Wrangler® Uses 100 Percent Alabama-Grown Cotton In New Rooted Collection
Wrangler®, a global icon in jeanswear and casual apparel, partnered with a Alabama cotton farmer to create a locally sourced denim collection honoring land stewardship and championing state pride. The Wrangler Rooted Collection™ is a limited, premium line made from 100% sustainable, locally sourced cotton. Each piece is grown, milled, cut and sewn in the U.S., helping to ensure America’s denim heritage for future generations.
Made with 100% sustainable cotton from Newby Farms in Athens, the Alabama Jean is one of five state-specific designs featured in the Wrangler Rooted Collection. The Alabama Jean has a unique wash, as well as trim and patch details featuring the state’s silhouette and other embellishments. The collection also includes two Alabama T-shirt designs.
“The Wrangler Rooted Collection reflects our commitment to strengthening local communities and supporting U.S. farmers,” said Tom Waldron, president of Wrangler. “Equally important, the introduction of this collection aligns with our goal to continually improve the environmental performance and traceability of our products.”
The Newbys and four other family farms who are supplying cotton to the Rooted Collection are the original growers in the Wrangler Science and Conservation program, which advocates for land stewardship and best practices for soil health. These science-backed methods build crop resilience to weather disruptions while improving yield, reducing water and energy inputs, fighting erosion, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Wrangler aims to source 100% of its cotton from farms using soil health practices by 2025.
“If farmers don’t tell their story, nobody will,” said Elizabeth Newby, a partner in Newby Farms with her uncle Jimmy Newby, cousins John and James Newby, brother Jerry Allen Newby, and husband Justin Crow. “By purchasing our cotton, Wrangler is putting a farming face to their jeans so people can see where their fiber comes from and helping us tell our story.”
The Rooted Collection is all American, from the farm and the fabric to the cut and sew operations. In addition to the Alabama apparel, there are special jeans for Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee and Texas.
The denim fabric is made by Mount Vernon Mills in Trion, Georgia, and the jeans are cut and sewn by Excel Manufacturing in El Paso, Texas.
The all-cotton T-shirts are made with cotton grown by Vance and Mandie Smith and are manufactured throughout the Carolinas.
The Wrangler Rooted Collection initially will be available through Wrangler.com and participating retailers that will be announced later. Jeans will retail for approximately $100 per pair, with T-shirts priced from $30 each.