Dive Brief:
- Dickies has released a collection designed in collaboration with professional skateboarder Guy Mariano, according to a Tuesday press release shared with Fashion Dive.
- The seven-piece line is inspired by “California skateboarding in the 90s,” per the release, and features three tops, three bottoms and a three-quarter zip anorak. Prices range from $34.99 to $89.99, and the collection is available at core skate shops in North America, the brand’s e-commerce site and international markets Europe, Asia and Australia, per a Dickies spokesperson.
- VF Corp.-owned workwear brand Dickies has released several high-profile collabs recently, including ongoing partnerships with VF-owned Supreme, a 2022 gold-embellished Gucci capsule, and a 2023 collaboration with CFDA-award winning designer Willy Chavarria.
Dive Insight:
Dickies has had a presence in the skateboard community since the 1990s, Joe Monteleone, global brand manager and team manager of Dickies skateboarding, said in an email. He said that at the time the company saw “a strong spike in popularity” of its apparel “being worn as streetstyle among skaters.”
“In 2012, Dickies deepened its investment in the skate community by launching the brand's first ever Skate Team,” Monteleone said, adding that the brand launched its first skateboarding product line in 2021.
That collection, Monteleone said, was designed “by skaters for skaters” in a collaboration with skateboarder Jamie Foy.
For this new collection, Mariano wanted “to expand the brand’s skate style offerings” with a line “designed for both skaters and streetwear enthusiasts alike.”
“Dickies has been an iconic brand for skateboarders for decades and has since built one of the most versatile and respected skate teams,” Mariano said in the release. “It's a full-circle moment for me to design my own signature collection with such a legacy brand. My goal with this collaboration was to honor the style and feel I experienced skateboarding in the 90s while remaining true to Dickies' brand identity.”
VF has been experiencing some recent challenges with its brand roster, which also includes Vans, Timberland and The North Face. In its February third quarter earnings report, the company noted that Dickies revenues fell 16% year over year, while Vans revenues dropped almost 30% for the same period. Timberland and The North Face also saw double-digit declines, and overall company revenue fell 16% to $3 billion.
In response to the earnings declines, VF said it was initiating a “strategic review of the brand assets within its portfolio” with its board of directors “to ensure the company owns the brands that it believes create the greatest long-term value.”
Dickies might be one of the brands on the table, David Swartz, senior equity analyst for Morningstar Research Services, wrote in an analyst note on earnings at the time.
“We do not think VF will sell The North Face or Vans as they are in attractive categories and have strong international and direct-to-consumer potential,” Swartz said. “However, it may sell Dickies, which is in the unattractive work category or Timberland, which is in the more dynamic outdoor category but has not kept pace with The North Face in becoming a lifestyle brand.”
Following the earnings, S&P Global Ratings analysts downgraded their issuer credit rating for VF to “BBB-” from “BBB,” and updated their outlook to negative. While S&P analysts Amanda O’Neill and Sarah Wyeth said at the time that “VF’s financial policies and actions show commitment to investment-grade ratings,” they also added that “VF will have to sell sizeable brands to meaningfully reduce leverage in the near term.”
