Lee Jeans parent company, Kontoor Brands, has revealed plans to introduce a children’s collection in the EMEA (Europe, the Middle East and Africa) market in July.
The initial Fall/Winter 2022 collection, which will be produced under license by Brand Machine Group (BMG), will offer boys and girls from 0-16 years the complete Lee look. The collection will include the heritage brand’s signature denim styles, tops and accessories.
“We are excited to offer our trademark iconic styles kids and are looking forward to delivering comfort and style to the finest kid’s wear retailers across the region, introducing Lee to the next generation of brand enthusiasts,” said Simon Fisher, Kontoor Brands’ EMEA managing director. “We are proud to partner with BMG on this range and have been really pleased to see how hard their team has worked to help us bring our pioneering spirit and heritage styles to the whole family across EMEA.”
The kids’ line will be targeted to existing Lee stockists and children’s wear specialist retailers. It will also be available at Lee-owned and -operated stores. BMG will work across the EMEA region, however, focused territories will be U.K., Germany, Scandinavia, Benelux (Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg) and the Middle East.
BMG is a U.K.-based licensing specialist that produces and distributes children’s lines for Juicy Couture, Ben Sherman, Penguin, Elle Junior and more. Lee reported that BMG will be sourcing sustainable materials for the kids’ collection, in line with the strategy it is developing across the group and its brands.
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With the addition of Lee, the company fills a niche for jeans. “We wanted to work in denim and to partner with an originator such a Lee is exceptional,” said Tom Duncan, BMG brand director. “The brands pioneering spirit and the youthful energy matches the groups commitment to work with only the best within the sector.”
Five Star Apparel produces Lee’s collection for boys in the U.S. The line offers jeans, joggers and shorts for sizes 4-7x, 8-18 and husky.
Children’s styles were a part of Lee’s collaboration with H&M earlier this year. Made from post-consumer recycled cotton and organic cotton and featuring non-leather back patches made from cork and jacron paper, the denim collection demonstrated the brand’s increasing focus on responsible production. Garments were made with water-saving dyeing processes and low-impact, third party-verified washing methods.
The collection is another example of Kontoor Brands’ expansion strategy. This month Lee’s sister brand Wrangler opened its first store in China, following its debut in the region in December 2020. Last year, Wrangler also launched its All-Terrain Gear outdoor apparel line in Europe.