In an effort to support U.S. farmers and further its commitment to sustainability, Wrangler launched a premium collection of locally-sourced denim on Thursday.
The quintessentially American brand is highlighting its heritage through The Wrangler Rooted Collection, a specialty line featuring five state-specific pairs of jeans from Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee and Texas. Each state’s design will feature a distinctive wash, trim details, and a patch bearing the state’s silhouette. The 100-percent sustainable cotton used in every jean style is fully traceable to a family farm in one of those states, Wrangler said in a statement. The brand has partnered with Mount Vernon Mills in Trion, Ga., for the denim production, while Excel Manufacturing in El Paso, Texas is responsible for the cutting and sewing of each piece.
“The Wrangler Rooted Collection reflects our commitment to strengthening local communities and supporting U.S. farmers,” the brand’s president, Tom Waldron, said in a statement. He added that the collection will underscore the brand’s goal to “continually improve the environmental performance and traceability of our products.”
The five family-owned farms that supplied cotton for the collection are the first partners in the Wrangler Science and Conservation Program, which advocates for best practices in land and soil stewardship. The goal of the program is to improve the yield of cotton crops, build resilience to weather, fight erosion, reduce energy and water use, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Wrangler has committed to using 100-percent sustainable cotton in all of its products by 2025, and will source only from farms using program-approved land stewardship practices.
Wrangler recently joined the Field to Market Alliance, which works to “advance the sustainability of food, fiber and fuel production” in the U.S., according to the organization’s website. The denim brand has been keenly focused on streamlining its agricultural supply chain to lessen environmental impact, even gleaning inspiration from the grazing land management techniques of local cattle ranchers.
The Wrangler Rooted Collection will be available on the brand’s website and through select retail partners, and jeans will retail for $100 per pair. A complementary selection of state t-shirts was released alongside the denim, retailing for $30 per shirt.
