Lee launches collab with Alpha Industries

Dive Brief:

• Lee has launched an eight-piece collaboration with Alpha Industries, according to a press release sent to Fashion Dive.
• The menswear capsule includes a bomber jacket, denim jacket and quilted jacket, along with a flight suit, pants, anoraks and a T-shirt.
• The line launched Thursday and is available in Lee and Alpha owned retail stores and websites across the U.S. and in select Asia markets, per the release. Prices range from $60 to $310.

Dive Insight:

Collaborations have been a key strategy for Kontoor Brands, which owns Lee and its sister brand Wrangler. Joe Broyles, global vice president of collaborations for Lee, said the brand’s timeless styles present a canvas for collaborations.

“We focus on partners who have an authentic connection and appreciation for our heritage and who are excited about reinterpreting Lee’s iconic denim and workwear for their consumers,” Broyles said in an email to Fashion Dive.

He said that Lee and Alpha’s shared history of military apparel made the collaboration a good fit.

The companies called the collection a reimagining of military-inspired designs with a contemporary edge, adding that it combined the heritage of both brands.

In 1959, Alpha Industries was contracted by the U.S. Department of Defense to design and manufacture outerwear for military personnel. In the years since, the company has created military-inspired clothing and design through both its own seasonal collections and through collaborations, per the release.

The company has recently collaborated with Highsnobiety, Dr. Martens and J.Crew Group-owned Madewell. 

Meanwhile, Lee has collaborated with designer Paul Smith and footwear brand Heydude this year. 

In its most recent quarterly earnings, the Lee brand saw revenue decline 3%. Though its U.S. revenue grew 1%, international revenue declined 7%. 

Holding company Kontoor has been embarking on a cost savings initiative, called Project Jeanius, which is meant to generate $100 million in profit improvement and savings. 

Kontoor saw its revenue grow 2% in Q3, marking its first quarter of revenue growth for fiscal 2024.