Lee Jeans to launch European footwear collection

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Dec 16, 2022

2023 will see Lee Jeans expanding into footwear in the EMEA market for the first time with the label offering men's, women's and children's casual shoes and sneakers.
 

The collection will be produced via a licensing deal with The Brandsplus Group, which holds licenses for a wide portfolio of fashion and sports lifestyle brands, including Champion, Pantofola d’Oro, O’Neill and Fila.
 
Simon Fisher, EMEA MD for Lee Jeans owner Kontoor Brands, highlighted Brandsplus’s “superior sourcing and production capabilities”. He also said the new products will offer “comfort and style” that will be “the perfect complement to the Lee apparel already available in market today”.

Meanwhile Brandsplus CEO Dimitri Van Leuven said adding the label to its portfolio “further illustrates the group’s ambitious expansion strategy”.
 
The footwear news comes at a time of major expansion for the Lee brand in the European market. Back in October it announced that it was launching its kids offer in the region for the first time with the boys’ range debuting this season and the girls’ offer next year for SS23.
 
That launch is happening in a licensing deal with Brand Machine Group (BMG). The company said retailers carrying the line include portfinokids.com, Zalando.com, Boozt.com, and some Lee stores.