Ted Baker is a UK-based fashion and lifestyle brand known for its patterned shirts, tailored suiting, and accessories. Founded in Glasgow in 1988, the company expanded into a global mid-market luxury label before being acquired by Authentic Brands Group in 2022.
Authentic Brands Group profits through licensing arrangements that spread responsibility across suppliers, often with little accountability. Ted Baker is a licensed brand produced by Delta Galil Industries, an Israeli manufacturer with factories in illegal West Bank settlements. Delta Galil was listed in the UN settlement database for its direct role in sustaining the occupation economy, operating on land taken from Palestinians and under military control.
By contracting with Delta Galil, Ted Baker’s revenues and royalties are tied into this settlement infrastructure. The arrangement financially sustains factories that profit from land confiscation, water diversion, and coerced Palestinian labor. This embeds apartheid-related harms directly into Ted Baker’s product supply chain.
ABG’s structure enables systemic avoidance of responsibility while profiting off brand reputations. It owns brands tied to labor and environmental violations. For instance, allegations of abuse in garment factories in Myanmar are linked to ABG brands, yet the company remains silent despite pressure.
Forever 21, under ABG, has incurred regulatory fines for workplace safety failures, wage theft, and toxic product content (e.g. lead).
In 2025, ABG-branded Reebok entered a sponsorship agreement with the Israel Football Association, which includes teams based in illegal West Bank settlements. This deal links ABG revenues directly to institutions entangled in apartheid and occupation. The company’s non-response to accountability inquiries from human rights groups signals effective complicity with occupation infrastructure.
Additionally, Ted Baker, another ABG asset, licenses apparel to Delta Galil, an Israeli supplier operating in settlements, further reinforcing ABG’s financial ties to the occupation economy.
Beyond these, ABG’s licensing model spreads ethical risk across continents, using brands as avatars for profits while avoiding visibility, oversight, or enforcement of humane practices.