Dive Brief:
- Diesel and Lee launched a four-piece denim capsule collection globally last week, following a preview of the line in Europe and Japan in December, according to a press release.
- The jeanswear line, called Diesel Loves Lee, features straight and boot cuts for men and women, and the limited-edition pieces are made from fabric sourced from the unsold stock of both brands. The jeans cost $350 each and are available in select Diesel and Lee stores and on each brand’s e-commerce sites.
- This release is “the first chapter” in what will be an ongoing program for Diesel “that proposes a more purposeful approach to brand partnerships applying collective creativity to the perennial problem of overproduction,” according to the release. Future partnerships have not yet been announced.
Dive Insight:
Lee parent company Kontoor Brands, which also owns Wrangler, reported a company-wide Q4 revenue drop of high single digits in its latest earnings report. In particular, Lee dropped 7% and Wrangler fell 10% for the period. However, high-profile partnerships during 2023 helped usher in a Q3 earnings increase for both brands and the company as a whole, and Kontoor may be looking to get the same kind of boost with new collaborations in 2024.
In this capsule, jeans will feature either a Diesel denim front and a Lee denim back, or vice-versa, per the release, which added that every pair is one of a kind. The line has “two fits and four styles playing on the brands’ combined heritage” and will feature custom trim with raw-cut and needle-stitched side seams.
“It’s easier to create something new than it is to repurpose a garment, especially when customers want it to look exactly like they do online,” Glenn Martens, creative director for Diesel and creator of the Dieselloves initiative, said in the release. “The small things you do can go far and deep.”
Martens added that this collaborative effort “is the ideal opening act for our continuous call to action” and that he saw this effort as “[t]wo denim giants, often selling the exact same product with different logos, dropping our weapons and teaming up to address overconsumption and make something good and beautiful.”
Diesel parent company OTB Group reported 1.8 billion euros in net sales for its 2023 fiscal year, or about $1.96 billion at current exchange rates, representing a 9.1% year-over-year increase. The company, which also owns Jil Sander and Maison Margiela, said in its earnings release that Diesel was gaining ground with younger consumers, and that Gen Z represented 35% of the brand’s customer base. Collaborating with Lee could help expand the reach of both brands.
“Lee is proud to be part of this transformative initiative; it’s a reflection of our shared commitment to driving meaningful change by uniting our expertise,” Simon Fisher, managing director of Lee Europe, said in the release. “Through this capsule collection, Lee and Diesel redefine competition by prioritizing innovation. By joining forces, we harness our collective strengths to lead by example, one denim at a time.”
