Opinion: Golden Goose’s $2,000 Sneakers Are a Rare Win for Private Equity

Golden Goose SpA is an Italian maker of distressed-looking sneakers that can set you back $2,000 for a crystal-studded pair. The more than €2.5 billion ($2.9 billion) price its private equity owner just snagged for the business is more opulent than shabby, too.

Permira’s sale to HSG, known formerly as Sequoia Capital China, with Singapore’s Temasek as a minority investor, is one of the few landmark exits from a troubled vintage of buyout deals struck as the world was emerging from the…