Wrangler Europe
Wrangler Europe is the European business of the Wrangler jeans brand - launched from Blue Bell's Belgian factory in 1962, styled for European life, and owned since 2019 by Kontoor Brands.
Company Snapshot
- Status
- Operating - the Wrangler brand's European business, selling across the continent online and through retailers
- Type
- European division of the Wrangler brand, owned by Kontoor Brands, Inc. - NYSE: KTB
- Headquarters
- Brand headquarters Greensboro, North Carolina, United States; European sales through the brand's European web store and retail partners
- Founded
- European launch 1962 (Blue Bell's Belgian factory); the brand itself dates to 1947
Company Profile
Wrangler's European business today sells the brand's denim - archive cuts like the 13MWZ alongside the slimmer, fashion-led fits Europe has always favored - through its European web store and retailers across the continent, as part of Kontoor Brands. The shop box on this page covers Wrangler jeans, which both marketplaces carry in Europe and the U.S. alike.
Alive with freedom from convention, the Wrangler brand in Europe rebels against artificial constraints within the fashion world - and with over 100 years of denim know-how under their belts, they have got the authority to do so. Designed for modern life yet crafted to last. That positioning is the difference this page exists to record: where the American profile leads with rodeo heritage, the European telling leads with denim as everyday fashion - slimmer city fits and seasonal collections built on the same archive.
The shared root is stated on this page as it is on the American one. Wrangler Jeans were first made by the Blue Bell Overall Company, which had acquired the brand when it took over Casey Jones in the mid-1940s. Blue Bell employed Bernard Lichtenstein ('Rodeo Ben'), a Polish tailor from Lodz who worked closely with cowboys, to help design jeans suitable for rodeo use; he convinced several well-known rodeo riders of the time to endorse the new design. The 13MWZ style, short for the thirteenth version of men's western jeans with zipper, was introduced in 1947. The rest is history.
A Short History Note
Europe entered the Wrangler story in 1962, when Blue Bell opened a factory in Belgium and launched the brand across the continent - a beachhead many American labels only attempted decades later. By 1973 Wrangler jeans were a youth-culture icon on both sides of the Atlantic; in 1983 the brand sponsored European football champions Nottingham Forest F.C.; and the 2004 European campaigns - the 'Wanted' print campaign and jeans recognized in 22 European countries that year - show the European business running its own creative line under the same ownership. Ownership followed the parent company's path: Wrangler spun off from VF to Kontoor Brands in 2019, and the European operation today sells through eu.wrangler.com and retailers across the continent. Learn about Wrangler USA on the main profile, and more about Kontoor Brands on the parent company's page linked from this profile.
Common Questions
When did Wrangler come to Europe?
In 1962, when Blue Bell opened a factory in Belgium and launched the Wrangler brand in Europe - early enough that by 2004 the brand was recognized in 22 European countries and was running Europe-specific campaigns such as 'Wanted'.
How does Wrangler Europe differ from Wrangler in the U.S.?
Same owner, same 13MWZ archive, different emphasis: the European business has long styled Wrangler as fashion denim for modern life - freedom from convention is its own phrase for it - with fits and collections cut for European tastes, while the U.S. profile leads with western and rodeo heritage and work lines.
Who owns Wrangler Europe?
Kontoor Brands, the Greensboro company created by VF Corporation's May 2019 spin-off, owns the Wrangler brand worldwide, Europe included. European sales run through the brand's European web store and retail partners.
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