Dickies, the iconic Fort Worth-born workwear brand, has been sold by struggling VF Corp. less than a year after the parent company moved the Dickies headquarters to California.
VF Corp. announced this week that Bluestar Alliance LLC will acquire Dickies for $600 million in cash. Bluestar Alliance is a global brand management company whose portfolio includes Scotch & Soda, Brookstone, Bebe, Hurley and Tahari.
“Bluestar Alliance’s network of domestic and international partners offers the opportunity to take niche and established brands and grow them into worldwide lifestyle brands,” the buyer says.
VF Corp. made the surprise announcement in November 2024 that it was relocating Dickies from Fort Worth to Costa Mesa, California, where it already had a headquarters for its Vans shoes brand. VF had already spent at least $4.5 million for Dickies to have new downtown Fort Worth office space just a year earlier.
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The company said at the time that the consolidation “will help us revitalize Dickies so we can carry on the brand’s heritage for years to come.” The move to California cost about 125 jobs in Fort Worth.
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Colorado-based VF Corp. has struggled in recent years. The apparel and footwear maker with brands including Vans and North Face has been in the middle of a turnaround plan that includes focusing on core brands, selling other businesses and cutting $300 million.
Bluestar Alliance CEO Joseph Gabbay said the company is committed to unlocking Dickies’ “full value for all stakeholders.”
“Since 1922, Dickies has provided hard-wearing, long-lasting and comfortable clothes, cementing its status as a storied brand in performance workwear,” he said in a statement. “We have followed the brand for many years and have a deep appreciation for its history and legacy, which VF Corporation has successfully begun to rebuild over the past few years.
“We are committed to supporting the Dickies brand’s growth by leveraging our consumer insights and operational excellence to unlock its full value for all stakeholders,” Gabbay said.
Dickies was founded in Fort Worth in 1922 by C.N. Williamson and E.E. “Colonel” Dickie. After World War II, Dickies took the brand international, introducing its work wear line into the European market. In the 1980s, Dickies saw hip-hop artists like N.W.A. adopt its clothing. By the ‘90s, Dickies had infiltrated skateboarding culture as the go-to for durability and comfort.
VF’s chief executive, Bracken Darrell, said the transaction “will enable us to bring our net debt level down and will be accretive to our growth on a pro-forma basis. I want to thank the entire Dickies team for their strong commitment to transforming the brand.”
The transaction is expected to close by the end of the year.
By MATT LECLERCQ, Fort Worth Star-Telegram