Wrangler went back to its archives to celebrate its 70th year, teaming once again with artist Peter Max on a collection that’s pushed the denim brand into more fashionable territory.
The brand, owned by VF Corp., unveiled its Wrangler by Peter Max collection Tuesday evening in Los Angeles ahead of the early September release. The collection rolled out to the European market first in June.
“It’s really an exciting time for the brand right now because we’re seeing the strength of the Wrangler brand get picked up from younger consumers who are discovering it for the first time, but we’re also seeing our more loyal consumers finding additional usage occasions for the brand as we expand our styles and we expand our fits,” said Craig Errington, Wrangler vice president of brand and marketing.
The collection totals 18 styles between men and women priced from about $65 to $240 and consists of jeans, jackets and shorts bearing elements of colorblocking and patchwork. They represent updated versions of the company’s collections with Max in 1970 and 1971. There are also T-shirts bearing the artist’s colorful Summer of Love-inspired work.
Distribution is limited to Wrangler’s online site and its two stores in Denver and Dallas.
“We wanted to keep [distribution] really tight because we wanted to be able to really tell the story behind it,” Errington said. “It has such a unique, specific story that we felt like that would allow us to really maintain that storytelling and that connection.”
The Peter Max offering is part of a broader 70th anniversary collection drawing from the Wrangler archives that’s helped push the company into more fashion-forward looks to tackle two fronts.
First, the historically male-dominant brand has continued to notch more and more gains from the female demographic with the 70th anniversary capsules a good representation of that, Errington said, given its offerings for men and women.
Second, the company has nabbed new retailers, such as Macy’s and PacSun, as it diversifies its offering.
The Peter Max collection is set for September and holiday deliveries, with an additional 70th anniversary tie-in collaboration also due out for the holidays.
“It’s the authenticity that allows Wrangler to do a collaboration with an artist like Peter Max,” Errington said. “From the outside, it may seem like an unexpected collaboration, but the authenticity that those two parties have when they come together, that’s something unique over these 70 years.”