Wrangler goes back to its roots with 'Icons' collection

By

Christel Divert

Translated by
Benjamin Fitzgerald

Published
Jul 6, 2018

Wrangler has revealed its new 'Icons' collection at the recent edition of the Seek tradeshow in Berlin.

As the name suggests, the capsule release focuses on three iconic denim pieces from the U.S. jeans brand, but reviewed and adjusted for spring/summer 2019.

Items include a jacket, a shirt and jeans, which have been released in two different types: a five-pocket original and a slim cut. The three icons known to Wrangler's historic repertoire will be available in a variety of washes ranging from raw to pre-washed, like the "three-year aged" style, which plays on the description given to most strong alcohols.

The Icons line highlights the label's roots in the tradition of denim -- the brand celebrated its 70th anniversary last year  -- and its place in the Heritage movement that Levi's started with its 'Made & Crafted' range.

The collection is a counterpart to another Wrangler capsule collection, 'Blue & Yellow', launched for spring/summer 2018. The latter line is stocked across approximately 20 sales points in Europe and proposes a full offering of looks for men and women. The range is inspired by the '90s, as seen in its baggy jeans, the light denim washes and the yellow and blue racing stripes with massive logo letterings, done in the style of the era.  

"The Icons collection is also seen as needing a selective retail network, but a larger one than that of Blue & Yellow. The capsules show how we are repositioning ourselves. We had a classic consumer base and we decided to rejuvenate our target market. However, we realised that we had been a little too radical in concentrating on just young people Now, we believe that we are able to have links between these markets and that we can address the two. We just have to be vigilant in our distribution channels, so as not to cannibalise our different collections," said Larissa Reichert, Wrangler's marketing director for Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

Wrangler, alongside Lee, forms part of American giant VF Corp's denim division. Jean sales weighed in at $2.655 billion for the group's 2017 fiscal year.