2,144,000 shares of our common stock to him at a per share exercise price equal to the IPO price, of which 75% of the options vested on the effective date of the IPO and 25% of the options vest in accordance with the vesting schedule provided in the Company’s 2020 Stock Plan. Mr. Davis is an at- will employee and does not have a fixed employment term.
In December 2020, we entered into an offer letter with Ms. Dowling, our Chief Marketing Officer. The offer letter provides for an annual base salary of $300,000 effective upon the closing of the IPO. Effective January 1, 2021, Ms. Dowling is also eligible to receive an annual bonus with a target of 100%, and with a range from 0% to a maximum of 125%, of her base salary based upon achievement of Company and individual goals. She is also eligible to participate in employee benefit plans that we offer to our other senior executives. In the event of a termination of her employment after June 30, 2021, Ms. Dowling is eligible for severance benefits as may be approved by the Board. Ms. Dowling is subject to our recoupment, insider trading and other company policies, a perpetual non-disclosure of confidential information covenant, a non- disparagement covenant and a non-solicitation of employees covenant. Ms. Dowling’s offer letter also provided for an option grant exercisable for up to 288,000 shares of our common stock to her at a per share exercise price equal to the IPO price, of which 75% of the options vested on the effective date of the IPO and 25% of the options vest in accordance with the vesting schedule provided in the Company’s 2020 Stock Plan. Ms. Dowling is an at-will employee and does not have a fixed employment term.
In December 2020, we entered into an offer letter with Mr. Yeoman, our Chief Financial Officer. The offer letter provides for an annual base salary of $250,000 effective upon the closing of the IPO. Effective January 1, 2021, Mr. Yeoman is also eligible to receive an annual bonus with a target of 50%, and with a range from 0% to a maximum of 75%, of his base salary based upon achievement of Company and individual goals. He is also eligible to participate in employee benefit plans that we offer to our other senior executives.
In the event of a termination of his employment after June 30, 2021, Mr. Yeoman is eligible for severance benefits as may be approved by the Board. Mr. Yeoman is subject to our recoupment, insider trading and other company policies, a perpetual non-disclosure of confidential information covenant, a non- disparagement covenant and a non-solicitation of employees covenant. Mr. Yeoman’s offer letter also provided for an option grant 128,000 shares of our common stock to him at a per share exercise price equal to the IPO price, of which 75% of the options vested on the effective date of the IPO and 25% of the options vest in accordance with the vesting schedule provided in the Company’s 2020 Stock Plan. Mr. Yeoman is an at-will employee and does not have a fixed employment term.
Compensation of Directors
No obligations with respect to compensation for non-employee directors have been accrued or paid for any periods presented.
Going forward, our board of directors believes that attracting and retaining qualified non-employee directors will be critical to the future value growth and governance of our company. Our board of directors also believes that any compensation package for our non-employee directors should be equity-based to align the interest of these directors with our stockholders. On the effective date of the previous offerings, each of our director nominees were granted options to purchase 20,000 shares of common stock at a per share exercise price equal to the price of the shares of common stock per the offering. The options will vest over a one year period of time. We may in the future grant additional options to our non-employee directors although there are no current plans to do so. We do not currently intend to provide any cash compensation to our non- employee directors.
Directors who are also our employees will not receive any additional compensation for their service on our board of directors.
2020 Incentive Stock Plan
We have adopted a 2020 Omnibus Incentive Stock Plan (the “2020 Plan”). An aggregate of 33,000 shares of our common stock is reserved for issuance and available for awards under the 2020 Plan, including incentive stock options granted under the 2020 Plan. The 2020 Plan administrator may grant awards to any employee, director, and consultants of the company and its subsidiaries. To date, 27,320 grants (as adjusted for the Reverse Stock Split) have been made under the 2020 Plan and 5,680 shares remain eligible for issuance under the Plan.
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The 2020 Plan is currently administered by the Compensation Committee of the Board as the Plan administrator. The 2020 Plan administrator has the authority to determine, within the limits of the express provisions of the 2020 Plan, the individuals to whom awards will be granted, the nature, amount and terms of such awards and the objectives and conditions for earning such awards. The Board may at any time amend or terminate the 2020 Plan, provided that no such action may be taken that adversely affects any rights or obligations with respect to any awards previously made under the 2020 Plan without the consent of the recipient. No awards may be made under the 2020 Plan after the tenth anniversary of its effective date.
Awards under the 2020 Plan may include incentive stock options, nonqualified stock options, stock appreciation rights (“SARs”), restricted shares of common stock, restricted stock Units, performance share or Unit awards, other stock-based awards and cash-based incentive awards.
Stock Options
The 2020 Plan administrator may grant to a participant options to purchase our common stock that qualify as incentive stock options for purposes of Section 422 of the Internal Revenue Code (“incentive stock options”), options that do not qualify as incentive stock options (“non-qualified stock options”) or a combination thereof. The terms and conditions of stock option grants, including the quantity, price, vesting periods, and other conditions on exercise will be determined by the 2020 Plan administrator. The exercise price for stock options will be determined by the 2020 Plan administrator in its discretion, but non-qualified stock options and incentive stock options may not be less than 100% of the fair market value of one share of our company’s common stock on the date when the stock option is granted. Additionally, in the case of incentive stock options granted to a holder of more than 10% of the total combined voting power of all classes of our stock on the date of grant, the exercise price may not be less than 110% of the fair market value of one share of common stock on the date the stock option is granted. Stock options must be exercised within a period fixed by the 2020 Plan administrator that may not exceed ten years from the date of grant, except that in the case of incentive stock options granted to a holder of more than 10% of the total combined voting power of all classes of our stock on the date of grant, the exercise period may not exceed five years. At the 2020 Plan administrator’s discretion, payment for shares of common stock on the exercise of stock options may be made in cash, shares of our common stock held by the participant or in any other form of consideration acceptable to the 2020 Plan administrator (including one or more forms of “cashless” or “net” exercise).
Stock Appreciation Rights
The 2020 Plan administrator may grant to a participant an award of SARs, which entitles the participant to receive, upon its exercise, a payment equal to (i) the excess of the fair market value of a share of common stock on the exercise date over the SAR exercise price, times (ii) the number of shares of common stock with respect to which the SAR is exercised. The exercise price for a SAR will be determined by the 2020 Plan administrator in its discretion; provided, however, that in no event shall the exercise price be less than the fair market value of our common stock on the date of grant.
Restricted Shares and Restricted Units
The 2020 Plan administrator may award to a participant shares of common stock subject to specified restrictions (“restricted shares”). Restricted shares are subject to forfeiture if the participant does not meet certain conditions such as continued employment over a specified forfeiture period and/or the attainment of specified performance targets over the forfeiture period. The 2020 Plan administrator also may award to a participant Units representing the right to receive shares of common stock in the future subject to the achievement of one or more goals relating to the completion of service by the participant and/or the achievement of performance or other objectives (“restricted Units”). The terms and conditions of restricted share and restricted Unit awards are determined by the 2020 Plan administrator.
Performance Awards
The 2020 Plan administrator may grant performance awards to participants under such terms and conditions as the 2020 Plan administrator deems appropriate. A performance award entitles a participant to receive a payment from us, the amount of which is based upon the attainment of predetermined performance targets over a specified award period. Performance awards may be paid in cash, shares of common stock or a combination thereof, as determined by the 2020 Plan administrator.
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Other Stock-Based Awards
The 2020 Plan administrator may grant equity-based or equity-related awards, referred to as “other stock- based awards,” other than options, SARs, restricted shares, restricted Units, or performance awards. The terms and conditions of each other stock-based award will be determined by the 2020 Plan administrator. Payment under any other stock-based awards will be made in common stock or cash, as determined by the 2020 Plan administrator.
Cash-Based Awards
The 2020 Plan administrator may grant cash-based incentive compensation awards, which would include performance-based annual cash incentive compensation to be paid to covered employees. The terms and conditions of each cash-based award will be determined by the 2020 Plan administrator.
2013 Stock Plan
Eligibility and Administration
Our employees, outside directors and consultants are eligible to receive nonstatutory options or the direct award or sale of shares under our 2013 Stock Plan, while only our employees are eligible to receive grants of ISOs under our 2013 Stock Plan. A person who owns more than 10% of the total combined voting power of all classes of our outstanding stock, of the outstanding common stock of our parent or subsidiary, is not eligible for the grant of an ISO unless the exercise prices is at least 110% of the fair market value of a share on the grant date and such ISO is not exercisable after five years from the grant date. The 2013 Stock Plan may be administered by a committee of the board of directors, and if no committee is appointed, then the board of directors. The board of directors has the authority to make all determinations and interpretations under, prescribe all forms for use with, and adopt rules for the administration of, the 2013 Stock Plan, subject to its express terms and conditions.
Shares Available and Termination
In the event that shares previously issued under the 2013 Stock Plan are reacquired, such shares will be added to the available shares for issuance under the 2013 Stock Plan. In the event that shares that would have otherwise been issuable under the 2013 Stock Plan were withheld in payment of the purchase price, exercise price, or withholding taxes, such shares will remain available for issuance under the 2013 Stock Plan. In the event that an outstand option or other right is cancelled or expired, the shares allocable to the unexcised portion of the option or other right will be added to the number of shares available under the 2013 Stock Plan.
The 2013 Stock Plan will terminate automatically 10 years after the later of (i) the date when the board of directors adopted the 2013 Stock Plan or (ii) the date when the board of directors approved the most recent increase in the number of shares reserved under the 2013 Stock Plan that was also approved by our stockholders.
Awards
The 2013 Stock Plan provides for the grant of shares of common stock and options, including ISO intended to qualify under Code Section 422 and nonstatutory options which are not intended to qualify. All awards under the 2013 Stock plan will be det forth in award agreements, which will detail the terms and conditions of the awards, including any applicable vesting and payment terms and post-termination exercise limitations.
As of December 31, 2021, there were options to purchase up to 38,951 shares of our common stock at exercise prices between $94 and $415 expiring between June 2024 and May 2031.
ITEM 12.
SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS
The table below sets forth information regarding the projected beneficial ownership of our common stock immediately after the closing of this offering by the following individuals or groups:
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● each person or entity who is known by us to own beneficially more than 5% of our outstanding stock;
● each of our executive officers;
● each of our directors and director nominees; and
● all of our directors, director nominees and executive officers as a group.
Beneficial ownership is determined in accordance with the rules of the SEC and generally includes voting or investment power with respect to the securities in question. Except as otherwise indicated, and subject to applicable community property laws, the persons named in the table below have sole voting and investment power with respect to all shares of our common stock held by them.
Shares of common stock issuable pursuant to a stock option, warrant or convertible note that is currently exercisable or convertible, or is exercisable or convertible within 60 days after the date of determination of ownership, are deemed to be outstanding and beneficially owned for purposes of computing the percentage ownership of the holder of the stock option, warrant or convertible note but are not treated as outstanding for purposes of computing the percentage ownership of any other person.
The applicable percentage ownership “Before the Offering” in the following table is based on 5,746,079 shares of our common stock outstanding as of April 17, 2023. After giving effect to the exercise of the Pre-Funded Warrants and excludes as of such date:
● Shares of common stock underlying the Warrants (other than any Pre-Funded Warrants);
● Shares of common stock underlying other outstanding warrants, which include, without limitation, (i) warrants to acquire up to 781,958 shares of our common stock at exercise prices between $4.26 and $766 expiring between October 2021 and October 2030, (ii) Class B Warrants to acquire up to 1,818,181 shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $5.25 expiring December 2027, and (iii) Class C Warrants, to acquire up to 1,818,181 shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $5.25 expiring January 2024.
● Outstanding stock options to acquire up to 38,951 shares of our common stock at exercise prices between $94 and $415 expiring between June 2024 and May 2031;
● Up to 677,419 shares of our common stock issuable upon conversion of outstanding shares of Series A Preferred Stock;
● Up to 58,300 shares of common stock issuable further to a $17.5 million equity line of credit; and
● 5,680 shares of our common stock reserved for future issuance under our 2020 Omnibus Incentive Plan.
The applicable percentage ownership “After the Offering” in the following table assumes the exercise of the Warrants and sale of all shares available for sale under this prospectus and no further acquisitions of shares by the selling stockholders.
Unless otherwise indicated, the address for each officer, director and director nominee in the following table is c/o Digital Brands Group, Inc., 1400 Lavaca Street, Austin, TX 78701.
Number of
Number of
Shares
Percentage of
Shares
Percentage of
Beneficially
Shares
Beneficially
Shares
Owned
Outstanding
Owned
Outstanding
Before
Before
After
After
Name of Beneficial Owner
Offering
Offering
Offering
Offering
Executive Officers and Directors
John “Hil” Davis(1)
17,136
*
17,136
*
Laura Dowling(2)
3,347
*
3,347
*
Reid Yeoman(3)
1,140
*
1,140
*
Mark Lynn(4)
5,074
*
5,074
*
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Trevor Pettennude(5)
3,286
*
3,286
*
Jameeka Aaron(6)
150
*
150
*
Huong “Lucy” Doan(7)
200
*
200
*
All executive officers, directors and director nominees as a group (7 persons) (8)
30,333
*
30,333
*
*
Less than one percent.
(1) Represents options exercisable at $40 per share.
(2) Represents options to acquire up to 3,000 shares of common stock, exercisable at $40 per share and options to acquire up to 347 shares of common stock, exercisable at $328 per share.
(3) Represents options to acquire up to 960 shares of common stock, exercisable at $4.00 per share and options to acquire up to 180 shares of common stock, exercisable at $328 per share.
(4) Includes options to acquire up to 3,210 shares of common stock exercisable between $156 and $328 per share.
(5) Includes options to acquire up to 749 shares of common stock exercisable between $156 and $328 per share.
(6) Represents options exercisable at $40 per share.
(7) Represents options exercisable at $356 per share.
(8) Includes options to acquire up to 24,526 shares of common stock exercisable between $156 and $400.
ITEM 13.
CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE
On the effective date of the IPO, we granted stock options to acquire up to an aggregate of 267,200 shares to our Chief Executive Officer, Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Financial Officer at a per share exercise price equal to the initial public offering price of the shares.
DBG uses Banctek Solutions, a registered independent sales organization (ISO) of FirstData as its back- end payment processor. Trevor Pettennude is majority owner of Banctek Solutions. We started to use Banctek Solutions services prior to Mr. Pettennude’s involvements with DBG. Total expenses for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 were approximately $0 and $14,000, respectively, and included in sales and marketing in the consolidated statements of operations.
As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, due to related parties includes advances from the former officer, Mark Lynn, who also serves as a director, totaling $104,568 and $104,568 respectively, and accrued salary and expense reimbursements of $100,649 and $126,706, respectively, to current officers. Upon closing of the IPO, 25,080 shares of common stock were issued to directors as conversion of balances owed.
In October 2022, the Company received advances from Trevor Pettennude totaling $325,000. The advances are unsecured, non-interest bearing and due on demand. As of December 31, 2022, the amounts were outstanding.
The current CEO, Hil Davis, previously advanced funds to the Company for working capital. These prior advances were converted to a note payable totaling $115,000. Upon closing of the IPO, 127,278 shares of common stock were issued to the CEO as conversion of the outstanding note payable and related accrued interest, accrued compensation and other consideration. As of a result of the transaction, the Company recorded an additional $233,184 in stock compensation expense, which is included in general and administrative expenses in the consolidated statements of operations.
A portion of the net proceeds of the IPO were used to pay salary and expenses to Laura Dowling, our Chief Marketing Officer, and Mark Lynn, a director. In addition, each of Mark Lynn, John “Hil” Davis, and Trevor Pettennude converted certain amounts owed to them into shares of common stock at the effective date of the IPO at a 30% discount to the IPO price as part of the debt conversion.
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As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, H&J had an outstanding note payable of $129,1489 and $299,489, respectively, owned by the H&J Seller. The note matured in July 2022 and bears interest at 12% per annum. The parties are currently discussing extension options.
At the time of the Stateside acquisition, Moise Emquies was a member of the Board of Directors of the Company. The Stateside acquisition was unanimously approved by all of the members of the Company’s Board of Directors (other than Moise Emquies who recused himself).
We have been involved in a dispute with the former owners of H&J regarding our obligation to “true up” their ownership interest in our company further to that membership interest purchase agreement dated May 10, 2021 whereby we acquired all of the outstanding membership interests of H&J (as amended. the “H&J Purchase Agreement”). Further to the H&J Purchase Agreement, we agreed that if, at May 18, 2022, the one year anniversary of the closing date of our initial public offering, the product of the number of shares of our common stock issued at the closing of such acquisition multiplied by the average closing price per share of our shares of common stock as quoted on the NasdaqCM for the thirty (30) day trading period immediately preceding such date plus the gross proceeds, if any, of shares of our stock issued to such sellers and sold by them during the one year period from the closing date of the offering does not exceed the sum of $9.1 million, less the value of any shares of common stock cancelled further to any indemnification claims or post-closing adjustments under the H&J Purchase Agreement, then we shall issue to the subject sellers an additional aggregate number of shares of common stock equal to any such valuation shortfall at a per share price equal to the then closing price per share of our common stock as quoted on the NasdaqCM. We did not honor our obligation to issue such shares and the former owner of H&J have claimed that they were damaged as a result. As part of a proposed settlement with such holders, we have tentatively agreed to the following: (i) to transfer all membership interests of H&J back to the original owners, (ii) to pay such owners the sum of $229,000, (iii) issue the former owners of H&J an aggregate of $1,400,000 worth of our common stock to be issued on May 16, 2023 based on the lower of (a) the stock closing price per share on May 15, 2023, and (b) the average common stock closing price based on the average of the 5 trading days preceding May 16, 2023, with the closing price on May 9, 2023. Such tentative terms are to be memorialized in definitive purchase agreements and as such there is no assurance that such arrangements will be finalized. As of the issuance date of these financial statements, the above terms and continued negotiations have been verbally approved by the Board.
Policies and Procedures for Related Person Transactions
Our board of directors intends to adopt a written related person policy to set forth the policies and procedures for the review and approval or ratification of related person transactions. This policy will cover any transaction, arrangement or relationship, or any series of similar transactions, arrangements or relationships in which we are to be a participant, the amount involved exceeds $100,000 and a related person had or will have a direct or indirect material interest, including purchases of goods or services by or from the related person or entities in which the related person has a material interest, indebtedness, guarantees of indebtedness and employment by us of a related person.
Director Independence
Our board of directors has undertaken a review of the independence of each director. Based on information provided by each director concerning his or her background, employment and affiliations, our board of directors has determined that Trevor Pettennude, Jameeka Aaron, and Huong “Lucy” Doan, do not have a relationship that would interfere with the exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of a director and that each of these directors is “independent” as that term is defined under the applicable rules and regulations of the SEC and the listing standards of Nasdaq. In making these determinations, our board of directors considered the current and prior relationships that each non- employee director has with our company and all other facts and circumstances our board of directors deemed relevant in determining their independence.
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ITEM 14.
PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES
The following table provides information regarding the fees billed to us by dbb mckennon , in the fiscal years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021. All fees described below were approved by the Board:
For the Fiscal Years Ended
December 31,
2022
2021
Audit fees (1)
$
252,000
$
264,980
Audit related fees
90,810
62,418
Tax fees
—
—
All other fees (2)
18,488
85,703
Total fees
$
361,298
$
413,101
(1)
Audit fees includes fees associated with the annual audits of our financial statements, quarterly reviews of our financial statements, and services that are normally provided by the independent registered public accounting firm in connection with statutory and regulatory filings or engagements.
(2)
Includes audit fees paid for pre-acquisition audits of the Company’s subsidiaries and other targets.
Pre-Approval Policy
Our audit committee is responsible for approving or pre-approving all auditing services (including comfort letters and statutory audits) and all permitted non-audit services by the independent auditor and pre-approve the related fees. Pursuant to its charter, the audit committee delegated to each of its members, acting singly, the authority to pre-approve any audit services if the need for consideration of a pre-approval request arises between regularly scheduled meetings, with such approval presented to the audit committee at its next scheduled meeting or as soon as practicable thereafter.
PART IV
ITEM 15.
EXHIBITS, FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES
(1) Financial Statements
For a list of the financial information included herein, see Index to the Financial Statements on page F-1.
(2) Financial Statement Schedules
Schedules have been omitted because they are not applicable, not material or because the information is included in the consolidated financial statements or the notes thereto.
(3) Exhibits
The following is a list of exhibits filed as part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Exhibits
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Exhibit
Number
Description
2.1
Membership Interest Purchase Agreement dated October 14, 2020 among D. Jones Tailored Collection, LTD and Digital Brands Group (formerly known as Denim.LA, Inc.) (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.1 of Digital Brands Group Inc.’s Registration Statement on Form S-1/A (Reg. No. 333-261865), filed with the SEC on January 6, 2022).
2.2
First Amendment to Membership Interest Purchase Agreement dated December 31, 2020 among D. Jones Tailored Collection, LTD and Digital Brands Group (formerly known as Denim.LA, Inc) (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.2 of Digital Brands Group Inc.’s Registration Statement on Form S-1/A (Reg. No. 333-261865), filed with the SEC on January 6, 2022).
2.3
Agreement and Plan of Merger with Bailey 44, LLC dated February 12, 2020 among Bailey 44, LLC, Norwest Venture Partners XI, and Norwest Venture Partners XII, LP and Digital Brands Group (formerly known as Denim.LA, Inc) (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.3 of Digital Brands Group Inc.’s Registration Statement on Form S-1/A (Reg. No. 333-261865), filed with the SEC on January 6, 2022).
2.4
Second Amendment to Membership Interest Purchase Agreement Dated May 10, 2021 among
D. Jones Tailored Collection, LTD and Digital Brands Group (formerly known as Denim. LA, Inc.) (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.4 of Digital Brands Group Inc.’s Registration Statement on Form S-1/A (Reg. No. 333-261865), filed with the SEC on January 6, 2022).
2.5
Membership Interest Purchase Agreement, dated August 30, 2021, by and between Moise Emquies and Digital Brands Group, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.5 of Digital Brands Group Inc.’s Registration Statement on Form S-1/A (Reg. No. 333-261865), filed with the SEC on January 6, 2022).
2.6
Membership Interest Purchase Agreement, dated January 18, 2022, by and among Moise Emquies, George Levy, Matthieu Leblan and Carol Ann Emquies, Sunnyside, LLC, and George Levy as the Sellers’ representative (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 1.1 of Digital Brands Group Inc.’s Form 8-K filed with the SEC on January 20, 2022).
2.7
Amended and Restated Membership Interest Purchase Agreement, dated June 17, 2022, by and among Digital Brands Group, Inc. and Moise Emquies, George Levy, Matthieu Leblan and Carol Ann Emquies (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.1 of Digital Brands Group Inc.’s Form 8-K filed with the SEC on June 23, 2022).
2.8
Second Amended and Restated Membership Interest Purchase Agreement, dated October 13, 2022, by and among Digital Brands Group, Inc. and Moise Emquies, George Levy, Matthieu Leblan and Carol Ann Emquies (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.1 of Digital Brands Group Inc.’s Form 8-K filed with the SEC on October 18, 2022).
3.1
Sixth Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Registrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.3 of Digital Brands Group Inc.’s Registration Statement on Form S-1/A (Reg. No. 333-261865), filed with the SEC on January 6, 2022).
3.2
Certificate of Designation of Series A Preferred Stock, dated August 31, 2022 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 of Digital Brands Group Inc.’s Form 8-K filed with the SEC on August 31, 2022).
3.3
Certificate of Designation of Series A Convertible Preferred Stock, dated September 29, 2022 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 of Digital Brands Group Inc.’s Form 8-K filed with the SEC on October 5, 2022).
3.4
Certificate of Correction of Series A Convertible Preferred Stock, dated October 3, 2022 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 of Digital Brands Group Inc.’s Form 8-K filed with the SEC on October 5, 2022).
3.5
Certificate of Amendment of Certificate of Incorporation of Digital Brands Group, Inc. dated October 13, 2022 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 of Digital Brands Group Inc.’s Form 8-K filed with the SEC on October 18, 2022).
3.6
Certificate of Amendment of Certificate of Incorporation of Digital Brands Group, Inc. dated October 21, 2022 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 of Digital Brands Group Inc.’s Form 8-K filed with the SEC on October 26, 2022).
3.7
Amended and Restated Bylaws of Registrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.5 of Digital Brands Group Inc.’s Registration Statement on Form S-1/A (Reg. No. 333-261865), filed with the SEC on January 6, 2022).
3.8
Amendment No. 1 to the Amended and Restated Bylaws of Digital Brands Group, Inc., as amended (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 of Digital Brands Group Inc.’s Form 8-K filed with the SEC on August 12, 2022).
3.9
Amendment No. 2 to the Amended and Restated Bylaws of Digital Brands Group, Inc., as amended (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 of Digital Brands Group Inc.’s Form 8-K filed with the SEC on August 31, 2022).
4.1
Form of Common Stock Certificate (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 of Digital Brands Group Inc.’s Registration Statement on Form S-1/A (Reg. No. 333-261865), filed with the SEC on January 6, 2022).
4.2
Warrant Agency Agreement, including Form of Warrant Certificate (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 of Digital Brands Group Inc.’s Form 8-K filed with the SEC on May 18, 2021).
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Exhibit
Number
Description
4.3
Representative’s Warrant Agreement (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 of Digital Brands Group Inc.’s Form 8-K filed with the SEC on May 18, 2021).
4.4
Form of Lender’s Warrants (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.4 of Digital Brands Group Inc.’s Registration Statement on Form S-1/A (Reg. No. 333-261865), filed with the SEC on January 6, 2022).
4.5
Form of Promissory Note, dated July 22, 2022, by Digital Brands Group, Inc. in favor each Investor (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 of Digital Brands Group Inc.’s Form 8-K filed with the SEC on July 27, 2022).
4.6
Form of Warrant, dated July 22, 2022, by Digital Brands Group, Inc. in favor each Investor (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 of Digital Brands Group Inc.’s Form 8-K filed with the SEC on July 27, 2022).
4.7
Form of Promissory Note, dated July 28, 2022, by Digital Brands Group, Inc. in favor the New Investor (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 of Digital Brands Group Inc.’s Form 8-K filed with the SEC on August 2, 2022).
4.8
Form of Warrant, dated July 28, 2022, by Digital Brands Group, Inc. in favor the New Investor (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 of Digital Brands Group Inc.’s Form 8-K filed with the SEC on August 2, 2022).
4.9
Form of Promissory Notes issued to each of the Sellers, Jenny Murphy and Elodie Crichi (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 of Digital Brands Group Inc.’s Form 8-K filed with the SEC on October 18, 2022).
4.10
Registration Rights Agreement, dated August 30, 2021, by and between Digital Brands Group, Inc. and Moise Emquies (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 of Digital Brands Group Inc.’s Form 8-K filed with the SEC on August 31, 2021).
4.11
Registration Rights Agreement, dated August 27, 2021, by and between Digital Brands Group, Inc. and Oasis Capital, LLC (Note) (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.2 of Digital Brands Group Inc.’s Form 8-K filed with the SEC on August 31, 2021).
4.12
Registration Rights Agreement, dated August 27, 2021, by and between Digital Brands Group, Inc. and Oasis Capital, LLC (ELOC) (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.3 of Digital Brands Group Inc.’s Form 8-K filed with the SEC on August 31, 2021).
4.13
Joinder and Amendment to Registration Rights Agreement, dated October 1, 2021, by and among Digital Brands Group, Inc., Oasis Capital, LLC and FirstFire Global Opportunities Fund, LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.2 of Digital Brands Group Inc.’s Form 8-K filed with the SEC on October 6, 2021).
4.14
Amendment to Registration Rights Agreement, dated November 16, 2021, by and among Digital Brands Group, Inc., Oasis Capital, LLC and FirstFire Global Opportunities Fund, LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.2 of Digital Brands Group Inc.’s Form 8-K filed with the SEC on November 19, 2021).
4.15
Registration Rights Agreement, dated April 8, 2022, by and among Digital Brands Group, Inc. and certain Investors (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 of Digital Brands Group Inc.’s Form 8-K filed with the SEC on April 12, 2022).
4.16
Registration Rights Agreement, dated July 22, 2022, by and among Digital Brands Group, Inc. and certain Investors (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 of Digital Brands Group Inc.’s Form 8-K filed with the SEC on July 27, 2022).
4.17
Registration Rights Agreement, dated September 29, 2022, by and among Digital Brands Group, Inc. and the Investor (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 of Digital Brands Group Inc.’s Form 8-K filed with the SEC on October 5, 2022).
4.18
Underwriter’s Warrants issued to Alexander Capital L.P. on May 5, 2022 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 of Digital Brands Group Inc.’s Form 8-K filed with the SEC on May 10, 2022)
4.19
Underwriter’s Warrants issued to Revere Securities, LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.2 of Digital Brands Group Inc.’s Form 8-K filed with the SEC on May 10, 2022)
4.20
Form of Class B Warrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.27 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-1/A, filed with the SEC on November 29, 2022 (File no. 333-268213)).
4.21
Form of Class C Warrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.28 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-1/A, filed with the SEC on November 29, 2022 (File no. 333-268213)).
4.22
Form of Pre-Funded Warrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.29 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-1/A, filed with the SEC on November 29, 2022 (File no. 333-268213)).
4.23
Form of Placement Agent Warrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.30 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-1/A, filed with the SEC on November 29, 2022 (File no. 333-268213)).
4.24
Registration Rights Agreement, dated December 29, 2022, by and among Digital Brands Group, Inc. and the Investors (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 of Digital Brands Group Inc.’s Form 8-K filed with the SEC on January 4, 2023).
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Exhibit
Number
Description
4.25
Registration Rights Agreement, dated December 30, 2022, by and among Digital Brands Group, Inc. and Moise Emquies, George Levy, Matthieu Leblan and Carol Ann Emquies (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 of Digital Brands Group Inc.’s Form 8-K filed with the SEC on January 4, 2023).
4.26
Form of Common Warrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 of Digital Brands Group Inc.’s Form 8-K filed with the SEC on January 11, 2023).
4.27
Form of Pre-Funded Warrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.2 of Digital Brands Group Inc.’s Form 8-K filed with the SEC on January 11, 2023).
4.28
Form of Placement Agent Warrant(incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.3 of Digital Brands Group Inc.’s Form 8-K filed with the SEC on January 11, 2023).
10.1
Form of Indemnification Agreement between the Registrant and each of its directors and officers (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 of Digital Brands Group Inc.’s Registration Statement on Form S-1/A (Reg. No. 333-261865), filed with the SEC on January 6, 2022).
10.2#
Form of Option Agreement with each of John “Hil” Davis, Laura Dowling and Reid Yeoman (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 of Digital Brands Group Inc.’s Registration Statement on Form S-1/A (Reg. No. 333-261865), filed with the SEC on January 6, 2022).
10.3#
Form of Board of Directors Agreement, entered into by each of the Director Nominees (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.4 of Digital Brands Group Inc.’s Registration Statement on Form S-1/A (Reg. No. 333-261865), filed with the SEC on January 6, 2022).
10.4#
Consulting Agreement dated as of April 8, 2021 between Alchemy Advisory LLC and Digital Brands Group, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.6 of Digital Brands Group Inc.’s Registration Statement on Form S-1/A (Reg. No. 333-261865), filed with the SEC on January 6, 2022).
10.5#
2013 Stock Plan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.7 of Digital Brands Group Inc.’s Registration Statement on Form S-1/A (Reg. No. 333-261865), filed with the SEC on January 6, 2022).
10.6
Promissory Note, dated April 10, 2020, between Digital Brands Group (formally known as Denim.LA, Inc.) and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.16 of Digital Brands Group Inc.’s Registration Statement on Form S-1/A (Reg. No. 333-261865), filed with the SEC on January 6, 2022).
10.7
Loan dated June 25, 2020, between Digital Brands Group and The Small Business Administration, an Agency of the U.S. Government (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.17 of Digital Brands Group Inc.’s Registration Statement on Form S-1/A (Reg. No. 333-261865), filed with the SEC on January 6, 2022).
10.8
Promissory Note, dated April 5, 2020, between JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. and Bailey 44, LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.18 of Digital Brands Group Inc.’s Registration Statement on Form S-1/A (Reg. No. 333-261865), filed with the SEC on January 6, 2022).
10.9
Lease Agreement between 3926 Magazine Street Properties, LLC and Harper & Jones LLC, dated June 22, 2018 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.19 of Digital Brands Group Inc.’s Registration Statement on Form S-1/A (Reg. No. 333-261865), filed with the SEC on January 6, 2022).
10.10
Lease Agreement between Crosby 2100, LTD. and Harper & Jones LLC, dated April 4, 2018 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.20 of Digital Brands Group Inc.’s Registration Statement on Form S-1/A (Reg. No. 333-261865), filed with the SEC on January 6, 2022).
10.11
Amendment to Lease Agreement between Crosby 2100, LTD. and Harper & Jones LLC, dated December 23, 2020 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.21 of Digital Brands Group Inc.’s Registration Statement on Form S-1/A (Reg. No. 333-261865), filed with the SEC on January 6, 2022).
10.12
Lease Agreement between Pasha & Sina, Inc. and Harper & Jones LLC, dated February 27, 2019 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.22 of Digital Brands Group Inc.’s Registration Statement on Form S-1/A (Reg. No. 333-261865), filed with the SEC on January 6, 2022).
10.13
Lease Agreement between 850-860 South Los Angeles Street LLC and Bailey 44, LLC, dated April 27, 2016 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.23 of Digital Brands Group Inc.’s Registration Statement on Form S-1/A (Reg. No. 333-261865), filed with the SEC on January 6, 2022).
10.14
Lease Agreement between 850-860 South Los Angeles Street LLC and Bailey 44, LLC, dated April 16, 2018 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.24 of Digital Brands Group Inc.’s Registration Statement on Form S-1/A (Reg. No. 333-261865), filed with the SEC on January 6, 2022).
10.15
Lease Agreement among 45th Street, LLC, Sister Sam, LLC and Bailey 44, LLC dated January 17, 2013 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.25 of Digital Brands Group Inc.’s Registration Statement on Form S-1/A (Reg. No. 333-261865), filed with the SEC on January 6, 2022).
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Exhibit
Number
Description
10.16
Amendment to Lease Agreement among 45th Street, LLC, Sister Sam, LLC and Bailey 44, LLC dated February 20, 2018 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.26 of Digital Brands Group Inc.’s Registration Statement on Form S-1/A (Reg. No. 333-261865), filed with the SEC on January 6, 2022).
10.17
Secured Promissory Note to Norwest Venture Partners XI, LP and Norwest Venture Partners XII, LP of Bailey 44, LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.28 of Digital Brands Group Inc.’s Registration Statement on Form S-1/A (Reg. No. 333-261865), filed with the SEC on January 6, 2022).
10.18
Securities Purchase Agreement, dated August 27, 2021, by and between Digital Brands Group, Inc. and Oasis Capital, LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.31 of Digital Brands Group Inc.’s Registration Statement on Form S-1/A (Reg. No. 333-261865), filed with the SEC on January 6, 2022).
10.19
Senior Secured Convertible Promissory Note, dated August 27, 2021, by Digital Brands Group, Inc. in favor of Oasis Capital, LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.32 of Digital Brands Group Inc.’s Registration Statement on Form S-1/A (Reg. No. 333-261865), filed with the SEC on January 6, 2022).
10.20
Equity Purchase Agreement, dated August 27, 2021, by and between Digital Brands Group, Inc. and Oasis Capital, LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.33 of Digital Brands Group Inc.’s Registration Statement on Form S-1/A (Reg. No. 333-261865), filed with the SEC on January 6, 2022).
10.21
Amended and Restated Securities Purchase Agreement, dated October 1, 2021, by and among Digital Brands Group, Inc., Oasis Capital, LLC and FirstFire Global Opportunities Fund, LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.34 of Digital Brands Group Inc.’s Registration Statement on Form S-1/A (Reg. No. 333-261865), filed with the SEC on January 6, 2022).
10.22
Senior Secured Convertible Promissory Note, dated October 1, 2021, by Digital Brands Group, Inc. in favor of FirstFire Global Opportunities Fund, LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.35 of Digital Brands Group Inc.’s Registration Statement on Form S-1/A (Reg. No. 333-261865), filed with the SEC on January 6, 2022).
10.23
Security Agreement, dated August 27, 2021, by and between Digital Brands Group, Inc. and Oasis Capital, LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.36 of Digital Brands Group Inc.’s Registration Statement on Form S-1/A (Reg. No. 333-261865), filed with the SEC on January 6, 2022).
10.24
Joinder and Amendment to Security Agreement, dated October 1, 2021, by and among Digital Brands Group, Inc., Oasis Capital, LLC and FirstFire Global Opportunities Fund, LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.37 of Digital Brands Group Inc.’s Registration Statement on Form S-1/A (Reg. No. 333-261865), filed with the SEC on January 6, 2022).
10.25
Securities Purchase Agreement, dated November 16, 2021, by and among Digital Brands Group, Inc., Oasis Capital, LLC and FirstFire Global Opportunities Fund, LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.40 of Digital Brands Group Inc.’s Registration Statement on Form S-1/A (Reg. No. 333-261865), filed with the SEC on January 6, 2022).
10.26
Senior Secured Convertible Promissory Note, dated November 16, 2021, by Digital Brands Group, Inc. in favor of FirstFire Global Opportunities Fund, LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.41 of Digital Brands Group Inc.’s Registration Statement on Form S-1/A (Reg. No. 333-261865), filed with the SEC on January 6, 2022).
10.27
Waiver by FirstFire Global Opportunities Fund, LLC, dated November 16, 2021 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.42 of Digital Brands Group Inc.’s Registration Statement on Form S-1/A (Reg. No. 333-261865), filed with the SEC on January 6, 2022).
10.28
Waiver by Oasis Capital, LLC, dated November 16, 2021 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.43 of Digital Brands Group Inc.’s Registration Statement on Form S-1/A (Reg. No. 333-261865), filed with the SEC on January 6, 2022).
10.29
Registration Rights Agreement, dated April 8, 2022, by among Digital Brands Group, Inc. and the Investors (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 of Digital Brands Group Inc.’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the SEC on April 12, 2022).
10.30
Securities Purchase Agreement, dated April 8, 2022, by among Digital Brands Group, Inc. and the Investors (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 of Digital Brands Group Inc.’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the SEC on April 12, 2022).
10.31
Form of Warrant, dated April 8, 2022, by Digital Brands Group, Inc. in favor of the Investors (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 of Digital Brands Group Inc.’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the SEC on April 12, 2022).
10.32+
Agreement for the Purchase and Sale of Future Receipts, dated March 21, 2022, between Digital Brands Group, Inc. and Advantage Platform Services Inc. d/b/a Advantage Capital Funding (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.45 of Digital Brands Group Inc.’s Registration Statement on Form S-1/A (Reg. No. 333- 264347), filed with the SEC on May 5, 2022).
64
Table of Contents
Exhibit
Number
Description
10.33+
Agreement for the Purchase and Sale of Future Receipts, dated March 29, 2022, between Digital Brands Group, Inc. and Advantage Platform Services Inc. d/b/a Advantage Capital Funding (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.46 of Digital Brands Group Inc.’s Registration Statement on Form S-1/A (Reg. No. 333- 264347), filed with the SEC on May 5, 2022).
10.34
First Amendment to Securities Purchase Agreement, dated July 28, 2022, by and among Digital Brands Group, Inc. and certain Investors (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 of Digital Brands Group Inc.’s Form 8-K filed with the SEC on August 2, 2022).
10.35
Securities Purchase Agreement, dated September 29, 2022, by and among Digital Brands Group, Inc. and the investor thereto (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 of Digital Brands Group Inc.’s Form 8-K filed with the SEC on October 5, 2022).
10.36
Form of Securities Purchase Agreement, by and between Digital Brands Group, Inc. and the purchasers party thereto (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.38 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-1/A, filed with the SEC on November 29, 2022 (File no. 333-268213)).
10.37
Securities Purchase Agreement, dated December 29, 2022, by and among Digital Brands Group, Inc. and the Investors (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 of Digital Brands Group Inc.’s Form 8-K filed with the SEC on January 4, 2023).
10.38
Form of Promissory Note, dated December 29, 2022, by Digital Brands Group, Inc. in favor each Investor (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 of Digital Brands Group Inc.’s Form 8-K filed with the SEC on January 4, 2023).
10.39
Form of Securities Purchase Agreement, dated as of January 11, 2023, by and among the Company and the purchasers party thereto (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 of Digital Brands Group Inc.’s Form 8-K filed with the SEC on January 11, 2023).
10.40
Form of Registration Rights Agreement, dated as of January 11, 2023, by and among the Company and the purchasers party thereto (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 of Digital Brands Group Inc.’s Form 8-K filed with the SEC on January 11, 2023).
10.41
Form of Warrant, dated December 29, 2022, by Digital Brands Group, Inc. in favor each Investor (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 of Digital Brands Group Inc.’s Form 8-K filed with the SEC on January 4, 2023).
10.42
Form of Securities Purchase Agreement, dated April 7, 2023, by and among Digital Brands Group, Inc. and the Investors (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 of Digital Brands Group Inc.’s Form 8-K filed with the SEC on April 13, 2023).
10.43
Form of Promissory Note, dated April 7, 2023, by Digital Brands Group, Inc. in favor each Investor (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 of Digital Brands Group Inc.’s Form 8-K filed with the SEC on April 13, 2023).
21.1
List of Subsidiaries of the Registrant. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 21.1 of Digital Brands Group Inc.’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 (Reg. No. 333-269463), filed with the SEC on January 30, 2023).
23.1*
Consent of dbbmckennon for Digital Brands Group, Inc.
31.1*
Certification of Principal Executive Officer Pursuant to Rules 13a-14(a) and 15d-14(a)
31.2*
Certification of Principal Financial Officer Pursuant to Rules 13a-14(a) and 15d-14(a)
32.1**
Certification of Principal Executive Officer Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350
32.2**
Certification of Principal Financial Officer Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350
101.INS*
Inline XBRL Instance
101.SCH*
Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema
101.CAL*
Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation
101.LAB*
Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Labels
101.PRE*
Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation
104
Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL and contained in Exhibit 101)
* Filed herewith.
** Furnished herewith
# Indicates management contract or compensatory plan or arrangement.
65
Table of Contents
ITEM 16.
FORM 10-K SUMMARY
None.
66
Table of Contents
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
DIGITAL BRANDS GROUP, INC.
By:
/s/ John Hilburn Davis IV
April 17, 2023
Name:
John Hilburn Davis IV
Title:
Director, President and Chief Executive Officer
Name
Position
Date
/s/ John Hilburn Davis IV
Director, President and Chief Executive Officer
April 17, 2023
John Hilburn Davis IV
(Principal Executive Officer)
/s/ Reid Yeoman
Chief Financial Officer
April 17, 2023
Reid Yeoman
(Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)
/s/ Mark T. Lynn
Director
April 17, 2023
Mark T. Lynn
/s/ Trevor Pettennude
Director
April 17, 2023
Trevor Pettennude
/s/ Jameeka Aaron Green
Director
April 17, 2023
Jameeka Aaron Green
/s/ Huong “Lucy” Doan
Director
April 17, 2023
Huong “Lucy” Doan
67
Table of Contents
DIGITAL BRANDS GROUP, INC.
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER 31, 2022 AND 2021
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM (PCAOB IS: 3501)
F-2
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
F-3
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
F-4
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN STOCKHOLDERS’ DEFICIT
F-5
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
F-6
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
F-7
F-1
Table of Contents
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
The Board of Directors and Stockholders
Digital Brands Group, Inc.
Opinion on the Consolidated Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Digital Brands Group, Inc. and subsidiaries (collectively, the “Company”) as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, and the related consolidated statements of operations, stockholders’ deficit, and cash flows for the years then ended, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “consolidated financial statements”). In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the years then ended, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
Emphasis of Matter – Correction of Error
As described in Note 2 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company corrected the classification of certain costs and expenses, and accordingly, restated amounts included in the 2021 consolidated statement of operations to conform with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
Going Concern
The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared assuming the Company will continue as a going concern. As discussed in Note 2 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company’s net losses from inception, negative cash flow from operations, and lack of liquidity raise substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern. Management’s plans in regard to these matters are also described in Note 2. The consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
Basis for Opinion
These consolidated financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audits to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audits, we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.
Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the consolidated financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the consolidated financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the consolidated financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
/s/ dbb mckennon (Firm No. 3501 )
Newport Beach, California
April 17, 2023
We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2018
F-2
Table of Contents
DIGITAL BRANDS GROUP, INC.
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
December 31,
2022
2021
ASSETS
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents
$
1,283,282
$
528,394
Accounts receivable, net
628,386
89,394
Due from factor, net
839,400
985,288
Inventory
5,225,282
2,755,358
Prepaid expenses and other current assets
853,044
417,900
Total current assets
8,829,394
4,776,334
Deferred offering costs
—
367,696
Property, equipment and software, net
76,657
97,265
Goodwill
10,103,812
18,264,822
Intangible assets, net
14,427,503
12,841,313
Deposits
198,341
137,794
Right of use asset, net
102,349
—
Total assets
$
33,738,056
$
36,485,224
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ DEFICIT
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable
$
8,098,165
$
6,562,690
Accrued expenses and other liabilities
4,457,115
2,237,145
Deferred revenue
202,129
276,397
Due to related parties
556,225
277,635
Contingent consideration liability
12,098,475
12,179,476
Convertible note payable, net
2,721,800
100,000
Accrued interest payable
1,561,795
1,110,679
Note payable - related party
129,489
299,489
Venture debt, net of discount
—
6,001,755
Loan payable, current
1,966,250
2,502,000
Promissory note payable
9,000,000
3,500,000
Right of use liability, current portion
102,349
—
Total current liabilities
40,893,792
35,047,266
Convertible note payable, net
—
5,501,614
Loan payable
297,438
713,182
Derivative liability
—
2,294,720
Warrant liability
—
18,223
Total liabilities
41,191,230
43,575,005
Commitments and contingencies
Stockholders’ deficit:
Undesignated preferred stock, $ 0.0001 par, 10,000,000 shares authorized, 0 shares issued and outstanding as of both December 31, 2022 and 2021
—
—
Series A preferred stock, $ 0.0001 par, 1 share authorized, no shares issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2022 or 2021
—
—
Series A convertible preferred stock, $ 0.0001 par, 6,800 shares designated, 6,300 shares issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2022, none authorized or outstanding as of December 31, 2021
1
—
Common stock, $ 0.0001 par, 1,000,000,000 shares authorized, 4,468,939 and 130,018 shares issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively
447
13
Additional paid-in capital
96,293,694
58,614,160
Accumulated deficit
( 103,747,316 )
( 65,703,954 )
Total stockholders’ deficit
( 7,453,174 )
( 7,089,781 )
Total liabilities and stockholders’ deficit
$
33,738,056
$
36,485,224
See the accompanying notes to the consolidated financial statements.
F-3
Table of Contents
DIGITAL BRANDS GROUP, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
Year Ended
December 31,
2022
2021
As Restated
Net revenues
$
13,971,178
$
7,584,859
Cost of net revenues
8,030,908
5,716,587
Gross profit
5,940,270
1,868,272
Operating expenses:
General and administrative
16,371,536
16,752,516
Sales and marketing
4,950,635
3,810,583
Distribution
611,569
489,371
Impairment
15,539,332
3,400,000
Change in fair value of contingent consideration
564,303
8,764,460
Total operating expenses
38,037,375
33,216,930
Loss from operations
( 32,097,105 )
( 31,348,658 )
Other income (expense):
Interest expense
( 9,014,337 )
( 3,663,921 )
Other non-operating income (expenses)
3,068,080
1,554,502
Total other income (expense), net
( 5,946,257 )
( 2,109,419 )
Income tax benefit (provision)
—
1,100,120
Net loss
$
( 38,043,362 )
$
( 32,357,957 )
Weighted average common shares outstanding - basic and diluted
771,297
76,289
Net loss per common share - basic and diluted
$
( 49.32 )
$
( 424.15 )
See the accompanying notes to the consolidated financial statements.
F-4
Table of Contents
DIGITAL BRANDS GROUP, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS’ DEFICIT
Series Seed
Series A
Series A-2
Series A-3
Series CF
Series B
Series A Convertible
Additional
Total
Preferred Stock
Preferred Stock
Preferred Stock
Preferred Stock
Preferred Stock
Preferred Stock
Preferred Stock
Common Stock
Paid-in
Accumulated
Stockholders’
Shares
Amount
Shares
Amount
Shares
Amount
Shares
Amount
Shares
Amount
Shares
Amount
Shares
Amount
Shares
Amount
Capital
Deficit
Deficit
Balances at December 31, 2020
20,714,518
$
2,071
5,654,072
$
565
5,932,742
$
593
9,032,330
$
904
836,331
$
83
20,754,717
$
2,075
—
$
—
6,642
$
1
$
27,482,060
$
( 33,345,997 )
$
( 5,857,645 )
Conversion of preferred stock into common stock
( 20,714,518 )
( 2,071 )
( 5,654,072 )
( 565 )
( 5,932,742 )
( 593 )
( 9,032,330 )
( 904 )
( 836,331 )
( 83 )
( 20,754,717 )
( 2,075 )
—
—
40,272
4
6,287
—
—
Issuance of common stock in public offering
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
24,096
2
10,000,000
—
10,000,002
Offering costs
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
( 2,116,957 )
—
( 2,116,957 )
Exercise of over-allotment option, net of offering costs
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
3,614
—
1,364,997
—
1,364,997
Conversion of debt into common stock
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
11,352
1
2,680,288
—
2,680,289
Conversion of related party notes and payables into common stock
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
1,524
—
257,515
—
257,515
Common stock issued in connection with business combination
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
32,943
3
11,428,735
—
11,428,738
Exercise of warrants
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
3,869
—
1,768,046
—
1,768,046
Common stock issued pursuant to consulting agreement
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
2,415
—
595,500
—
595,500
Issuance of common stock pursuant to equity line of credit
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
1,264
—
367,696
—
367,696
Common stock and warrants issued in connection with notes
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
1,300
—
501,658
—
501,658
Stock-based compensation
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
727
—
4,278,337
—
4,278,337
Net loss
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
( 32,357,957 )
( 32,357,957 )
Balances at December 31, 2021
-
—
—
—
-
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
130,018
13
58,614,160
( 65,703,954 )
( 7,089,781 )
Issuance of common stock in public offering
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
373,898
37
9,347,413
—
9,347,450
Issuance of common stock and exercise of pre-funded warrants in public offering
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
1,818,181
182
9,999,814
—
9,999,996
Offering costs
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
( 2,921,646 )
—
( 2,921,646 )
Common stock issued in connection with business combination
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
90,909
9
999,991
—
1,000,000
Common stock issued pursuant to consulting agreement
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
750
—
123,000
—
123,000
Warrant and common shares issued with notes
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
60,000
6
1,368,735
—
1,368,741
Conversion of notes and derivative liability into common stock
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
1,995,183
200
11,983,189
—
11,983,389
Conversion of venture debt into Series A convertible preferred stock
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
6,300
1
—
—
6,299,999
—
6,300,000
Stock-based compensation
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
479,038
—
479,038
Net loss
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
( 38,043,362 )
( 38,043,362 )
Balances at December 31, 2022
—
$
—
—
$
—
—
$
—
—
$
—
—
$
—
—
$
—
6,300
$
1
4,468,939
$
447
$
96,293,694
$
( 103,747,316 )
$
( 7,453,174 )
See the accompanying notes to the consolidated financial statements.
F-5
Table of Contents
DIGITAL BRANDS GROUP, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
Year Ended
December 31,
2022
2021
Cash flows from operating activities:
Net loss
$
( 38,043,362 )
$
( 32,357,957 )
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization
2,226,376
1,220,736
Amortization of loan discount and fees
6,506,384
1,382,222
Stock-based compensation
602,038
4,800,337
Fees incurred in connection with debt financings
568,149
560,309
Change in fair value of warrant liability
( 18,223 )
11,958
Change in fair value of derivative liability
( 1,354,434 )
( 910,204 )
Change in fair value of contingent consideration
564,303
8,764,460
Impairment of goodwill and intangible assets
15,539,332
3,400,000
Forgiveness of Payroll Protection Program
( 1,760,755 )
( 407,994 )
Change in credit reserve
( 118,840 )
36,893
Deferred offering costs
367,696
—
Deferred income tax benefit
—
( 1,100,120 )
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Accounts receivable, net
( 475,036 )
150,288
Due from factor, net
655,708
( 399,701 )
Inventory
471,831
( 911,293 )
Prepaid expenses and other current assets
( 402,515 )
( 151,917 )
Accounts payable
919,131
456,690
Accrued expenses and other liabilities
1,992,649
834,489
Deferred revenue
( 74,268 )
4,882
Due to related parties
278,590
( 63,550 )
Accrued interest
984,358
461,113
Net cash used in operating activities
( 10,570,889 )
( 14,218,359 )
Cash flows from investing activities:
Cash acquired (consideration) pursuant to business combination
( 7,247,303 )
( 5,936,757 )
Purchase of property, equipment and software
( 5,533 )
( 43,179 )
Deposits
( 60,548 )
( 31,117 )
Net cash used in investing activities
( 7,313,384 )
( 6,011,053 )
Cash flows from financing activities:
Repayments of related party notes
( 170,000 )
—
Advances (repayments) from factor
( 3,096 )
( 41,200 )
Repayment of contingent consideration
( 645,304 )
—
Proceeds from venture debt
237,500
—
Issuance of loans payable
3,280,360
2,779,910
Repayments of convertible and promissory notes
( 7,437,349 )
( 2,006,628 )
Issuance of convertible notes payable
6,951,250
8,433,650
Proceeds from public offering
19,347,446
10,000,002
Exercise of over-allotment option with public offering, net
—
1,364,997
Exercise of warrants
—
1,768,046
Offering costs
( 2,921,646 )
( 2,116,957 )
Net cash provided by financing activities
18,639,161
20,181,820
Net change in cash and cash equivalents
754,888
( 47,592 )
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period
528,394
575,986
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period
$
1,283,282
$
528,394
Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information:
Cash paid for income taxes
$
—
$
—
Cash paid for interest
$
734,869
$
902,089
Supplemental disclosure of non-cash investing and financing activities:
Conversion of notes, warrants and derivatives into common stock
$
11,983,389
$
2,680,289
Right of use asset
$
102,349
$
—
Warrant and common shares issued with notes
$
1,368,741
$
—
Derivative liability in connection with convertible note
$
559,957
$
3,204,924
Conversion of venture debt into preferred stock
$
6,300,000
$
—
Conversion of related party notes and payables into preferred and common stock
$
—
$
257,515
Conversion of preferred stock into common stock
$
—
$
6,291
Conversion of contingent consideration into common stock
$
—
$
73,500
Common shares issued pursuant to equity line of credit
$
—
$
367,696
See the accompanying notes to the consolidated financial statements.
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DIGITAL BRANDS GROUP, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
NOTE 1: NATURE OF OPERATIONS
Digital Brands Group, Inc. (the “Company” or “DBG”), was organized on September 17, 2012 under the laws of Delaware as a limited liability company under the name Denim.LA LLC. The Company converted to a Delaware corporation on January 30, 2013 and changed its name to Denim.LA, Inc. Effective December 31, 2020, the Company changed its name to Digital Brands Group, Inc. (DBG).
On February 12, 2020, Denim.LA, Inc. 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. See Note 4.
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. See Note 4.
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. See Note 4.
On December 30, 2022, the Company closed its previously announced acquisition of Sunnyside, LLC dba Sundry (“Sundry”) pursuant to its Second Amended and Restated Membership Interest Purchase Agreement with Moise Emquies to purchase 100 % of the issued and outstanding equity of Sundry. On the acquisition date, Sundry became a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company. See Note 4.
Reverse Stock Split
On May 12, 2021, the Board of Directors approved a one -for-15.625 reverse stock split of its issued and outstanding shares of common stock and a proportional adjustment to the existing conversion ratios for each series of the Company’s preferred stock (see Note 8). Accordingly, all share and per share amounts for all periods presented in the accompanying consolidated financial statements and notes thereto have been adjusted retroactively, where applicable, to reflect this reverse stock split and adjustment of the preferred stock conversion ratios.
On October 21, 2022, the Board of Directors approved a one -for-100 reverse stock split of its issued and outstanding shares of common stock and a proportional adjustment to the existing conversion ratios for each series of the Company’s preferred stock. The reverse stock split became effective as of November 3, 2022. Accordingly, all share and per share amounts for all periods presented in the accompanying consolidated financial statements and notes thereto have been adjusted retroactively, where applicable, to reflect this reverse stock split and adjustment of the preferred stock conversion ratios.
Initial Public Offering
On May 13, 2021, the Company’s registration statement on Form S-1 relating to its initial public offering of its common stock (the “IPO”) was declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). Further to the IPO, which closed on May 18, 2021, the Company issued and sold 24,096 shares of common stock at a public offering price of $ 415 per share. Additionally, the Company issued warrants to purchase 27,771 shares, which includes 3,614 warrants sold upon the partial exercise of the over-allotment option. The aggregate net proceeds to the Company from the IPO, were $ 8.6 million after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions of $ 0.8 million and direct offering expenses of $ 0.6 million. Concurrent with this offering, the Company acquired H&J (see Note 4). The Company incurred an additional $ 0.6 million in offering costs related to the IPO that were not paid directly out of the proceeds from the offering.
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NOTE 2: GOING CONCERN
The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis, which contemplates the realization of assets and the satisfaction of liabilities in the normal course of business. The Company has not generated profits since inception, has sustained net losses of $ 38,043,362 and $ 32,357,957 for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively, and has incurred negative cash flows from operations for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021. The Company has historically lacked liquidity to satisfy obligations as they come due and as of December 31, 2022, and the Company had a working capital deficit of $ 32,064,398 . These factors, among others, arise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. The Company expects to continue to generate operating losses for the foreseeable future. The accompanying consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments as a result of this uncertainty.
The Company’s ability to continue as a going concern for the next 12 months from the date the financial statements were available to be issued is dependent upon its ability to generate sufficient cash flows from operations to meet its obligations, which it has not been able to accomplish to date, and/or to obtain additional capital financing. Through the date the financial statements were available to be issued, the Company has been primarily financed through the issuance of capital stock and debt. In the event that the Company cannot generate sufficient revenue to sustain its operations, the Company will need to reduce expenses or obtain financing through the sale of debt and/or equity securities. The issuance of additional equity would result in dilution to existing shareholders. If the Company is unable to obtain additional funds when they are needed or if such funds cannot be obtained on terms acceptable to the Company, the Company would be unable to execute upon the business plan or pay costs and expenses as they are incurred, which would have a material, adverse effect on the business, financial condition and results of operations. No assurance can be given that the Company will be successful in these efforts.
NOTE 3: SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Basis of Presentation
The accounting and reporting policies of the Company conform to accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”).
Principles of Consolidation
These consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly-owned subsidiaries Bailey, H&J, Stateside and Sundry from the dates of acquisition. All inter-company transactions and balances have been eliminated on consolidation.
Use of Estimates
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
Restatement of Previously Issued Financial Statements
Certain prior year accounts have been reclassified to conform with current year presentation pertaining to cost of net revenue and general and administrative expenses. The Company has reclassified $ 1,027,387 in general and administrative expenses per previously reported financial statements to cost of net revenues in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations for the year ended December 31, 2021.
The reclassified costs from general and administrative expense to cost of net revenues made in the fourth quarter of 2022 and 2021 are fixed in nature as they are personnel and warehouse related costs. The impact of the reclassification was approximately $ 290,000 for each of the quarters ended March 31, 2022, June 30, 2022 and September 30, 2022. The impact of the reclassification was approximately $ 255,000 for each of the quarters ended March 31, 2021, June 30, 2021 and September 30, 2021.
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Cash and Equivalents and Concentration of Credit Risk
The Company considers all highly liquid securities with an original maturity of less than three months to be cash equivalents. As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company did not hold any cash equivalents. The Company’s cash and cash equivalents in bank deposit accounts, at times, may exceed federally insured limits of $ 250,000 .
Fair Value of Financial Instruments
FASB guidance specifies a hierarchy of valuation techniques based on whether the inputs to those valuation techniques are observable or unobservable. Observable inputs reflect market data obtained from independent sources, while unobservable inputs reflect market assumptions. The hierarchy gives the highest priority to unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1 measurement) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3 measurement). The three levels of the fair value hierarchy are as follows:
Level 1 — Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities that the reporting entity has the ability to access at the measurement date. Level 1 primarily consists of financial instruments whose value is based on quoted market prices such as exchange-traded instruments and listed equities.
Level 2 — Inputs other than quoted prices included within Level 1 that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly (e.g., quoted prices of similar assets or liabilities in active markets, or quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in markets that are not active).
Level 3 — Unobservable inputs for the asset or liability. Financial instruments are considered Level 3 when their fair values are determined using pricing models, discounted cash flows or similar techniques and at least one significant model assumption or input is unobservable.
The Company’s financial instruments consist of cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, due from factor, prepaid expenses, accounts payable, accrued expenses, deferred revenue, due to related parties, related party note payable, accrued interest, loan payable and convertible debt. The carrying value of these assets and liabilities is representative of their fair market value, due to the short maturity of these instruments.
The following tables present information about the Company’s financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis and indicates the level of the fair value hierarchy used to determine such fair values:
Fair Value Measurements
as of December 31, 2022 Using:
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Total
Liabilities:
Warrant liability
$
—
$
—
$
—
$
—
Contingent consideration
—
—
12,098,475
12,098,475
Derivative liability
—
—
—
—
$
—
$
—
$
12,098,475
$
12,098,475
Fair Value Measurements
as of December 31, 2021 Using:
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Total
Liabilities:
Warrant liability
$
—
$
18,223
$
—
$
18,223
Contingent consideration
—
—
12,179,476
12,179,476
Derivative liability
—
—
2,294,720
2,294,720
$
—
$
18,223
$
14,474,196
$
14,492,419
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Warrant Liability
Certain of the Company’s common stock warrants are carried at fair value. As of December 31, 2020, the fair value of the Company’s common stock warrant liabilities was measured under the Level 3 hierarchy using the Black-Scholes pricing model as the Company’s underlying common stock had no observable market price (see Note 10). The warrant liability was valued using a market approach. Upon the IPO, the warrant liabilities were valued using quoted prices of identical assets in active markets, and was reclassified under the Level 2 hierarchy. Changes in common stock warrant liability during the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 are as follows:
Warrant
Liability
Outstanding as of December 31, 2020
$
6,265
Change in fair value
11,958
Outstanding as of December 31, 2021
18,223
Change in fair value
( 18,223 )
Outstanding as of December 31, 2022
$
—
Contingent Consideration
The Company records a contingent consideration liability relating to stock price guarantees included in its acquisition and consulting agreements. The estimated fair value of the contingent consideration is recorded using significant unobservable measures and other fair value inputs and is therefore classified as a Level 3 financial instrument.
The Company estimates and records the acquisition date fair value of contingent consideration as part of purchase price consideration for acquisitions. Additionally, each reporting period, the Company estimates changes in the fair value of contingent consideration and recognizes any change in fair in the consolidated statement of operations. The estimate of the fair value of contingent consideration requires very subjective assumptions to be made of future operating results, discount rates and probabilities assigned to various potential operating result scenarios. Future revisions to these assumptions could materially change the estimate of the fair value of contingent consideration and, therefore, materially affect the Company’s future financial results. The contingent consideration liability is to be settled with the issuance of shares of common stock once contingent provisions set forth in respective acquisition agreements have been achieved. Upon achievement of contingent provisions, respective liabilities are relieved and offset by increases to common stock and additional paid-in capital in the stockholders’ equity section of the Company’s consolidated balance sheets.
The fair value of the contingent consideration liability related to the Company’s business combinations is valued using the Monte Carlo simulation model. The Monte Carlo simulation inputs include the stock price, volatility of common stock, timing of settlement and resale restrictions and limits. The fair value of the contingent consideration is then calculated based on guaranteed equity values at settlement as defined in the acquisition agreements. Changes in contingent consideration liability during the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 are as follows:
Contingent
Consideration
Liability
Balance as of December 31, 2020
$
—
Initial recognition in connection with acquisition of Harper & Jones
3,421,516
Stock price guarantee per consulting agreement
67,000
Conversion into shares
( 73,500 )
Change in fair value
8,764,460
Outstanding as of December 31, 2021
12,179,476
Repayments to Harper & Jones seller
( 645,304 )
Change in fair value
564,303
Outstanding as of December 31, 2022
$
12,098,475
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During the year ended December 31, 2022, the Company utilized the following inputs for the fair value of the contingent consideration: volatilities of 79.3 % and 88.9 %, risk-free rate of 0.25 %, expected share increase of 5 % per annum, and the guaranteed stock price of $ 828 for Bailey and $ 415 for Harper & Jones.
The detail of contingent consideration by company is as follows:
December 31,
2022
2021
Bailey
$
10,698,475
7,935,016
Harper & Jones
1,400,000
4,244,460
$
12,098,475
$
12,179,476
The contingent consideration liabilities were revalued for a final time as of May 18, 2022, the anniversary date of the Company’s initial public offering. As of the date of the issuance of these financial statements, the contingent consideration liabilities were not yet settled with shares.
In December 2022, the Company paid $ 645,304 to the H&J Seller to partially reduce the contingent consideration balance owed. The Company and the H&J Seller are in the process of amending the May 2021 purchase agreement to determine the ultimate settlement of the Company’s common stock to the H&J Seller by May 16, 2023. Refer to Note 12.
Derivative Liability
In connection with the Company’s convertible notes, the Company recorded a derivative liability (see Note 7). The estimated fair value of the derivative liability is recorded using significant unobservable measures and other fair value inputs and is therefore classified as a Level 3 financial instrument.
The fair value of the derivative liability is valued using a multinomial lattice model. The multinomial lattice inputs include the underlying stock price, volatility of common stock and remaining term of the convertible note. Changes in derivative liability during the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 are as follows:
Derivative
Liability
Outstanding as of December 31, 2020
$
—
Initial fair value on issuance of convertible note
3,204,924
Change in fair value
( 910,204 )
Outstanding as of December 31, 2021
2,294,720
Initial fair value on issuance of convertible note
559,957
Conversion of underlying notes into common stock
( 1,500,243 )
Change in fair value
( 1,354,434 )
Outstanding as of December 31, 2022
$
—
During the year ended December 31, 2022, the Company utilized the following inputs for the fair value of the derivative liability: volatility of 70.9 % - 96.7 %, risk-free rate of 2.71 % - 3.74 %, and remaining term ranging from .08 years - 0.62 years.
The change in fair value of the derivative liability is included in other non-operating income (expense), net in the consolidated statements of operations.
Inventory
Inventory is stated at the lower of cost or net realizable value and accounted for using the weighted average cost method for DSTLD and H&J and first-in, first-out method for Bailey, Stateside and Sundry. The inventory balances as of December 31, 2022 and 2021 consist substantially of finished good products purchased or produced for resale, as well as any raw materials the Company purchased to modify the products and work in progress.
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Inventory consisted of the following:
December 31,
2022
2021
Raw materials
$
1,611,134
$
292,167
Work in process
888,643
242,673
Finished goods
2,725,505
2,220,519
Inventory
$
5,225,282
$
2,755,358
Property, Equipment, and Software
Property, equipment, and software are recorded at cost. Depreciation/amortization is recorded for property, equipment, and software using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of assets. The Company reviews the recoverability of all long-lived assets, including the related useful lives, whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of a long-lived asset might not be recoverable. The balances at December 31, 2022 and 2021 consist of software with three ( 3 ) year lives, property and equipment with three ( 3 ) to ten ( 10 ) year lives, and leasehold improvements which are depreciated over the shorter of the lease life or expected life.
Depreciation and amortization charges on property, equipment, and software are included in general and administrative expenses and amounted to $ 75,126 and $ 92,213 for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively.
Business Combinations
The Company accounts for acquisitions in which it obtains control of one or more businesses as a business combination. The purchase price of the acquired businesses is allocated to the tangible and intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed based on their estimated fair values at the acquisition date. The excess of the purchase price over those fair values is recognized as goodwill. During the measurement period, which may be up to one year from the acquisition date, the Company may record adjustments, in the period in which they are determined, to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed with the corresponding offset to goodwill. If the assets acquired are not a business, the Company accounts for the transaction or other event as an asset acquisition. Under both methods, the Company recognizes the identifiable assets acquired, the liabilities assumed, and any noncontrolling interest in the acquired entity. In addition, for transactions that are business combinations, the Company evaluates the existence of goodwill or a gain from a bargain purchase.
Goodwill represents the excess of the purchase price of an acquired entity over the fair value of identifiable tangible and intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed in a business combination.
Intangible assets are established with business combinations and consist of brand names and customer relationships. Intangible assets with finite lives are recorded at their estimated fair value at the date of acquisition and are amortized over their estimated useful lives using the straight-line method. The estimated useful lives of amortizable intangible assets are as follows:
Customer relationships
3 years
Impairment
Long-Lived Assets
The Company reviews its long-lived assets (property and equipment and amortizable intangible assets) for impairment whenever events or circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. If the sum of the expected cash flows, undiscounted, is less than the carrying amount of the asset, an impairment loss is recognized as the amount by which the carrying amount of the asset exceeds its fair value.
Goodwill
Goodwill and identifiable intangible assets that have indefinite useful lives are not amortized, but instead are tested annually for impairment and upon the occurrence of certain events or substantive changes in circumstances. The annual goodwill impairment test allows for the option to first assess qualitative factors to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting
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unit is less than its carrying amount. An entity may choose to perform the qualitative assessment on none, some or all of its reporting units or an entity may bypass the qualitative assessment for any reporting unit and proceed directly to step one of the quantitative impairment test. If it is determined, on the basis of qualitative factors, that the fair value of a reporting unit is, more likely than not, less than its carrying value, the quantitative impairment test is required.
The quantitative impairment test calculates any goodwill impairment as the difference between the carrying amount of a reporting unit and its fair value, but not to exceed the carrying amount of goodwill. It is our practice, at a minimum, to perform a qualitative or quantitative goodwill impairment test in the fourth quarter every year.
Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets
Indefinite-lived intangible assets established in connection with business combinations consist of the brand name. The impairment test for identifiable indefinite-lived intangible assets consists of a comparison of the estimated fair value of the intangible asset with its carrying value. If the carrying value exceeds its fair value, an impairment loss is recognized in an amount equal to that excess.
Annual Impairment Tests
At December 31, 2021, management determined that certain events and circumstances occurred, primarily the continued reduction in revenues partially as a result of COVID-19, that indicated that the carrying value of the Company’s brand name asset pertaining to Bailey44 may not be recoverable. As such, the Company compared the estimated fair value of the brand name with its carrying value and recorded an impairment loss of $ 3,400,000 in the consolidated statements of operations.
At December 31, 2022, management determined that certain events and circumstances occurred that indicated that the carrying value of the Company’s brand name assets, and the carrying amount of the reporting units, pertaining to Bailey44 and Harper & Jones may not be recoverable. The qualitative assessment was primarily due to reduced or stagnant revenues of both entities as compared to the Company’s initial projections at the time of each respective acquisition, as well as the entities’ liabilities in excess of assets. As such, the Company compared the estimated fair value of the brand names with its carrying value and recorded an impairment loss of $ 3,667,000 in the consolidated statements of operations. Additionally, the Company compared the fair value of the reporting units to the carrying amounts and recorded an impairment loss of $ 11,872,332 pertaining to goodwill in the consolidated statements of operations. The following is a summary of goodwill and intangible impairment recorded pertaining to each entity:
Year Ended
December 31,
2022
2021
Bailey brand name
$
2,182,000
$
3,400,000
Harper & Jones brand name
1,485,000
—
Total impairment of intangibles
3,667,000
3,400,000
Bailey goodwill
3,321,095
—
Harper & Jones goodwill
8,551,237
—
Total impairment of goodwill
11,872,332
—
Total impairment
$
15,539,332
$
3,400,000
In determining the fair value of the respective reporting units, management estimated the price that would be received to sell the reporting unit as a whole in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. This includes reviewing market comparables such as revenue multipliers and assigning certain assets and liabilities to the reporting units, such as the respective working capital deficits of each entity and debt obligations that would need to be assumed by a market participant buyer in an orderly transaction. The Company calculated the carrying amounts of each reporting unit by utilizing the entities’ assets and liabilities at December 31, 2022, including the carrying value of the identifiable intangible assets and goodwill assigned to the respective reporting units.
Refer to Note 12 for the related developments with H&J.
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Convertible Instruments
U.S. GAAP requires companies to bifurcate conversion options from their host instruments and account for them as free standing derivative financial instruments according to certain criteria. The criteria include circumstances in which (a) the economic characteristics and risks of the embedded derivative instrument are not clearly and closely related to the economic characteristics and risks of the host contract, the hybrid instrument that embodies both the embedded derivative instrument and the host contract is not re-measured at fair value under otherwise applicable generally accepted accounting principles with changes in fair value reported in earnings as they occur and (c) a separate instrument with the same terms as the embedded derivative instrument would be considered a derivative instrument. An exception to this rule is when the host instrument is deemed to be conventional as that term is described under applicable U.S. GAAP.
When the Company has determined that the embedded conversion options should not be bifurcated from their host instruments, the Company records, when necessary, discounts to convertible notes for the intrinsic value of conversion options embedded in debt instruments based upon the differences between the fair value of the underlying common stock at the commitment date of the note transaction and the effective conversion price embedded in the note. Debt discounts under these arrangements are amortized over the term of the related debt to their stated date of redemption. The Company also records, when necessary, deemed dividends for the intrinsic value of conversion options embedded in preferred shares based upon the differences between the fair value of the underlying common stock at the commitment date of the transaction and the effective conversion price embedded in the preferred shares.
Accounting for Preferred Stock
ASC 480, Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity, includes standards for how an issuer of equity (including equity shares issued by consolidated entities) classifies and measures on its balance sheet certain financial instruments with characteristics of both liabilities and equity.
Management is required to determine the presentation for the preferred stock as a result of the redemption and conversion provisions, among other provisions in the agreement. Specifically, management is required to determine whether the embedded conversion feature in the preferred stock is clearly and closely related to the host instrument, and whether the bifurcation of the conversion feature is required and whether the conversion feature should be accounted for as a derivative instrument.
If the host instrument and conversion feature are determined to be clearly and closely related (both more akin to equity), derivative liability accounting under ASC 815, Derivatives and Hedging, is not required. Management determined that the host contract of the preferred stock is more akin to equity, and accordingly, liability accounting is not required by the Company. The Company has presented preferred stock within stockholders’ equity.
Costs incurred directly for the issuance of the preferred stock are recorded as a reduction of gross proceeds received by the Company, resulting in a discount to the preferred stock. The discount is not amortized.
Revenue Recognition
Revenues are recognized when performance obligations are satisfied through the transfer of promised goods to the Company’s customers. Control transfers upon shipment of product and when the title has been passed to the customers. This includes the transfer of legal title, physical possession, the risks and rewards of ownership, and customer acceptance. The Company provides the customer the right of return on the product and revenue is adjusted based on an estimate of the expected returns based on historical rates. The Company considers the sale of products as a single performance obligation. Sales tax collected from customers and remitted to taxing authorities is excluded from revenue and is included in accrued expenses. Revenue is deferred for orders received for which associated shipments have not occurred.
The reserve for returns totaled $ 307,725 and $ 33,933 as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively, and is included in accrued expenses and other liabilities in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets.
Cost of Revenues
Cost of revenues consists primarily of inventory sold and related freight-in. Cost of revenues includes direct labor pertaining to our inventory production activities and an allocation of overhead costs including rent and insurance. Cost of revenues also includes inventory write-offs and reserves.
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Shipping and Handling
The Company recognizes shipping and handling billed to customers as a component of net revenues, and the cost of shipping and handling as distribution costs. Total shipping and handling billed to customers as a component of net revenues was approximately $ 72,000 and $ 23,000 for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. Total shipping and handling costs included in distribution costs were approximately $ 525,000 and $ 423,000 , respectively.
Advertising and Promotion
Advertising and promotional costs are expensed as incurred. Advertising and promotional expense for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 amounted to approximately $ 1,178,000 and $ 240,000 , respectively. The amounts are included in sales and marketing expense.
General and Administrative
General and administrative expenses consist primarily of compensation and benefits costs, professional services and information technology. General and administrative expenses also include payment processing fees, design and warehousing fees.
Common Stock Purchase Warrants and Other Derivative Financial Instruments
The Company accounts for derivative instruments in accordance with ASC 815, which establishes accounting and reporting standards for derivative instruments and hedging activities, including certain derivative instruments embedded in other financial instruments or contracts and requires recognition of all derivatives on the balance sheet at fair value, regardless of hedging relationship designation. Accounting for changes in fair value of the derivative instruments depends on whether the derivatives qualify as hedging relationships and the types of relationships designated are based on the exposures hedged. At December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company did not have any derivative instruments that were designated as hedges.
Stock Option and Warrant Valuation
Stock option and warrant valuation models require the input of highly subjective assumptions. The fair value of stock-based payment awards was estimated using the Black-Scholes option model. For warrants and stock options issued to non- employees, the Company accounts for the expected life based on the contractual life of the warrants and stock options. For employees, the Company accounts for the expected life of options in accordance with the “simplified” method, which is used for “plain-vanilla” options, as defined in the accounting standards codification. The simplified method is based on the average of the vesting tranches and the contractual life of each grant. For stock price volatility, the Company uses comparable public companies as a basis for its expected volatility to calculate the fair value of options grants. The risk-free interest rate was determined from the implied yields of U.S. Treasury zero-coupon bonds with a remaining life consistent with the expected term of the options. The number of stock award forfeitures are recognized as incurred.
Stock-Based Compensation
The Company accounts for stock-based compensation costs under the provisions of ASC 718, Compensation — Stock Compensation, which requires the measurement and recognition of compensation expense related to the fair value of stock-based compensation awards that are ultimately expected to vest. Stock based compensation expense recognized includes the compensation cost for all stock-based payments granted to employees, officers, and directors based on the grant date fair value estimated in accordance with the provisions of ASC 718. ASC 718 is also applied to awards modified, repurchased, or cancelled during the periods reported. Stock-based compensation is recognized as an expense over the employee’s requisite vesting period and over the nonemployee’s period of providing goods or services.
The Company measures employee stock-based awards at grant-date fair value and recognizes employee compensation expense on a straight-line basis over the vesting period of the award. Determining the appropriate fair value of stock-based awards requires the input of subjective assumptions, including the fair value of the Company’s common stock, and for stock options, the expected life of the option, and expected stock price volatility. The Company used the Black-Scholes option pricing model to value its stock option awards. The assumptions used in calculating the fair value of stock-based awards represent management’s best estimates and involve inherent uncertainties and the application of management’s judgment. As a result, if factors change and management uses different assumptions, stock-based compensation expense could be materially different for future awards.
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Deferred Offering Costs
The Company complies with the requirements of ASC 340, Other Assets and Deferred Costs, with regards to offering costs. Prior to the completion of an offering, offering costs are capitalized. The deferred offering costs are charged to additional paid-in capital or as a discount to debt, as applicable, upon the completion of an offering or to expense if the offering is not completed. As of December 31, 2020, the Company had capitalized $ 214,647 in deferred offering costs. Upon completion of the IPO in May 2021, all capitalized deferred offering costs were charged to additional paid-in capital. As of December 31, 2021, the Company capitalized $ 367,696 in deferred offering costs pertaining to its equity line of credit agreement with Oasis (Note 8). In 2022, the Company wrote off these costs to general and administrative expenses in the consolidated statements of operations as the equity line of credit financing never occurred.
Segment Information
In accordance with ASC 280, Segment Reporting (“ASC 280”), we identify our operating segments according to how our business activities are managed and evaluated. As of December 31, 2022 our operating segments included: DSTLD, Bailey, H&J, Stateside and Sundry. Each operating segment currently reports to the Chief Executive Officer. Each of our brands serve or are expected to serve customers through our wholesale, in store and online channels, allowing us to execute on our omni-channel strategy. We have determined that each of our operating segments share similar economic and other qualitative characteristics, and therefore the results of our operating segments are aggregated into one reportable segment. All of the operating segments have met the aggregation criteria and have been aggregated and are presented as one reportable segment, as permitted by ASC 280. We continually monitor and review our segment reporting structure in accordance with authoritative guidance to determine whether any changes have occurred that would impact our reportable segments.
Income Taxes
The Company uses the liability method of accounting for income taxes as set forth in ASC 740, Income Taxes. Under the liability method, deferred taxes are determined based on the temporary differences between the financial statement and tax basis of assets and liabilities using tax rates expected to be in effect during the years in which the basis differences reverse. A valuation allowance is recorded when it is unlikely that the deferred tax assets will not be realized. We assess our income tax positions and record tax benefits for all years subject to examination based upon our evaluation of the facts, circumstances and information available at the reporting date. In accordance with ASC 740-10, for those tax positions where there is a greater than 50% likelihood that a tax benefit will be sustained, our policy will be to record the largest amount of tax benefit that is more likely than not to be realized upon ultimate settlement with a taxing authority that has full knowledge of all relevant information. For those income tax positions where there is less than 50% likelihood that a tax benefit will be sustained, no tax benefit will be recognized in the financial statements.
Net Loss per Share
Net earnings or loss per share is computed by dividing net income or loss by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding during the period, excluding shares subject to redemption or forfeiture. The Company presents basic and diluted net earnings or loss per share. Diluted net earnings or loss per share reflect the actual weighted average of common shares issued and outstanding during the period, adjusted for potentially dilutive securities outstanding. Potentially dilutive securities are excluded from the computation of the diluted net loss per share if their inclusion would be anti-dilutive. As all potentially dilutive securities are anti-dilutive as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, diluted net loss per share is the same as basic net loss per share for each year. Potentially dilutive items outstanding as of December 31, 2022 and 2021 are as follows:
December 31,
2022
2021
Convertible notes
947,867
47,912
Series A convertible preferred stock
108,000
—
Common stock warrants
4,418,320
35,801
Stock options
38,951
38,951
Total potentially dilutive shares
5,513,138
122,664
The potentially dilutive shares pertaining to the Company’s outstanding convertible notes were calculated based on the assumed conversion abilities as of December 31, 2022 and 2021. The ultimate number of shares for which the notes can convert into is indeterminable.
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The stock options and warrants above are out-of-the-money as of December 31, 2022 and 2021.
Concentrations
The Company utilized three and two vendors that made up 30 % and 40 %, respectively, of all inventory purchases during the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021. The loss of one of these vendors, may have a negative short-term impact on the Company’s operations; however, we believe there are acceptable substitute vendors that can be utilized longer-term.
Leases
On January 1, 2022, the Company adopted ASC 842, Leases , as amended, which supersedes the lease accounting guidance under Topic 840, and generally requires lessees to recognize operating and finance lease liabilities and corresponding right-of-use (ROU) assets on the balance sheet and to provide enhanced disclosures surrounding the amount, timing and uncertainty of cash flows arising from lease arrangements. The Company adopted the new guidance using a modified retrospective method. Under this method, the Company elected to apply the new accounting standard only to the most recent period presented, recognizing the cumulative effect of the accounting change, if any, as an adjustment to the beginning balance of retained earnings. Accordingly, prior periods have not been recast to reflect the new accounting standard. The cumulative effect of applying the provisions of ASC 842 had no material impact on accumulated deficit.
The Company elected transitional practical expedients for existing leases which eliminated the requirements to reassess existing lease classification, initial direct costs, and whether contracts contain leases. Also, the Company elected to present the payments associated with short-term leases as an expense in statements of operations. Short-term leases are leases with a lease term of 12 months or less.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
In February 2016, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2016-02: Leases (Topic 842). The new guidance generally requires an entity to recognize on its balance sheet operating and financing lease liabilities and corresponding right-of-use assets. The standard will be effective for the first interim period within annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2018 and early adoption is permitted. The new standard requires a modified retrospective transition for existing leases to each prior reporting period presented. The Company has elected to utilize the extended adoption period available to the Company as an emerging growth company and has not currently adopted this standard. This standard will be effective for the first interim period within annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2021. The Company has adopted ASU 2016-02 as of January 1, 2022. See Note 11.
Management does not believe that any other recently issued, but not yet effective, accounting standards could have a material effect on the accompanying financial statements. As new accounting pronouncements are issued, the Company will adopt those that are applicable under the circumstances.
NOTE 4: BUSINESS COMBINATIONS
2022 Acquisition
Sundry
On December 30, 2022, the Company completed its previously announced acquisition (the “ Sundry Acquisition”) of all of the issued and outstanding membership interests of Sunnyside, LLC, a California limited liability company (“Sundry”), pursuant to that certain Second Amended and Restated Membership Interest Purchase Agreement (the “ Sundry Agreement”), dated October 13, 2022, by and among Moise Emquies, George Levy, Matthieu Leblan and Carol Ann Emquies (“ Sundry Sellers”), George Levy as the Sundry Sellers’ representative, the Company as Buyer, and Sundry.
Pursuant to the Agreement, Sellers, as the holders of all of the outstanding membership interests of Sundry, exchanged all of such membership interests for (i) $ 7.5 million in cash, (ii) $ 5.5 million in promissory notes of the Company (the “Sundry Notes”), and (iii) a number of shares of common stock of the Company equal to $ 1.0 million (the “Sundry Shares”), calculated in accordance with the terms of the Agreement, which consideration was paid or delivered to the Sellers, Jenny Murphy and Elodie Crichi. Each Sundry Note bears
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interest at eight percent (8%) per annum and matured on February 15, 2023 (see Note 7). The Company issued 90,909 shares of common stock to the Sundry Sellers on December 30, 2022 at a fair value of $ 1,000,000 .
The Company evaluated the acquisition of Sundry pursuant to ASC 805 and ASU 2017-01, Topic 805, Business Combinations. The acquisition method of accounting requires, among other things, that the assets acquired and liabilities assumed in a business combination be measured at their estimated respective fair values as of the closing date of the acquisition. Goodwill recognized in connection with this transaction represents primarily the potential economic benefits that the Company believes may arise from the acquisition.
Total fair value of the purchase price consideration was determined as follows:
Cash
$
7,500,000
Promissory notes payable
5,500,000
Common stock
1,000,000
Purchase price consideration
$
14,000,000
The Company has made an allocation of the purchase price in regard to the acquisition related to the assets acquired and the liabilities assumed as of the purchase date. The following table summarizes the purchase price allocation:
Purchase Price
Allocation
Cash and cash equivalents
$
252,697
Accounts receivable, net
63,956
Due from factor, net
387,884
Inventory
2,941,755
Prepaid expenses and other current assets
32,629
Property, equipment and software, net
48,985
Goodwill
3,711,322
Intangible assets
7,403,800
Accounts payable
( 615,706 )
Accrued expenses and other liabilities
( 227,321 )
Purchase price consideration
$
14,000,000
The customer relationships and will be amortized on a straight-line basis over their estimated useful lives of three years . The brand name is indefinite-lived. The Company used the relief of royalty and income approach to estimate the fair value of intangible assets acquired.
Goodwill is primarily attributable to the go-to-market synergies that are expected to arise as a result of the acquisition and other intangible assets that do not qualify for separate recognition. The goodwill is not deductible for tax purposes. The results of Sundry have been included in the consolidated financial statements since the date of acquisition.
Previous Acquisitions
Bailey 44
On February 12, 2020, the Company acquired 100 % of the membership interests of Bailey. The purchase price consideration included (i) an aggregate of 20,754,717 shares of Series B Preferred Stock of the Company (the “Parent Stock”) and (ii) a promissory note in the principal amount of $ 4,500,000 . The total purchase price consideration was $ 15,500,000 .
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DBG agreed that if at that date which is one year from the closing date of the IPO, the product of the number of shares of Parent Stock issued under the Merger multiplied by the sum of the closing price per share of the common stock of the Company on such date, plus Sold Parent Stock Gross Proceeds (as that term is defined in the Merger Agreement), does not exceed the sum of $ 11,000,000 less the value of any Holdback Shares cancelled further to the indemnification provisions of the Merger Agreement, then the Company shall issue to the Holders pro rata an additional aggregate number of shares of common stock of the Company equal to the valuation shortfall at a per share price equal to the then closing price per share of the common stock of the Company.
As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company has a contingent consideration liability of $ 10,698,475 and $ 7,935,016 , respectively, based on the valuation shortfall as noted above. See Note 3.
Harper & Jones
On May 18, 2021, the Company closed its acquisition of H&J pursuant to its previously disclosed Membership Interest Stock Purchase Agreement (as amended, the “Purchase Agreement”) with D. Jones Tailored Collection, Ltd. (the “Seller”), to purchase 100 % of the issued and outstanding equity of Harper & Jones LLC. The purchase price consideration included (i) an aggregate of 2,192,771 shares of the Company’s common stock and (ii) $ 500,000 financed from the proceeds of the IPO.
Pursuant to the H&J Purchase Agreement, the Seller, as the holder of all of the outstanding membership interests of H&J, exchanged all of such membership interests for a number of common stock of the Company equal to the lesser of (i) $ 9.1 million at a per share price equal to the initial public offering price of the Company’s shares offered pursuant to its initial public offering or (ii) the number of Subject Acquisition Shares; “Subject Acquisition Shares” means the percentage of the aggregate number of shares of the Company’s common stock issued pursuant to the Agreement, which is the percentage that Subject Seller Dollar Value is in relation to Total Dollar Value. “Subject Seller Dollar Value” means $ 9.1 million. If, at the one year anniversary of the closing date of the Company’s IPO, the product of the number of shares of the Company’s common stock issued at the closing of the acquisition multiplied by the average closing price per share of the shares of the Company’s common stock as quoted on the NasdaqCM for the thirty ( 30 ) day trading period immediately preceding such date does not exceed the sum of $ 9.1 million less the value of any shares of the Company’s common stock cancelled further to any indemnification claims made against the Seller then the Company shall issue to Seller an additional aggregate number of shares of the Company’s common stock equal to the valuation shortfall at a per share price equal to the then closing price per share of the Company’s common stock as quoted on the NasdaqCM.
The Company evaluated the acquisition of H&J pursuant to ASC 805 and ASU 2017-01, Topic 805, Business Combinations. The acquisition method of accounting requires, among other things, that the assets acquired and liabilities assumed in a business combination be measured at their estimated respective fair values as of the closing date of the acquisition. Goodwill recognized in connection with this transaction represents primarily the potential economic benefits that the Company believes may arise from the acquisition.
Total fair value of the purchase price consideration was determined as follows:
Cash
$
500,000
Common stock
8,025,542
Contingent consideration
3,421,516
Purchase price consideration
$
11,947,058
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The Company has made an allocation of the purchase price in regard to the acquisition related to the assets acquired and the liabilities assumed as of the purchase date. The following table summarizes the purchase price allocation:
Purchase Price
Allocation
Cash and cash equivalents
$
24,335
Accounts receivable, net
49,472
Due from factor, net
—
Inventory
77,159
Prepaid expenses and other current assets
69,715
Property, equipment and software, net
83,986
Goodwill
9,681,548
Intangible assets
3,936,030
Accounts payable
( 51,927 )
Accrued expenses and other liabilities
( 107,957 )
Purchase price consideration
$
11,947,058
The customer relationships and will be amortized on a straight-line basis over their estimated useful lives of three years . The brand name is indefinite-lived. The Company used the relief of royalty approach to estimate the fair value of intangible assets acquired.
Goodwill is primarily attributable to the go-to-market synergies that are expected to arise as a result of the acquisition and other intangible assets that do not qualify for separate recognition. The goodwill is not deductible for tax purposes.
The Company recorded an initial contingent consideration liability at a fair value of $ 3,421,516 based on the valuation shortfall noted above. As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the H&J contingent consideration was valued at $ 1,400,000 and $ 4,244,460 , respectively. See Note 3.
The results of H&J have been included in the consolidated financial statements since the date of acquisition. H&J’s 2021 net revenue and net loss included in the consolidated financial statements since the acquisition date were approximately $ 1,860,000 and $ 390,000 , respectively.
Stateside
On August 30, 2021, the Company entered into a Membership Interest Purchase Agreement (the “MIPA”) with Moise Emquies pursuant to which the Company acquired all of the issued and outstanding membership interests of MOSBEST, LLC, a California limited liability company (“Stateside” and such transaction, the “Stateside Acquisition”). Pursuant to the MIPA, Moise Emquies, as the holder of all of the outstanding membership interests of Stateside, exchanged all of such membership interests for $ 5.0 million in cash and 1,101,538 shares of the Company’s common stock (the “Shares”), which number of Shares was calculated in accordance with the terms of the MIPA. Of such amount, $ 375,000 in cash and a number of Shares equal to $ 375,000 , or 82,615 shares (calculated in accordance with the terms of the MIPA), is held in escrow to secure any working capital adjustments and indemnification claims. The MIPA contains customary representations, warranties and covenants by Moise Emquies.
The Company evaluated the acquisition of Stateside pursuant to ASC 805 and ASU 2017-01, Topic 805, Business Combinations. The acquisition method of accounting requires, among other things, that the assets acquired and liabilities assumed in a business combination be measured at their estimated respective fair values as of the closing date of the acquisition. Goodwill recognized in connection with this transaction represents primarily the potential economic benefits that the Company believes may arise from the acquisition.
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Total fair value of the purchase price consideration was determined as follows:
Cash
$
5,000,000
Common stock
3,403,196
Purchase price consideration
$
8,403,196
The Company has made an allocation of the purchase price in regard to the acquisition related to the assets acquired and the liabilities assumed as of the purchase date. The following table summarizes the purchase price allocation:
Purchase Price
Allocation
Cash and cash equivalents
32,700
Accounts receivable, net
154,678
Due from factor, net
371,247
Inventory
603,625
Prepaid expenses and other current assets
7,970
Deposits
9,595
Property, equipment and software, net
—
Goodwill
2,104,056
Intangible assets
5,939,140
Accounts payable
( 374,443 )
Accrued expenses and other liabilities
( 445,372 )
$
8,403,196
The customer relationships and will be amortized on a straight-line basis over their estimated useful lives of three years . The brand name is indefinite-lived. The Company used the relief of royalty and income approach to estimate the fair value of intangible assets acquired.
Goodwill is primarily attributable to the go-to-market synergies that are expected to arise as a result of the acquisition and other intangible assets that do not qualify for separate recognition. The goodwill is not deductible for tax purposes.
Per the terms of the MIPA, a working capital adjustment of $ 493,791 was recorded during the fourth quarter. Net amounts due to the seller are $ 396,320 at December 31, 2021 (Note 7).
The results of Stateside have been included in the consolidated financial statements since the date of acquisition. Stateside’s 2021 net revenue and net loss included in the consolidated financial statements since the acquisition date were approximately $ 1,695,000 and $ 285,000 , respectively.
Unaudited Pro Forma Financial Information
The following unaudited pro forma financial information presents the Company’s financial results as if the Bailey, H&J, Stateside and Sundry acquisitions had occurred as of January 1, 2021. The unaudited pro forma financial information is not necessarily indicative of what the financial results actually would have been had the acquisitions been completed on this date. In addition, the unaudited pro forma financial information is not indicative of, nor does it purport to project, the Company’s future financial results. The following unaudited pro forma financial information includes incremental property and equipment depreciation and intangible asset amortization as a result of the acquisitions. The unaudited pro forma information does not give effect to any estimated and potential cost savings or other operating efficiencies that could result from the acquisition:
Year Ended
December 31,
2022
2021
Net revenues
$
28,519,261
$
34,635,426
Net loss
$
( 42,001,415 )
$
( 33,171,473 )
Net loss per common share
$
( 54.46 )
$
( 434.81 )
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NOTE 5: DUE FROM FACTOR
The Company, via its subsidiaries, Bailey, Stateside and Sundry, assigns a portion of its trade accounts receivable to third- party factoring companies, who assumes the credit risk with respect to the collection of non-recourse accounts receivable. The Company may request advances on the net sales factored at any time before their maturity date, and up to 50 % of eligible finished goods inventories based on the terms of one of our agreements that terminated in 2021. The factor charges a commission on the net sales factored for credit and collection services. For one factoring company, interest on advances is charged as of the last day of each month at a rate equal to the LIBOR rate plus 2.5 % for Bailey. For Stateside and Sundry, should total commission and fees payable be less than $ 30,000 in a single year, then the factor shall charge the difference between the actual fees in said year and $ 30,000 to the Company. Interest on advances is charged as of the last day of each month at a rate equal to the greater of either, (a) the Chase Prime Rate + ( 2.0 )% or (b) ( 4.0 )% per annum. For another factoring company, interest is charged at one-thirty- third (1/33) of one percent per day, such rate to increase or decrease in accordance with changes in the “Prime Rate”, which such prime rate to be deemed to be 4.25 % on the date of the agreement.
Advances are collateralized by a security interest in substantially all of the companies’ assets.
Due to/from factor consist of the following:
December 31,
2022
2021
Outstanding receivables:
Without recourse
$
564,548
$
579,295
With recourse
352,379
361,584
Advances
118,521
121,617
Credits due customers
( 196,048 )
( 77,208 )
$
839,400
$
985,288
NOTE 6: GOODWILL AND INTANGIBLE ASSETS
Goodwill
The Company recorded goodwill from each of its business combinations. The following is a summary of goodwill by entity for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021:
Bailey
Harper & Jones
Stateside
Sundry
Total
Balances at December 31, 2020
$
6,479,218
$
—
$
—
$
—
$
6,479,218
Business combinations
—
9,681,548
2,104,056
—
11,785,604
Impairment
—
—
—
—
—
Balances at December 31, 2021
6,479,218
9,681,548
2,104,056
—
18,264,822
Business combination
—
—
—
3,711,322
3,711,322
Impairment
( 3,321,095 )
( 8,551,237 )
—
—
( 11,872,332 )
Balances at December 31, 2022
$
3,158,123
$
1,130,311
$
2,104,056
$
3,711,322
$
10,103,812
Refer to Note 3 for discussion on the goodwill impairment recorded in 2022.
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Intangible Assets
The following table summarizes information relating to the Company’s identifiable intangible assets as of December 31, 2022 and 2021:
Gross
Accumulated
Carrying
December 31, 2022
Amount
Amortization
Value
Amortized:
Customer relationships
$
11,452,230
( 3,600,607 )
$
7,851,623
11,452,230
( 3,600,607 )
7,851,623
Indefinite-lived:
Brand name
$
6,575,880
—
6,575,880
$
18,028,110
$
( 3,600,607 )
$
14,427,503
Gross
Accumulated
Carrying
December 31, 2021
Amount
Amortization
Value
Amortized:
Customer relationships
$
6,453,750
( 1,449,357 )
$
5,004,393
6,453,750
( 1,449,357 )
5,004,393
Indefinite-lived:
Brand name
$
7,836,920
—
7,836,920
$
14,290,670
$
( 1,449,357 )
$
12,841,313
Due to the effects of COVID-19 and revenue levels not recovering as quickly as anticipated and related uncertainty which affected Bailey’s results and near-term demand for its products, the Company determined that there were indications for further impairment analysis in both 2022 and 2021. Due to Harper’s revenue levels lower as compared to initial projects, the Company determined that there were indications for further impairment analysis in 2022. Refer to Note 3 for discussion on the intangible asset impairment recorded in 2022 and 2021.
Management determined circumstances existed that indicated the carrying value may not be recoverable. The impairment analysis was based on the relief from royalty method using projected revenue estimates and discounts rates believed to be appropriate. Fair value determinations require considerable judgment and are sensitive to changes in underlying assumptions, estimates and market factors. The discount rate, revenue assumptions and terminal growth rate of our reporting unit were the material assumptions utilized in the model used to estimate the fair value of the Bailey unit. The analysis requires estimates, assumptions and judgments about future events. Our analysis uses our internally generated long-range plan. The long-range plan reflects management judgment, which includes observation of expected industry trends.
The Company recorded amortization expense of $ 2,151,250 and $ 1,128,524 during the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively, which is included in general and administrative expenses in the consolidated statements of operations.
Future amortization expense at December 31, 2022 is as follows:
Year Ending December 31,
2023
3,496,577
2024
2,688,886
2025
1,666,160
$
7,851,623
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NOTE 7: LIABILITIES AND DEBT
Accrued Expenses and Other Liabilities
The Company accrued expenses and other liabilities line in the consolidated balance sheets is comprised of the following as of December 31, 2022 and 2021:
December 31,
2022
2021
Accrued expenses
$
705,135
$
213,740
Reserve for returns
307,725
33,933
Payroll related liabilities
2,974,361
1,204,665
Sales tax liability
339,843
268,723
Due to seller
—
396,320
Other liabilities
130,050
119,764
$
4,457,115
$
2,237,145
As of December 31, 2022, payroll liabilities included an aggregate of $ 1,074,316 in payroll taxes due to remit to federal and state authorities. Of this amount, $ 539,839 pertained to DBG and $ 534,477 pertained to Bailey44. The amounts are subject to further penalties and interest.
As of December 31, 2022, accrued expenses included $ 535,000 in accrued common stock issuances pursuant to an advisory agreement for services performed in 2022. The 5,000 shares of common stock owed per the agreement are expected to be issued in the second quarter of 2023.
Due to seller represents amounts to the seller owed pursuant the Stateside Acquisition after certain purchase price adjustments were made in the fourth quarter of 2021, and repaid in 2022.
Venture Debt
As of December 31, 2021, the gross loan balance with Black Oak Capital (“Black Oak”) pertaining to its senior credit agreement was $ 6,001,755 . In February 2022, the Company received $ 237,500 in proceeds, including loan fees of $ 12,500 , from the existing venture debt lender under the same terms as the existing facility.
On September 29, 2022, the Company and Black Oak executed a Securities Purchase Agreement (the “Black Oak SPA”) whereby the Company issued 6,300 shares of Series A Convertible Preferred Stock to Black Oak for $1,000 per share (see Note 7). The shares were issued pursuant to the conversion of Black Oak’s entire principal amount of $ 6,251,755 , and the Company recorded $ 48,245 in interest as part of the conversion. Pursuant to the Black Oak SPA, all accrued interest remaining outstanding. Accrued interest was $ 269,880 as of December 31, 2022.
For the year ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, $ 12,500 and $ 147,389 of loan fees and discounts from warrants were amortized to interest expense, leaving unamortized balance of $ 0 as of December 31 2022. Interest expense was $ 573,455 and $ 825,219 for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively.
Convertible Debt
2020 Regulation CF Offering
During the year ended December 31, 2020, the Company received gross proceeds of $ 450,308 from a Regulation CF convertible debt offering. In 2021, the Company received additional gross proceeds of $ 473,650 . Interest was 6 % per annum and the debt was due October 30, 2022. Upon closing of the IPO, the outstanding principal and accrued and unpaid interest of $ 16,942 was converted into 319,661 shares of common stock based on the terms of the notes. Total issuances costs were $ 69,627 , which was recognized as a debt discount and was amortized in 2021 through the date of IPO when such debt converted. During the year ended December 31, 2021, $ 27,894 of the debt discount was amortized to interest expense.
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Concurrently with the offering above, in 2021 and 2020 the Company received gross proceeds of $ 55,000 and $ 800,000 , respectively, from a Regulation D convertible debt offering. The debt accrued interest at a rate of 14 % per annum with a maturity date of nine months from the date of issuance. In addition, the Company issued 5 warrants to purchase common stock in connection with the notes. The issuance costs and warrants are recognized as a debt discount and were amortized in 2021 through the date of IPO when such debt converted. The fair value of the warrants was determined to be negligible.
Upon closing of the IPO, $ 755,000 in outstanding principal and approximately $ 185,000 of the accrued and unpaid interest was converted into 4,534 shares of common stock. As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, there was $ 100,000 remaining in outstanding principal that was not converted into equity (see table below).
During the year ended December 31, 2021, $ 100,000 of the debt discount was amortized to interest expense. The Company recorded an additional $ 132,609 in default interest expense upon conversion of these notes.
2019 Regulation D Offering
For the year ended December 31, 2019, the Company received gross proceeds of $ 799,280 from a Regulation D convertible debt offering. The debt accrued interest at a rate of 12 % per annum with a maturity date of thirty-six months from the date of issuance. The debt was contingently convertible and contained both automatic and optional conversions.
Upon closing of the IPO, the outstanding principal was converted into 3,621 shares of common stock.
Convertible Promissory Notes
2021 Notes
On August 27, 2021, the Company entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement with Oasis Capital, LLC (“Oasis Capital”) further to which Oasis Capital purchased a senior secured convertible note (the “Oasis Note”), with an interest rate of 6 % per annum, having a face value of $ 5,265,000 for a total purchase price of $ 5,000,000 , secured by all assets of the Company.
The Oasis Note, in the principal amount of $ 5,265,000 , bears interest at 6 % per annum and is due and payable 18 months from the date of issuance, unless sooner converted. The Oasis Note is convertible at the option of Oasis Capital into shares of the Company’s common stock at a conversion price (the “ Oasis Conversion Price”) which is the lesser of (i) $ 3.601 , and (ii) 90 % of the average of the two lowest volumed weighted average prices (“VWAPs’) during the five consecutive trading day period preceding the delivery of the notice of conversion. Oasis Capital is not permitted to submit conversion notices in any thirty day period having conversion amounts equaling, in the aggregate, in excess of $ 500,000 . If the Oasis Conversion Price set forth in any conversion notice is less than $ 300 per share, the Company, at its sole option, may elect to pay the applicable conversion amount in cash rather than issue shares of its common stock.
On October 1, 2021, the Company entered into an Amended and Restated Securities Purchase Agreement with FirstFire Global Opportunities Fund, LLC (“FirstFire”) and Oasis Capital further to which FirstFire purchased a Senior Secured Convertible Promissory Note (the “First FirstFire Note”), with an interest rate of 6 % per annum, having a face value of $ 1,575,000 for a total purchase price of $ 1,500,000 , secured by all assets of the Company.
The First FirstFire Note, in the principal amount of $ 1,575,000 , bears interest at 6 % per annum and is due and payable 18 months from the date of issuance, unless sooner converted. The First FirstFire Note is convertible at the option of FirstFire into shares of the Company’s common stock at a conversion price (the “First FirstFire Conversion Price”) which is the lesser of (i) $ 395.20 , and (ii) 90 % of the average of the two lowest volume-weighted average prices during the five consecutive trading day period preceding the delivery of the notice of conversion.
On November 16, 2021, the Company entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement with FirstFire further to which FirstFire purchased a Senior Secured Convertible Promissory Note (the “Second FirstFire Note” and together with the First FirstFire Note, the “FirstFire Notes”), with an interest rate of 6 % per annum, having a face value of $ 2,625,000 for a total purchase price of $ 2,500,000 .
The Second FirstFire Note is convertible at the option of FirstFire into shares of the Company’s common stock at a conversion price (the “Second FirstFire Conversion Price”) which is the lesser of (i) $ 428 , and (ii) 90 % of the average of the two lowest volume-weighted average prices during the five consecutive trading day period preceding the delivery of the notice of conversion.
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The Company evaluated the terms of the conversion features of the Oasis and FirstFire Notes as noted above in accordance with ASC Topic No. 815 - 40, Derivatives and Hedging - Contracts in Entity’s Own Stock, and determined they are not indexed to the Company’s common stock and that the conversion features meet the definition of a liability. The notes contain an indeterminate number of shares to settle with conversion options outside of the Company’s control. Therefore, the Company bifurcated the conversion feature and accounted for it as a separate derivative liability. Upon issuance of the Oasis and FirstFire Notes, the Company recognized a derivative liability at an aggregate fair value of $ 3,204,924 , which is recorded as a debt discount and was amortized over the life of the notes.
The original issue discount and issuance costs for the Oasis and FirstFire Notes totaled $ 1,560,000 , which were recognized as a debt discount and was amortized over the life of the notes.
As of December 31, 2021, the outstanding principal of the FirstFire and Oasis Notes was $ 9,465,000 . During the year ended December 31, 2022, the Company fully converted the outstanding principal of $ 9,465,000 and accrued interest of $ 533,242 into an aggregate of 1,995,183 shares of commons stock. The Company recorded an additional $ 484,904 in interest expense as a result of the conversions. As a result of the conversions, all terms and conditions under the notes were met and no further obligations exist.
2022 Notes
On April 8, 2022, the Company and various purchasers executed a Securities Purchase Agreement (“April Notes”) whereby the investors purchased from the Company convertible promissory notes in the aggregate principal amount of $ 3,068,750 , consisting of original issue discount of $ 613,750 . The Company received net proceeds of $ 2,313,750 after the original issue discount and fees, resulting in a debt discount of $ 755,000 . Upon the Company’s public offering in May 2022 (see below), the Company repaid $ 3,068,750 to the investors and the debt discount was fully amortized.
In connection with the April Notes, the Company issued an aggregate of 12,577 warrants to purchase common stock at an exercise price of $ 122 per share. The Company recognized $ 98,241 as a debt discount for the fair value of the warrants using the Black-Scholes option model, which was fully amortized upon the notes’ repayment in May.
On July 22 and July 28, 2022, the Company and various purchasers executed a Securities Purchase Agreement (“July Notes”) whereby the investors purchased from the Company convertible promissory notes in the aggregate principal amount of $ 1,875,000 , consisting of original issue discount of $ 375,000 . The Company received net proceeds of $ 1,450,000 after the original issue discount and fees.
In connection with the July 22 and July 28 notes, the Company issued an aggregate of 41,124 and 27,655 warrants to purchase common stock at an exercise price of $ 15.20 and $ 11.30 per share, respectively. The Company recognized $ 692,299 as a debt discount for the fair value of the warrants using the Black-Scholes option model, which will be amortized to interest expense over the life of the notes.
If the July Notes are not repaid in full by the maturity date or if any other event of default occurs, (1) the face value of the notes will be automatically increased to 120 %; (2) the notes will begin generating an annual interest rate of 20 %, which will be paid in cash monthly until the default is cured; and (3) if such default continues for 14 or more calendar days, at the Investors’ discretion, the notes shall become convertible at the option of the investors into shares of the Company’s common stock at a conversion price equal to the closing price of the Company’s common stock on the on the date of the note conversion.
The Company evaluated the terms of the conversion features of the July notes as noted above in accordance with ASC Topic No. 815 — 40, Derivatives and Hedging — Contracts in Entity’s Own Stock , and determined they are not indexed to the Company’s common stock and that the conversion features meet the definition of a liability. The notes contain an indeterminate number of shares to settle with conversion options outside of the Company’s control. Therefore, the Company bifurcated the conversion feature and accounted for it as a separate derivative liability. Upon issuance of the July, the Company recognized a derivative liability at an aggregate fair value of $ 559,957 , which was recorded as a debt discount and will amortized over the life of the notes.
In December 2022, the Company fully repaid the outstanding principal of $ 1,875,000 pertaining to the July 22 and 28 notes, as well as an additional $ 416,923 due to the default provisions noted above. This amount was included in interest expense in the consolidated statements of operations.
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On December 29, 2022, the Company and various purchasers executed a Securities Purchase Agreement (“December Notes”) whereby the investors purchased from the Company convertible promissory notes in the aggregate principal amount of $ 4,000,000 , consisting of original issue discount of $ 800,000 . The Company received net proceeds of $ 3,000,000 . The December Notes were due and payable on February 15, 2023. If the December Notes are not repaid in full by the maturity date or if any other event of default occurs, (1) the face value of the December Notes will be automatically increased to 120 %; (2) the Notes will begin generating an annual interest rate of 20 %, which will be paid in cash monthly until the default is cured; and (3) if such default continues for 14 or more calendar days, at the investors’ discretion, the December Notes shall become convertible at the option of the investors into shares of the Company’s common stock at a conversion price equal to the closing price of the Company’s common stock on the date of the note conversion. The December Notes were fully repaid in February 2023.
In connection with the December Notes, the Company issued to the investors an aggregate of 469,480 warrants to purchase common stock at an exercise price equal to $ 4.26 , and 60,000 shares of common stock. The Company recognized $ 428,200 as a debt discount for the fair value of the warrants and common shares using the Black-Scholes option model, which will be amortized to interest expense over the life of the notes.
The following is a summary of the convertible notes for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021:
Unamortized
Convertible Note
Principal
Debt Discount
Payable, Net
Balance, December 31, 2020
$
100,000
$
—
$
100,000
Issuance of Oasis note, net of issuance costs
5,265,000
( 715,000 )
4,550,000
Issuance of FirstFire First note, net of issuance costs
1,575,000
( 315,000 )
1,260,000
Issuance of Second FirstFire note, net of issuance costs
2,625,000
( 530,000 )
2,095,000
Derivative liability in connection with notes
—
( 3,204,924 )
( 3,204,924 )
Amortization of debt discount
—
801,538
801,538
Balance, December 31, 2021
9,565,000
( 3,963,386 )
5,601,614
Proceeds from issuance of notes
8,943,750
( 1,992,500 )
6,951,250
Repayments of notes
( 4,943,750 )
—
( 4,943,750 )
Conversion of notes into common stock
( 9,465,000 )
—
( 9,465,000 )
Warrant and common shares issued with convertible notes
—
( 1,368,741 )
( 1,368,741 )
Derivative liability in connection with notes
—
( 559,957 )
( 559,957 )
Amortization of debt discount
—
6,506,384
6,506,384
Balance, December 31, 2022
$
4,100,000
$
( 1,378,200 )
$
2,721,800
As of December 31, 2022, the December Notes remained outstanding with a principal of $ 4,000,000 and unamortized debt discount of $ 1,278,200 , consisting of the original issue discount, $ 50,000 in other financing fees, and the fair value of warrants and shares. The December Notes were fully repaid in February 2023 (see Note 14).
During the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company amortized $ 6,506,384 and $ 801,538 , respectively of debt discount to interest expense pertaining to all convertible notes. As of December 31, 2022, there was no remaining derivative liability outstanding pertaining to any convertible notes.
Loan Payable — PPP and SBA Loan
In December 2021, the Company received notification that both its PPP Loans of $ 203,994 and $ 204,000 were approved for full forgiveness. As such, $ 407,994 was recorded as other non-operating income in the consolidated financial statements.
In April 2022, Bailey received notification of full forgiveness of its 2 nd PPP Loan totaling $ 1,347,050 and partial forgiveness of its 1 st PPP Loan totaling $ 413,705 . As of December 31, 2022, Bailey had an outstanding PPP Loan balance of $ 933,295 and matures in 2026.
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As of December 31, 2022, the Company and H&J had outstanding loans under the EIDL program of $ 150,000 and $ 147,438 , respectively. The EIDL Loans mature in thirty years from the effective date of the Loan and has a fixed interest rate of 3.75 % per annum.
Loan Payable
In May 2021, H&J entered into a loan payable with a bank and received proceeds of $ 75,000 . The line bears interest at 7.76 % and matures in December 2025. As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the outstanding balance was $ 73,187 and $ 72,269 , respectively.
In December 2021, H&J entered into a merchant advance loan for a principal amount of $ 153,860 and received proceeds of $ 140,000 . The loan bears interest at 9.9 % and matures in June 2023. As of December 31, 2021, the outstanding balance was $ 149,962 .
Note Payable – Related Party
As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, H&J had an outstanding note payable of $ 129,489 and $ 299,489 , respectively owned by the H&J Seller. The note matured in July 2022 and bears interest at 12 % per annum.
Merchant Advances
In 2022 and 2021, H&J entered into merchant advance loans for proceeds of $ 147,267 and $ 140,000 , respectively. The loan bears interest at 9.9 % per annum. As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the outstanding principal of the loans was $ 63,433 and $ 149,962 , respectively. The outstanding loan at December 31, 2022 matures in November 2023.
In 2022, the Company obtained several merchant advances for net proceeds of $ 1,335,360 to fund operations. These advances are, for the most part, secured by expected future sales transactions of the Company with expected payments on a weekly basis. During 2022, the Company made repayments totaling $ 1,078,385 and $ 896,334 remained outstanding, which is expected to be repaid in 2023. As of the date of these financial statements, the Company was in compliance with these covenants.
Promissory Note Payable
As noted in Note 4, the Company issued a promissory note in the principal amount of $ 4,500,000 to the Bailey Holders pursuant to the Bailey acquisition. Upon the IPO closing in May 2021, the Company repaid $ 1,000,000 of the outstanding principal on this note in May 2021. In August 2021, the maturity date was further extended to December 31, 2022. The Company is required to make prepayments of $ 2,000,000 to $ 4,000,000 if the Company completes a secondary public offering. If a public offering is not consummated before October 31, 2021 and June 30, 2022, the Company shall repay 10 % of the outstanding principal at each date. The Company did not make any payments in October 2021, and the Company and the lender agreed to defer these payments to the maturity date of the loan, December 31, 2022. As of the date of these financial statements, the parties are undergoing an extension of the maturity date, but is in technical default.
The note incurs interest at 12 % per annum. As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, $ 3,500,000 remained outstanding.
Interest expense was $ 420,000 and $ 494,000 for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively, all of which was accrued and unpaid as of December 31, 2022.
In April 2021, the Company entered into a promissory note in the principal amount of $ 1,000,000 . The Company received $ 810,000 in proceeds, net of issuance costs and original issue discount. Additionally, the Company issued 1,205 warrants to the lender, which was recorded as a debt discount at the time of the loan. The fair value of the warrants and shares recorded as a debt discount was $ 73,958 . Upon the closing of the IPO, the note was repaid in full. The entire debt discount of $ 263,958 was amortized to interest expense upon repayment of the note.
As noted in Note 4, the Company issued a promissory note in the principal amount of $ 5,500,000 to the Sundry Holders pursuant to the Sundry acquisition. The note bears interest at 8 % per annum and matures on February 15, 2023. In February 2023, the parties verbally agreed to extend the maturity date to December 31, 2023.
NOTE 8: STOCKHOLDERS’ DEFICIT
Amendments to Articles of Incorporation
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On October 13, 2022, the Company amended its Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation to increase to increase the number of authorized shares of the Company’s common stock from 200,000,000 to 1,000,000,000 , and in conjunction therewith, to increase the aggregate number of authorized shares to 1,010,000,000 shares.
On October 21, 2022, the Board of Directors approved a one -for-100 reverse stock split of its issued and outstanding shares of common stock and a proportional adjustment to the existing conversion ratios for each series of the Company’s preferred stock. The reverse stock split became effective as of November 3, 2022. Accordingly, all share and per share amounts for all periods presented in the accompanying consolidated financial statements and notes thereto have been adjusted retroactively, where applicable, to reflect this reverse stock split and adjustment of the preferred stock conversion ratios.
On May 18, 2021, the Company filed a Sixth Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (the “Restated Certificate”) with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware in connection with the Company’s IPO. The Company’s board of directors and stockholders previously approved the Restated Certificate to be effective immediately prior to the closing of the IPO.
The Restated Certificate amends and restates the Company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation, as amended, in its entirety to, among other things: (i) increase the authorized number of shares of common stock to 200,000,000 shares; (ii) authorize 10,000,000 shares of preferred stock that may be issued from time to time by the Company’s board of directors in one or more series; (iii) provide that directors may be removed from office only for cause by the affirmative vote of the holders of at least 66 2/3% in voting power of the Company’s outstanding capital stock then entitled to vote in an election of directors; (iv) eliminate the ability of the Company’s stockholders to take action by written consent in lieu of a meeting; and (v) designate the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware to be the sole and exclusive forum for certain legal actions and proceedings against the Company.
The Restated Certificate also effected a 1 -for-15.625 reverse stock split approved by the Company’s Board of Directors as described above.
Series A Preferred Stock
On August 31, 2022, the Company entered into a Subscription and Investment Representation Agreement with Hil Davis, its Chief Executive Officer, pursuant to which the Company agreed to issue 1 share of the Company’s Series A Preferred Stock to for $ 25,000 . The issuance of the preferred stock reduced the due to related party balance. The share of Series A Preferred Stock had 250,000,000 votes per share and voted together with the outstanding shares of the Company’s common stock as a single class exclusively with respect to any proposals to amend the Certificate of Incorporation to effect a reverse stock split of the Company’s common stock and to increase the authorized number of shares of the Company’s common stock. The terms of the Series A Preferred Stock provided that the outstanding share of Series A Preferred Stock would be redeemed in whole, but not in part, at any time: (i) if such redemption is ordered by the Board of Directors in its sole discretion or (ii) automatically upon the approval of Proposals 2 and 6 presented at the Company’s 2022 annual shareholders meeting. Following conclusion of the shareholders meeting, such share of the Company’s Series A Preferred Stock was redeemed. On October 13, 2022, the outstanding share of the Company’s Series A Preferred Stock was redeemed for $ 25,000 .
Series A Convertible Preferred Stock
On September 29, 2022, the Company filed the Certificate of Designation designating up to 6,800 shares out of the authorized but unissued shares of its preferred stock as Series A Convertible Preferred Stock.
Except for stock dividends or distributions for which adjustments are to be made pursuant to the Certificate of Designation, the holders of the Series A Preferred Stock (the “Holders”) shall be entitled to receive, and the Company shall pay, dividends on shares of the Series A Preferred Stock equal (on an as-if-converted-to-Common-Stock basis) to and in the same form as dividends actually paid on shares of the Common Stock when, as and if such dividends are paid on shares of the Common Stock. No other dividends shall be paid on shares of the Series A Preferred Stock.
With respect to any vote with the class of Common Stock, each share of the Series A Preferred Stock shall entitle the Holder thereof to cast that number of votes per share as is equal to the number of shares of Common Stock into which it is then convertible.
The Series A Preferred Stock shall rank (i) senior to all of the Common Stock; (ii) senior to any class or series of capital stock of the Company hereafter created specifically ranking by its terms junior to any Preferred Stock (“Junior Securities”); (iii) on parity with any class or series of capital stock of the Corporation created specifically ranking by its terms on parity with the Preferred Stock (“Parity
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Securities”); and (iv) junior to any class or series of capital stock of the Company hereafter created specifically ranking by its terms senior to any Preferred Stock (“Senior Securities”), in each case, as to dividends or distributions of assets upon liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Company, whether voluntarily or involuntarily.
Each share of the Series A Preferred Stock shall be convertible, at any time and from time to time from and after September 29, 2022 at the option of the Holder thereof, into that number of shares of Common Stock determined by dividing the Stated Value of such share of the Series A Preferred Stock ($ 1,000 as of September 29, 2022) by the Conversion Price. The conversion price for each share of the Series A Preferred Stock is the closing price of the Common Stock on September 29, 2022, which was $ 9.30 .
Common Stock
The Company had 1,000,000,000 shares of common stock authorized with a par value of $ 0.0001 as of December 31, 2022.
Common stockholders have voting rights of one vote per share . The voting, dividend, and liquidation rights of the holders of common stock are subject to and qualified by the rights, powers, and preferences of preferred stockholders.
2022 Transactions
During the year ended December 31, 2022, the Company issued an aggregate of 1,995,183 shares of common stock pursuant to the conversion of the FirstFire and Oasis Notes (see Note 7).
In September 2022, the Company issued 750 shares of common stock pursuant to a consultant agreement at a fair value of $ 123,000 .
As part of the Sundry acquisition (see Note 4), the Company issued 90,909 shares of common stock to the Sundry Sellers at a fair value of $ 1,000,000 .
In connection with the December Notes, the Company issued 60,000 shares of common stock with a fair value of $ 264,000 .
Underwriting Agreements and Public Offerings
On May 5, 2022, the Company entered into an underwriting agreement (the “Alexander Underwriting Agreement”) with Alexander Capital, L.P., acting as representative of the several underwriters named in the Alexander Underwriting Agreement (the “ Alexander Underwriters”), relating to the Company’s underwritten the offering pursuant to which the Company agreed to issue and sell 373,898 shares of the Company’s common stock. The shares were sold to the public at a combined public offering price of $ 25 per share and were purchased by the Underwriters from the Company at a price of $ 23 per share. The Company also granted the Alexander Underwriters a 45-day option to purchase up to an additional 56,085 shares of Common Stock at the same price, which expired and were not purchased.
The shares were sold in the Offering pursuant to a Registration Statement on Form S-1, as amended (File No. 333-264347) (the “Registration Statement”), a Registration Statement on Form S-1 pursuant to 462(b) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (File No. 333-264775), and a related prospectus filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The public offering closed on May 10, 2022 and the Company sold 373,898 shares of common stock for total gross proceeds of $ 9.3 million. The Company received net proceeds of $ 8.1 million after deducting underwriters’ discounts and commissions of $ 0.7 million and direct offering expenses of $ 0.5 million.
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On November 29, 2022, the Company, entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement with investors pursuant to which the Company agreed to issue and sell, in an offering (i) an aggregate of 168,000 shares (the “Shares”) of the Company’s common stock, and accompanying Class B Warrants (the “Class B Warrants”) to purchase 168,000 shares of common stock and accompanying Class C Warrants (the “Class C Warrants”) to purchase 168,000 shares of Common Stock, at a combined public offering price of $ 5.50 per share and Class B Warrant and Class C Warrant, and (ii) 1,650,181 pre-funded warrants (the “Pre-Funded Warrants” and together with the Class B Warrants and the Class C Warrants, the “Warrants” and together with the Shares and the shares of common stock underlying the Warrants, the “Securities”) exercisable for 1,650,181 shares of Common Stock, and accompanying Class B Warrants to purchase 1,650,181 shares of Common Stock and Class C Warrants to purchase 1,650,181 shares of Common Stock, at a combined public offering price of $ 5.50 , less the exercise price of $ 0.0001 , per Pre-Funded Warrant and accompanying Class B Warrant and Class C Warrant, to the Investors, for aggregate gross proceeds from the offering of approximately $ 10 million before deducting placement agent fees and related offering expenses. As a result of the transaction, the Company issued 1,818,181 shares of common stock, including the 168,000 shares and the immediate exercise of 1,650,181 pre-funded warrants, for gross proceeds of $ 10.0 million. The Company received net proceeds of $ 9.0 million after deducting placement agent fees and offering expenses.
2021 Transactions
On May 13, 2021, the Company’s registration statement on Form S-1 relating to the IPO was declared effective by the SEC. In the IPO, which closed on May 18, 2021, the Company issued and sold 24,096 shares of common stock at a public offering price of $ 415 per share. Additionally, the Company issued warrants to purchase 27,771 shares, which includes 3,614 warrants sold upon the partial exercise of the over-allotment option. The aggregate net proceeds to the Company from the were $ 8.6 million after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions of $ 0.8 million and direct offering expenses of $ 0.6 million.
Upon the closing of the Company’s IPO on May 18, 2021, all then-outstanding shares of Preferred Stock converted into an aggregate of 40,272 shares of common stock according to their terms.
Upon closing of the Company’s IPO, the Company converted outstanding principal totaling $ 2,680,289 and certain accrued and unpaid interest of the Company’s convertible debt into an aggregate of 11,352 shares of common stock. See Note 7.
Upon closing of the Company’s IPO, certain officers and directors converted balances due totaling $ 257,515 into 1,524 shares of common stock and recorded $ 233,184 in compensation expense for the shares issued in excess of accrued balances owed.
In connection with the H&J and Stateside acquisitions, the Company issued 21,928 and 11,015 shares of common stock to the respective sellers. See Note 4.
Pursuant to a consulting agreement, the Company issued 500 shares of common stock with a guaranteed equity value of $ 250,000 . In connection with the agreement, the Company recorded a contingent consideration liability of $ 67,000 . See Note 3. An additional 415 shares were issued upon settlement of the contingent liability.
In May 2021, an aggregate of 319 warrants were exercised for shares of common stock for proceeds of $ 145,696 . In July 2021, warrant holders exercised 3,550 warrants for proceeds of $ 1,622,350 .
On June 28, 2021, the Company’s underwriters purchased 3,614 shares of common stock at a public offering price of $ 415 per share pursuant to the exercise of the remaining portion of their over-allotment option. The Company received net proceeds of approximately $ 1.4 million after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions of $ 0.1 million.
In connection with the execution of the Oasis Capital EPA, the Company issued Oasis Capital 1,264 shares of common stock (the “Commitment Shares”). Upon nine months from the Execution Date, Oasis may return a portion of the Commitment Shares. As of December 31, 2021, the Company recorded the fair value of the Commitment Shares of $ 367,696 as deferred offering costs as no financings under the related EPA have occurred.
In connection with the Second FirstFire Note, in November 2021 the Company issued (a) 300 additional shares of common stock to FirstFire and (b) 1,000 additional shares of common stock to Oasis Capital, as set forth in the waivers and consents (the “Waivers”), dated November 16, 2021 executed by each of FirstFire and Oasis Capital (collectively, the “Waiver Shares”). The Company recorded interest expense of $ 427,700 pertaining to the fair value of the Waiver Shares issued.
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In December 2021, the Company issued 1,500 shares of common stock pursuant to a consulting agreement. The fair value of $ 339,000 was based on the value of the Company’s common stock on the date of grant and is included in general and administrative expenses in the consolidated statements of operations.
NOTE 9: RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, due to related parties includes advances from the former officer, Mark Lynn, who also serves as a director, totaling $ 104,568 and $ 104,568 respectively, and accrued salary and expense reimbursements of $ 100,649 and $ 126,706 , respectively, to current officers. Upon closing of the IPO, 25,080 shares of common stock were issued to directors as conversion of balances owed.
In October 2022, the Company received advances from a director, Trevor Pettennude, totaling $ 325,000 . The advances are unsecured, non-interest bearing and due on demand. As of December 31, 2022, the amounts were outstanding.
The current CEO, Hil Davis, previously advanced funds to the Company for working capital. These prior advances were converted to a note payable totaling $ 115,000 . Upon closing of the IPO, 127,278 shares of common stock were issued to the CEO as conversion of the outstanding note payable and related accrued interest, accrued compensation and other consideration. As of a result of the transaction, the Company recorded an additional $ 233,184 in stock compensation expense, which is included in general and administrative expenses in the consolidated statements of operations.
As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, H&J had an outstanding note payable of $ 129,489 and $ 299,489 , respectively, owned by the H&J Seller. The note matured on December 10, 2022 and bears interest at 12 % per annum. The note is in technical default.
NOTE 10: SHARE-BASED PAYMENTS
Common Stock Warrants
2022 Transactions
In connection with the April note agreement, the Company granted warrants to acquire 12,577 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $ 122.00 per share expiring in April 2027.
On May 10, 2022, pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement, the Company issued the Underwriters’ Warrants to purchase up to an aggregate of 14,956 shares of common stock. The Underwriters’ Warrants may be exercised beginning on November 1, 2022 until May 5, 2027. The initial exercise price of each Underwriters’ Warrant is $ 32.50 per share, which represents 130 % of the public offering price.
In connection with the July 22 and July 28 notes, the Company issued an aggregate of 41,124 and 27,655 warrants to purchase common stock at an exercise price of $ 15.20 and $ 11.30 per share, respectively. The warrants expire in July 2027.
In connection with the November public offering, the Company granted 1,650,181 pre-funded warrants which were immediately exercised for shares of common stock. The Company also granted an additional 1,818,181 Class B Warrants and 1,818,181 Class C Warrants as part of the offering. Each Class B Warrant has an exercise price of $ 5.25 per share, is immediately exercisable upon issuance and expires five years after issuance. Each Class C Warrant has an exercise price of $ 5.25 per share, is immediately exercisable upon issuance and expires thirteen months after issuance. The Company also granted the placement agent 136,364 warrants to purchase common stock at an exercise price of $ 6.88 per share, which are exercisable 180 days after issuance and expire in five years .
In connection with the December Notes, the Company issued to the investors an aggregate of 469,480 warrants to purchase common stock at an exercise price equal to $ 4.26 for a fair value of $ 164,200 . The warrants are immediately exercisable.
The Company granted 44,000 warrants to purchase common stock at an exercise price of $ 5.00 to the lender in connection with its merchant advances.
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2021 Transactions
In connection with the IPO, the Company issued 24,096 warrants and an additional 3,614 warrants to purchase common stock per the over-allotment option. Each warrant will have an exercise price of $ 457 per share (equal to 110 % of the offering price of the common stock), will be exercisable upon issuance and will expire five years from issuance.
On May 13, 2021, pursuant to the IPO Underwriting Agreement, the Company issued warrants to the underwriters to purchase up to an aggregate of 1,205 shares of common stock with an exercise price of $ 519 per share. The warrants may be exercised beginning on November 13, 2021 and will expire five years from issuance.
In connection with the Company’s April 2021 note financing, the Company issued warrants to the lender to purchase up to 1,205 shares of common stock. The warrants have an exercise price of $ 415 per share and are exercisable immediately after issuance.
In May 2021, an aggregate of 319 warrants were exercised for shares of common stock for proceeds of $ 145,696 . In July 2021, warrant holders exercised 3,550 warrants for proceeds of $ 1,622,350 .
A summary of information related to common stock warrants for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 is as follows:
Common
Weighted
Stock
Average
Warrants
Exercise Price
Outstanding - December 31, 2020
9,146
$
266
Granted
30,120
458
Conversion of preferred stock warrants upon IPO
516
766
Exercised
( 3,869 )
457
Forfeited
( 112 )
766
Outstanding - December 31, 2021
35,801
$
412
Granted
6,032,700
5.61
Exercised
( 1,650,181 )
5.25
Forfeited
—
—
Outstanding - December 31, 2022
4,418,320
$
8.37
Exercisable at December 31, 2021
35,801
$
412
Exercisable at December 31, 2022
4,281,956
$
8.42
Preferred Stock Warrants
Upon the IPO, all outstanding preferred stock warrants converted into common stock warrants at a ratio of 1,563 :1.
Stock Options
2020 Incentive Stock Plan
The Company has adopted a 2020 Omnibus Incentive Stock Plan (the “2020 Plan”). An aggregate of 33,000 shares of the Company’s common stock is reserved for issuance and available for awards under the 2020 Plan, including incentive stock options granted under the 2020 Plan. The 2020 Plan administrator may grant awards to any employee, director, consultant or other person providing services to us or our affiliates. During 2021, 27,320 options were granted to executives and directors at an exercise price from $ 385 to $ 415 per share. As of December 31, 2022, 5,680 options were available for future issuance.
2013 Incentive Stock Plan
The Company has adopted the 2013 Stock Plan, as amended and restated (the “Plan”), which provides for the grant of shares of stock options, stock appreciation rights, and stock awards (performance shares) to employees, non-employee directors, and non-employee consultants. The number of shares authorized by the Plan was 11,964 shares as December 31, 2022 and 2021. The option exercise price generally may not be less than the underlying stock’s fair market value at the date of the grant and generally have a term
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often years. The amounts granted each calendar year to an employee or non-employee is limited depending on the type of award. Stock options comprise all of the awards granted since the Plan’s inception. Shares available for grant under the Plan amounted to 333 and as of December 31, 2022. Vesting generally occurs over a period of immediately to four years .
A summary of information related to stock options under our 2013 and 2020 Stock Plan for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 is as follows:
Weighted
Average
Options
Exercise Price
Outstanding - December 31, 2020
11,631
$
234
Granted
27,320
415
Exercised
—
—
Forfeited
—
—
Outstanding - December 31, 2021
38,951
$
362
Granted
—
—
Exercised
—
—
Forfeited
—
—
Outstanding - December 31, 2022
38,951
$
362
Exercisable at December 31, 2021
31,646
$
359
Exercisable at December 31, 2022
34,713
$
405
Weighted average duration (years) to expiration of outstanding options at December 31, 2022
7.00
The assumptions utilized for option grants during the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 are as follows:
Year Ended
December 31,
2022
2021
Risk Free Interest Rate
n/a
0.34 % - 0.85
%
Expected Dividend Yield
n/a
0.00
%
Expected Volatility
n/a
58.00
%
Expected Life (years)
n/a
5.18
The total grant-date fair value of the options granted during the years ended December 31, 2021 was $ 4,696,605 . During the year ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, $ 421,442 and $ 3,325,897 was recorded to general and administrative expenses, and $ 57,596 and $ 551,948 was recorded to sales and marketing expense in the consolidated statements of operations, all respectively. Total unrecognized compensation cost related to non-vested stock option awards as of December 31, 2022 amounted to $ 577,999 and will be recognized over a weighted average period of 1.56 years.
NOTE 11: LEASE OBLIGATIONS
In April 2021, the Company entered into a lease agreement for operating space in Los Angeles, California. The lease expires in June 2023 and has monthly base rent payments of $ 17,257 . The lease required a $ 19,500 deposit. The Company adopted ASC 842 on January 1, 2021 and recognized a right of use asset and liability of $ 250,244 using a discount rate of 6.0 %. Under ASC 842, the lease was classified as an operating lease.
Stateside leases office and showroom facilities in Los Angeles, California. The leases expire at various dates through November 2022 with base rents ranging from $ 3,100 to $ 9,000 .
Total rent expense for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 was $ 945,216 and $ 816,790 , respectively. Rent is classified by function on the consolidated statements of operations either as general and administrative, sales and marketing, or cost of revenue.
The Company determines whether an arrangement is or contains a lease at inception by evaluating potential lease agreements including services and operating agreements to determine whether an identified asset exists that the Company controls over the term of
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the arrangement. Lease commencement is determined to be when the lessor provides access to, and the right to control, the identified asset.
The rental payments for the Company’s leases are typically structured as either fixed or variable payments. Fixed rent payments include stated minimum rent and stated minimum rent with stated increases. The Company considers lease payments that cannot be predicted with reasonable certainty upon lease commencement to be variable lease payments, which are recorded as incurred each period and are excluded from the calculation of lease liabilities.
Management uses judgment in determining lease classification, including determination of the economic life and the fair market value of the identified asset. The fair market value of the identified asset is generally estimated based on comparable market data provided by third-party sources.
NOTE 12: CONTINGENCIES
On March 21, 2023, a vendor filed a lawsuit against Digital Brands Group related to trade payables totaling approximately $ 43,501 . Such amounts include interest due, and are included in accounts payable, net of payments made to date, in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. The Company does not believe it is probable that the losses in excess of such trade payables will be incurred.
On February 7, 2023, a vendor filed a lawsuit against Digital Brands Group related to trade payables totaling approximately $ 182,400 . Such amounts include interest due, and are included in accounts payable, net of payments made to date, in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. The Company does not believe it is probable that the losses in excess of such trade payables will be incurred.
On November 9, 2022, a vendor filed a lawsuit against Digital Brand's Group related to prior services rendered. The claims (including fines, fees, and legal expenses) total an aggregate of $ 50.190 . The matter was settled in January 2023 and are on payment plans which will be paid off in April 2023.
In August 2020 and March 2021, two lawsuits were filed against Bailey’s by third-party’s related to prior services rendered. The claims (including fines, fees, and legal expenses) total an aggregate of $ 96,900 . Both matters were settled in February 2022 and are on payment plans which will be paid off in July and September of 2023
On December 21, 2020, a Company investor filed a lawsuit against DBG for reimbursement of their investment totaling $ 100,000 . Claimed amounts are included in short-term convertible note payable in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets and the Company does not believe it is probable that losses in excess of such short-term note payable will be incurred. The Company is actively working to resolve this matter.
On September 24, 2020 a Bailey’s product vendor filed a lawsuit against Bailey’s non-payment of trade payables totaling approximately $ 481,000 and additional damages of approximately $ 296,000 . Claimed amounts for trade payables are included in accounts payable in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets, net of payments made. In December 2021, the Company reached a settlement; however, the settlement terms were not met and the Company received a judgement of $ 496,000 . The amount due has been paid, the lawsuit dismissed and there is no claim or amount due.
A vendor filed a lawsuit against Bailey 44 related to a retail store lease in the amount of $ 1.5 million. The Company is disputing the claim for damages and the matter is ongoing.
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The Company has been involved in a dispute with the former owners of H&J regarding its obligation to “true up” their ownership interest in our company further to that membership interest purchase agreement dated May 18, 2021 whereby we acquired all of the outstanding membership interests of H&J (the “H&J Purchase Agreement”). Further to the H&J Purchase Agreement, we agreed that if, at May 18, 2022, the one year anniversary of the closing date of our initial public offering, the product of the number of shares of our common stock issued at the closing of such acquisition multiplied by the average closing price per share of our shares of common stock as quoted on the NasdaqCM for the thirty ( 30 ) day trading period immediately preceding such date plus the gross proceeds, if any, of shares of our stock issued to such sellers and sold by them during the one year period from the closing date of the offering does not exceed the sum of $ 9.1 million, less the value of any shares of common stock cancelled further to any indemnification claims or post-closing adjustments under the H&J Purchase Agreement, then we shall issue to the subject sellers an additional aggregate number of shares of common stock equal to any such valuation shortfall at a per share price equal to the then closing price per share of our common stock as quoted on the NasdaqCM. We did not honor our obligation to issue such shares and the former owner of H&J have claimed that they were damaged as a result. As part of a proposed settlement with such holders, the Company has tentatively agreed to the following: (i) to transfer all membership interests of H&J back to the original owners, (ii) to pay such owners the sum of $ 229,000 , (iii) issue the former owners of H&J an aggregate of $ 1,400,000 worth of our common stock to be issued on May 16, 2023 based on the lower of (a) the stock closing price per share on May 15, 2023, and (b) the average common stock closing price based on the average of the 5 trading days preceding May 16, 2023, with the closing price on May 9, 2023. Such tentative terms are to be memorialized in definitive purchase agreements and as such there is no assurance that such arrangements will be finalized. As of the issuance date of these financial statements, the above terms and continued negotiations have been verbally approved by the Board.
All claims above, to the extent management believes it will be liable, have been included in accounts payable and accrued expenses and other liabilities in the accompanying consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2022.
Except as may be set forth above the Company is not a party to any legal proceedings, and the Company is not aware of any claims or actions pending or threatened against us. In the future, the Company might from time to time become involved in litigation relating to claims arising from its ordinary course of business, the resolution of which the Company does not anticipate would have a material adverse impact on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows.
NOTE 13: INCOME TAXES
Deferred taxes are recognized for temporary differences between the basis of assets and liabilities for financial statement and income tax purposes. The differences relate primarily to depreciable assets using accelerated depreciation methods for income tax purposes, share-based compensation expense, and for net operating loss carryforwards. As of December 31, 2022, and 2021, the Company had net deferred tax assets before valuation allowance of $ 16,733,582 and $ 13,103,268 , respectively. The following table presents the deferred tax assets and liabilities by source:
December 31,
2022
2021
Deferred tax assets:
Net operating loss carryforwards
$
16,733,582
$
13,108,371
Deferred tax liabilities:
Depreciation timing differences
—
( 5,103 )
Valuation allowance
( 16,733,582 )
( 13,103,268 )
Net deferred tax assets
$
—
$
—
The Company recognizes deferred tax assets to the extent that it believes that these assets are more likely than not to be realized. In making such a determination, the Company considers all available positive and negative evidence, including future reversals of existing taxable temporary differences, projected future taxable income, tax-planning strategies, and results of recent operations. The Company assessed the need for a valuation allowance against its net deferred tax assets and determined a full valuation allowance is required due, cumulative losses through December 31, 2022, and no history of generating taxable income. Therefore, valuation allowances of $ 16,733,582 and $ 13,103,268 were recorded as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. Valuation allowance increased by $ 3,630,314 and $ 3,081,497 during the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. Deferred tax assets were calculated using the Company’s combined effective tax rate, which it estimated to be approximately 28.0 %. The effective rate is reduced to 0 % for 2022 and 2021 due to the full valuation allowance on its net deferred tax assets. The Company has permanent differences, consisting of non-deductible impairments of goodwill and intangible assets of $ 17.7 million and amortization of non-cash debt issuance costs of $ 6.5 million.
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The Company’s ability to utilize net operating loss carryforwards will depend on its ability to generate adequate future taxable income. At December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company had net operating loss carryforwards available to offset future taxable income in the amounts of approximately $ 59,865,000 and $ 46,896,000 , for which losses from 2018 forward can be carried forward indefinitely.
As a result of prior operating losses, the Company has net operating loss, or “NOL,” carryforwards for federal income tax purposes. The ability to utilize NOL carryforwards to reduce taxable income in future years could become subject to significant limitations under Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code if the Company undergoes an ownership change. The Company would undergo an ownership change if, among other things, the stockholders who own, directly or indirectly, 5 % or more of our common stock, or are otherwise treated as “5% shareholders” under Section 382 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code and the regulations promulgated thereunder, increase their aggregate percentage ownership of the Company’s stock by more than 50 percentage points over the lowest percentage of the stock owned by these stockholders at any time during the testing period, which is generally the three-year period preceding the potential ownership change.
The Company has evaluated its income tax positions and has determined that it does not have any uncertain tax positions. The Company will recognize interest and penalties related to any uncertain tax positions through its income tax expense.
The Company is not presently subject to any income tax audit in any taxing jurisdiction, though all tax years from 2018 on remain open to examination.
The Company recorded a tax benefit of $ 1,100,120 for the year ended December 31, 2021 related to a full release of its valuation allowance pertaining to the acquisition of H&J (see Note 4). The acquisition of H&J created a deferred tax liability position, and those deferred tax liabilities can be used as a source of income for the Company’s existing deferred tax assets.
NOTE 14: SUBSEQUENT EVENTS
On January 11, 2023, the Company, 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”), and accompanying warrants (the “Common Warrants”) to purchase 475,000 shares of Common Stock, at a combined purchase price of $ 3.915 per share and Common Warrant, and (ii) 802,140 pre-funded warrants (the “Pre-Funded Warrants” and together with the Common Warrants, the “Warrants” and together with the Shares and the shares of Common Stock underlying the Warrants, the “Securities”) exercisable for 802,140 shares of Common Stock, and accompanying Common Warrants to purchase 802,140 shares of Common Stock, at a combined purchase price of $ 3.915 , less the exercise price of $ 0.0001 , per Pre-Funded Warrant and accompanying Common Warrant, to the Investors, for aggregate gross proceeds from the Private Placement of approximately $ 5 million.
Each Common 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.
In February 2023, the Company fully repaid the December Notes for $ 4.0 million.
In February 2023, the Company and the Sundry Sellers verbally agreed to extend the maturity date to December 31, 2023.
On April 7, 2023, the Company and various purchasers executed a Securities Purchase Agreement (“April 2023 Notes”) whereby the investors purchased from the Company convertible promissory notes in the aggregate principal amount of $ 2,208,750 , consisting of original issue discount of $ 408,750 . The Company received net proceeds of $ 1,800,000 . The April 2023 Notes are due and payable on September 30, 2023. If the April 2023 Notes are not repaid in full by the maturity date or if any other event of default occurs, (1) the face value of the April Notes will be automatically increased to 120 %; (2) the April 2023 Notes will begin generating an annual interest rate of 20 %, which will be paid in cash monthly until the default is cured; and (3) if such default continues for 14 or more calendar days, at the investors’ discretion, the April 2023 Notes shall become convertible at the option of the investors into shares of the Company’s common stock at a conversion price equal to the closing price of the Company’s common stock on the date of the note conversion.
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Text extracted from the filing as submitted to EDGAR. Formatting, tables and exhibits are simplified for reading; the original document is authoritative for anything you rely on.