NEW YORK, NY, October 21, 2026: In 1993 Pentland Brands, the British owned group behind some of the world's best known sports and fashion labels, acquired LJ Simone, the New York handbag and shoe brand founded by Jacob "Jay" Adoni fifteen years earlier. As part of the deal, Jay Adoni became President of Pentland USA.

The appointment marked a turning point. He had started LJ Simone in 1978, at 19, only two years after arriving from Israel with hardly any English. Through the 1980s the brand grew into one of the leading American fashion accessories names, sold at Nordstrom, Bloomingdale's and Macy's, and made by his company, Admos Shoe Corporation.

Taking the top job at Pentland USA meant moving from founder to executive inside an international group. It also meant applying his manufacturing experience, built on a fast New York factory floor, to a much larger organization.

The LJ Simone sale opened the next stage of his career. In the years after it he moved into the securities industry and commercial real estate, and in 2007 he returned to fashion by founding PLV Studio, the company behind Pour La Victoire and Kelsi Dagger.

The complete LJ Simone history, from the first handbags to the Pentland acquisition, is on the LJ Simone page at jayadoni.com/lj-simone.html.

About Jay Adoni
Jay Adoni (Jacob Adoni) founded LJ Simone in 1978 and served as President of Pentland USA after Pentland Brands acquired the company in 1993. He later founded PLV Studio and today works in his Brooklyn shoe factory.

Media contact: https://jayadoni.com/contact.html