How Levi’s, Wrangler and other fashion brands are embracing cowboy culture

Earlier this week, Levi’s began teasing its new Western-themed collaboration with Beyoncé, much to fans’ delight. The partnership, which builds off of the singer’s “Cowboy Carter” country album, is just the latest effort by brands to embrace cowboy culture, a fashion trend that shows no signs of sunsetting anytime soon. “Western culture is so timeless that it resonates with the American consumer constantly but at this moment it’s having an inflection point,” said Krista Dalton, chief marketing officer and senior VP of e-commerce at Tecovas, a direct-to-consumer seller of cowboy boots and apparel that recently expanded into wholesale. “It’s something mainstream that authentically brings people’s true selves to the forefront,” she added, noting that Western style connects people across all walks of life.New: Watch the first ad from Levi’s and Beyoncé NextGen Marketing Summit Join us for a crash course on Gen Z, DTC marketing and the creator economy Register today Wrangler is also ramping up its Western offerings this fall. The clothier, which traces its roots back to heritage Americana, this week announced a multi-year partnership with country singer Lainey Wilson. “Rooted in authentic Western heritage and untamed spirit,” according to an Instagram post, the collaboration includes bell-bottom jeans with patchwork pieces and embellishments. In addition, Wrangler teamed up with PacSun on a line that combines Western wear with modern West Coast California vibes that will be released next week. The new offerings come on the heels of a New York Fashion Week horsemanship demonstration earlier this month from model Bella Hadid for Western brand Kemo Sabe. Much of the Western resurgence has been attributed to the rodeo-style choices of the fashion star, who began dating professional cowboy Adan Banuelos earlier this year. A Sept. 15 Instagram post featuring Hadid and Banuelos in Western garb with horses generated more than 10.4 million impressions, a 1.63% engagement rate and $1.1 million earned media value, according to Sprout Social, which analyzes social media data. For the month ended Sept. 24, there have been nearly 50,000 social mentions of western or western-adjacent terms, delivering more than 272.7 million potential impressions, Sprout found. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Bella 🦋 (@bellahadid) “Western influences continue to shape fashion trends as mass market retailers unveil their fall collections,” wrote Kayla Marci, senior retail and fashion analyst at Edited, a retail intelligence platform. She pointed to recent shows from designers such as Louis Vuitton, Anna Sui and Ulla Johnson that had Western themes. She also cited pop culture influences such as country crossover albums from Beyoncé and Lana Del Rey, whose “Lasso” album dropped this month, as well as the “horse girl” lifestyle aesthetic championed by Hadid and Kendall Jenner. Even Converse jumped on the trend earlier this year with a line of Western-inspired Chuck Taylors. The consumer cowboy culture obsession is also helping fuel a rise in Professional Bull Riding, a sport that is seeing double-digit percent increases in fans, attracted by its live events and risky athleticism. Read more: Inside pro bull riding’s brand growth For Tecovas, the interest in the West has led to fast growth. Founded nine years ago, the Austin, Texas-based brand is opening 11 stores this year for a total of 42; in August, it announced it would be expanding beyond DTC into nine wholesale stores. While the brand is primarily located in Sun Belt states, it expects to branch into the Northeast soon. Tecovas has found success through a marketing mix of experiential and digital strategies, according to Dalton, who was promoted to CMO earlier this week. The brand has grown awareness by partnering with content creators on YouTube for its ads, and also recently kicked off a deal with reality TV show “MeatEater” to appear at college tailgates. “We want to target millennials, and we especially want to target the millennial man, and so we are thinking of a marketing strategy that's a little less traditional than most,” noted Dalton. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Levi's (@levis) According to the hints Levi’s has been dropping on its social media pages, the new collection with Beyoncé will debut on Monday. The denim brand is capitalizing on the singer’s shoutout song “Levii’s Jeans” from her “Cowboy Carter” country album released earlier this year. While the brand declined to comment on specifics, Levi’s Instagram page features a billboard that reads, “Chapter 01 Sept. 30 ‘Launderette’,” above a woman’s torso wearing a white T-shirt, jeans and “Levii’s Jeans” belt buckle. Below the image, text reads, “Reimagined with Beyoncé. Music Levii’s Jeans.” Additional images depict a laundromat and Levi’s jeans in the wash. Fans speculated that Levi’s will be remaking its iconic Laundrette ad from 1985 with Beyoncé. Ahead of that potential reveal, here’s the original ad:

How Levi’s, Wrangler and other fashion brands are embracing cowboy culture

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