Von Dutch was a Y2K necessity in everyone’s closet in the early aughts. From celebrities in the bedazzled tank tops, trucker hats, and leather handbags to their fans recreating those same looks, Von Dutch was a brand that was highly coveted. Now, the brand is planning a comeback.
Its new owner, the brand management firm White Space Group went out on a limb in acquiring the brand from Groupe Royer which had owned the brand since 2009, according to BoF. The firm is resurging the brand into something fresh and new for the new generation of shoppers while leveraging the shoppers that had pieces from the brand in the 2000s.
The brand making a comeback in this time frame makes perfect sense as Y2K style seems to still be around through microtrends like baby tees, polos, and bedazzled trucker hats. This brand is coming back to life through the strategy of licensing. In the 2000s, Von Dutch reached $33 million in annual sales in 2003, according to BoF, just four years after its founding. The brand was really one of the most popular of their era with celebrities like Halle Berry wearing it out and about.
“Now you have the opportunity to capitalize on who remembers it from the early 2000s, and bring it to the young consumers interested in that time frame now,” said the WSG chief operating officer Marc Benitez to BoF. “Our goal is to tone it down and make it much more attractive to the everyday consumer…we intend on this brand having staying power, we’re not just focused on a specific time-sensitive movement, but we’re capitalizing on that time-sensitive opportunity,” he added.
Already, we’re seeing celebrities like supermodel Alton Mason wear the brand with a modern twist. We’re going to be keeping an eye out for what else is to come from Von Dutch’s resurgence. Think Coach’s comeback with Gen Z; it’s certainly possible.