Wrangler · History
Why collectors care
Wrangler is best known for jeans, but the brand also sold Western boots. Collectors meet 1970s pairs in retail catalogs and resale listings, and a far larger number of recent pairs made under license. The label alone does not tell you which one you are holding.
Wrangler is a brand, not a documented factory. For the 1970s, sources name a Wrangler Boot Company in Nashville but do not say who owned it or where later pairs were built.
Company history
| Year | What happened | Collector meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 1943 | Blue Bell buys the Casey Jones Work-Clothes Company and, with it, the rarely used Wrangler name. The date comes from Wikipedia, which gives no citation for it. | The name predates the jeans |
| 1947 | Blue Bell introduces Wrangler 11MWZ jeans | Wrangler becomes a Western brand |
| 1969 | Sam Lucchese works as a consultant to the Wrangler Boot Company in Nashville, per the Handbook of Texas | Earliest dated reference to Wrangler boots found so far |
| 1970 | Sam Lucchese sells Lucchese to Blue Bell, Incorporated, of Greensboro, North Carolina, which the Handbook of Texas calls “the parent company of Wrangler” | Lucchese and Wrangler share an owner. No source found says Lucchese built Wrangler boots. |
| 1976 | Sheplers Western Wear, Spring 1976, sells the Caravan, Eagle, Miss Laurel, and Sweetwater, each printed “by WRANGLER®” | Dated, named models in the Bootmaker Catalog |
| 1986 | VF Corporation acquires Blue Bell, including the Wrangler brand | Ownership change |
| 2019 | VF completes the spinoff of its jeans business as Kontoor Brands, which includes Wrangler | Current brand owner |
| 2021 | Wrangler footwear made under license by Twisted X begins distribution in the spring. Wrangler called it the brand’s “inaugural venture into the category.” | Modern licensed pairs. The “inaugural” claim conflicts with the 1969–1976 evidence above. |
| 2025 | Wrangler and Genesco announce a multiyear footwear license, with the first collection due in Fall 2026 | Newest licensed production |
Known for
1970s Blue Bell–era Wrangler boots; a brand name, not a documented factory