Urban Outfitters' unofficial speciality just might be mastering the nostalgia factor. This is usually achieved through collaborations with heritage brands, styled and polished through an always-Instagrammable lens. (Well, that, and the occasional-yet-still-too-frequent, misguided product decisions that also drum up attention for the retailer.) Its latest pair-up — a capsule with Wrangler Australia, inspired by classic American workwear — certainly fits those sentimental parameters.
Wrangler's history begins in 1947, when the denim manufacturing company (then called Blue Bell) announced its commitment to making the best five-pocket jeans out there, already gaining a following with professional rodeo cowboys. It quickly gained momentum and grew internationally, opening a factory in Belgium in 1962, and eventually making its way to Australia in 2003.
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Wrangler Australia's current offerings, courtesy of a design team based in Melbourne, shares that vintage-inspired aesthetic we've come to expect from Urban Outfitters pair-ups. Earlier this month, the Philadelphia-based retailer revisited California surf brand, Hang Ten (and its recognizable foot logo) for a menswear edit. And, like its Wet Hot American Summer-esque collaboration with Camp Collection, Urban Outfitters' capsule with Wrangler is plucked straight out of the '70s — or, at least a modern imagination of the era.
Given Wrangler's history (and much-lauded specialty), there's a lot of denim, which takes shape in Urban Outfitter's rehash as trendy cropped flares and high-waisted overalls, as well as summery shorts and miniskirts. There are also logo tanks, T-shirts, and bodysuits. And the color palette is all American — red, white, and blue.
The collection launched today with 16 items. Prices start at $39 for spaghetti-strap tops and a branded sports bra, and top out at $129 for the overalls.
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