Dickies, iconic Fort Worth brand for 100 years, is moving its headquarters to California
Dickies, the iconic workwear manufacturer founded in Fort Worth more than century ago, is moving headquarters to California.
The move will impact about 120 employees in Fort Worth, but Dickies will still maintain a “strong employment presence” here.
Dickies’ parent company, VF Corp., said Dickies will relocate to an existing campus in Costa Mesa, California, where it already has a headquarters for its Vans shoes brand. The company said the change “will help us revitalize Dickies so we can carry on the brand’s heritage for years to come.”
The relocation is expected to be complete by May 2025.
“These kinds of decisions are never made lightly. We are deeply grateful for our Dickies associates’ dedication and hard work and want to recognize the camaraderie and commitment they have shown to the brand,” VF’s director of external communication Ashley McCormack said in a statement.
The surprising news comes just over a year after Dickies moved from its historic West Vickery Boulevard campus into a new top-floor headquarters on Taylor Street in downtown, spending about $4.5 million on renovations of the 65,000-square-foot space with room for 220 employees. It has maintained its retail store at 521 W. Vickery Blvd.
Colorado-based VF Corp. has struggled in recent years. The apparel and footwear maker with brands including Vans and North Face is in the middle of a turnaround plan that includes focusing on core brands, selling other businesses and cutting $300 million.
‘We wish them well’
Fort Worth leaders aren’t happy about the news.
Mayor Mattie Parker suggested in a statement that the company will regret its decision to leave business-friendly Fort Worth.
“Great success stories have their roots in Fort Worth and Dickies is just one example. While we understand companies are sometimes forced to make difficult budget decisions under new leadership, we think VFC will find – as others have – that Fort Worth, Texas is ultimately a more competitive place to do business,” Parker said.
Robert Allen, president and CEO of the Fort Worth Economic Development Partnership, noted that hundreds of companies have left California for Texas over the past two decades.
“Change is always a part of business. Fort Worth has enjoyed its relationship with Dickies and we wish them well. It’s worth noting that since 2005, more than 230 companies have left California and more than half of them have relocated to Texas,” Allen said.
“VF Corporation has made its choice, but it goes against the trend of the massive amounts of companies heading to Texas. And we in Fort Worth continue to experience exponential growth with the recent announcements of Siemens, DrinkPAK, Embraer, the creation of Texas A&M Fort Worth, and the expansion of UTA West.”
A statement from city hall said Dickies’ strong Texas roots and success story is likely what made it attractive to VF Corp. when it acquired the brand in 2017 for $820 million in cash. “The company is a true Texas original – everything from its iconic, internationally-known workwear to its local legacy reflects the spirit of Fort Worth and what our city will always stand for,” read the statement.
Williamson-Dickie started as a family-owned company in Fort Worth over 100 years ago, and has navigated through several inflection points over the decades. After World War II, Dickies took the brand international, introducing its work wear line into the European market. In the 1980s, Dickies saw hip-hop artists like N.W.A. adopt its clothing. By the ‘90s, Dickies had infiltrated skateboarding culture as the go-to for durability and comfort.
‘We’re proud to call Fort Worth home’
When Dickies announced its move to downtown Fort Worth in early 2023, the company emphasized it has been a proud part of the Fort Worth community since its infancy, and the move to the Tower complex “will allow us to collaborate more freely, build deeper relationships with makers in our own backyard, and access top talent as we continue to grow. We’re proud to call Fort Worth home and can’t wait for this new chapter to unfold.”
The space also includes an archive room with old pictures and clothing spanning the company’s 102 years.
The brand has remained synonymous with Fort Worth and North Texas. Dickies makes the clothing for Big Tex at the State Fair of Texas in Dallas. The company holds the naming rights for Dickies Arena, which opened in 2019.
VF Corp.’s most recent quarterly earnings report in October showed the company met expectations with “broad-based improvement in year-on-year trends.” It said it was on track to reach $300 million in savings by the end of fiscal 2025. Year-over-year revenue for the quarter ending in September was down 6% among all its brands; for Dickies, it was down 11%.
McCormack, the VF Corp. spokeswoman, said the company remains “proud” of Dickies’ roots in Fort Worth.
“The brand will maintain a strong employment presence in the area, with associates who will continue to work in the Fort Worth distribution facility, as well as the warehouse and stores in the greater Dallas/Fort Worth area,” she said.
This story is developing and will be updated. Staff writers Brayden Garcia and Harrison Mantas contributed reporting.
This story was originally published November 21, 2024 at 4:26 PM.
