Dickies acquired by Bluestar Alliance in 600 million dollars deal

VF Corporation has announced a definitive agreement to sell its Dickies brand to Bluestar Alliance for 600 million dollars in cash. The transaction is expected to close by the end of 2025, pending regulatory approvals.

A new chapter for an iconic brand

Dickies is an iconic American brand known for its durable workwear that has also become a key part of streetwear culture. With a history spanning over a century, the brand is recognised for its authentic style and is distributed in 55 countries.

Joseph Gabbay, CEO of Bluestar Alliance, stated that the firm has long appreciated Dickies' history and is committed to supporting its future growth by leveraging its consumer insights and operational expertise.

For Bluestar, the acquisition builds on the brand management company’s growing roster of premium labels, which it has bolstered over the last few years through the acquisition of Off-White and Palm Angels. In a 2024 interview, on the back of rescuing Dutch brand Scotch & Soda from administration, Gabbay told FashionUnited that the firm was always exploring brands and businesses that boasted strong heritage, DNA and value proposition, keeping in mind their respective strategic benefits.

Dickies sale to reduce VF’s net debt

From the perspective of VF, meanwhile, the decision to offload Dickies comes amid a group-wide turnaround plan, ongoing since 2023. Under the ‘Reinvent’, VF, which also owns The North Face, Vans and Timberland, had set out to improve its operating performance and review its portfolio, which resulted in the sale of Supreme in 2024.

Dickies is therefore the latest VF label on the chopping block. The brand was acquired by the group in 2017 for 820 million dollars as part of efforts to “drive transformative growth” throughout the business. More recently, however, Dickies has failed to positively contribute to VF’s turnaround. For the financial year 2024/25, the workwear brand saw turnover drop 12 percent, contributing to the overall 4 percent decrease in the group’s turnover.

Despite this, Bracken Darrell, CEO of VF Corporation, expressed confidence that Dickies has a "bright future" under Bluestar Alliance's ownership. Darrell continued: “As I’ve said before, we continuously evaluate our portfolio and this transaction will enable us to bring our net debt level down and will be accretive to our growth on a pro-forma basis. I want to thank the entire Dickies team for their strong commitment to transforming the brand.”

Bluestar Alliance, founded in 2006, is a global brand management firm that owns and markets a portfolio of premium fashion and lifestyle brands, generating over 10 billion dollars in global retail sales. The firm manages a network of more than 500 licensees and over 500 stores worldwide.