Wrangler is a manufacturer of jeans

Jeans

Jeans are trousers made from denim. Some of the earliest American blue jeans were made by Jacob Davis, Calvin Rogers, and Levi Strauss in 1873. Starting in the 1950s, jeans, originally designed for cowboys, became popular among teenagers. Historic brands include Levi's, Lee, and Wrangler...

 and other clothing items. The brand is owned by the VF Corporation, who also own Lee

Lee (Jeans)

Lee is a brand of denim jeans, first produced in 1889 in Salina, Kansas. The company is owned by VF Corporation, the largest apparel company in the world. Its headquarters is currently in Merriam, Kansas, just outside of Kansas City, Missouri...

, JanSport

JanSport

JanSport is a brand of backpacks owned by VF Corporation, one of the world's largest apparel companies. The company was founded in 1967 in Seattle, Washington by Jan Lewis , Murray Pletz and Skip Yowell...

 and The North Face

The North Face

The North Face, Inc. is an American outdoor product company specializing in outerwear, fleece, shirts, footwear, and equipment such as backpacks, tents, and sleeping bags....

, among others. Its headquarters is in downtown Greensboro, North Carolina

Greensboro, North Carolina

Greensboro is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the third-largest city by population in North Carolina and the largest city in Guilford County and the surrounding Piedmont Triad metropolitan region. According to the 2010 U.S...

, with production plants in a variety of locations throughout the world. Wrangler International is now chaired by Dieter Jacobfeuerborn.

Wrangler Jeans were first made by Blue Bell, who acquired the brand when they took over Casey Jones in the mid-1940s. Blue Bell employed Bernard Lichtenstein ('Rodeo Ben'), a Polish

Poland

Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...

 tailor from Łódź who worked closely with cowboy

Cowboy

A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the vaquero traditions of northern Mexico and became a figure of...

s, to help design jeans suitable for rodeo

Rodeo

Rodeo is a competitive sport which arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain, Mexico, and later the United States, Canada, South America and Australia. It was based on the skills required of the working vaqueros and later, cowboys, in what today is the western United States,...

 use. This was the origin of Wrangler Jeans. The 13MWZ style, introduced in 1947 as lot number 11MWZ, is still available worldwide. In addition to this, Wrangler has since introduced several other lines that are more designated towards a specific group or demographic. Some examples of this are 20X, Riggs and Aura.

Wrangler also has a line of music accessories targeted toward country music

Country music

Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...

 fans.

Wrangler also has a series of football commercials with Brett Favre

Brett Favre

Brett Lorenzo Favre is a former American football quarterback who spent the majority of his career with the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League . He was a 20-year veteran of the NFL, having played quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons , Green Bay Packers , New York Jets and Minnesota...

 playing a game of touch football

Touch football (American)

Touch football is a variant of American football in which the basic rules are similar to those of the mainstream game , but instead of tackling players to the ground, the person carrying the ball need only be touched by a member of the opposite team to end a down...

 in the mud.

History of the company

1897
Twenty-year-old C.C. Hudson leaves Spring Hill Farm in Williamson County, Tennessee

Williamson County, Tennessee

Williamson County is a county in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of 2010 US Census, the population was 183,182. The County's seat is Franklin, and it is part of the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin Metropolitan Statistical Area. The county is named after Hugh Williamson, a...

, and makes his way to North Carolina, seeking his fortune in the emerging textile industry. He finds work in a factory making overalls, where he earns 25 cents a day sewing on buttons.

1904
Hudson's workplace closes. He and a few others buy several of the sewing machines, lease space above a downtown grocery store and incorporate as the Hudson Overall Company.

1919
The business builds its first factory on the corner of South Elm Street and changes its name to Blue Bell Overall Company. Legend has it that a group of railroad workers who bought overalls at the Hudson store gave C.C. Hudson a bell, and after spending time in the factory, the bell — like everything else — became covered in blue denim

Denim

Denim is a rugged cotton twill textile, in which the weft passes under two or more warp threads. This produces the familiar diagonal ribbing identifiable on the reverse of the fabric, which distinguishes denim from cotton duck. Denim has been in American usage since the late 18th century...

 dust, hence "Blue Bell."

1936
Blue Bell launches Super Big Ben Overalls made out of 100% Sanforized Fabric that reduces shrinkage

Shrinkage (fabric)

Shrinkage is when a fabric becomes smaller than its original size, usually through the process of laundry. Novice users of modern laundry machines sometimes experience accidental shrinkage of garments, especially when applying heat. Others may intentionally try to shrink a garment in their size...

 after washing to less than 1%. This sets a new standard for the industry.

1943
Blue Bell acquires the Casey Jones Work-Clothes Company and the rights to a rarely used Casey Jones brand name: Wrangler.

1946
Blue Bell starts to develop a jeans line for cowboys, hiring famous tailor Rodeo Ben. Blue Bell workers take part in a contest to give the jeans a brand name. The winning name is Wrangler, synonymous with the name for a working cowboy.

1947
After designing and testing 13 pairs of prototype jeans, Blue Bell introduces the Wrangler 11MWZ to American consumers. The Wrangler Jeans featured several innovations aimed particularly at cowboys: Felled outseams and inseams, rear pockets positioned for comfort in the saddle, 'no scratch' rivet pocket reinforcement, a zipper fly, and use of a strong tack in the crotch instead of a metal rivet. A promotional campaign is launched featuring 11MWZ test riders and rodeo legends Freckles Brown

Freckles Brown

Warren Granger "Freckles" Brown was a rodeo performer born in Wheatland, Wyoming on January 18, 1921. He died March 20, 1987, at his ranch in Soper, Oklahoma....

, Bill Linderman

Bill Linderman

William E. Linderman was an American rodeo cowboy who competed on the Rodeo Cowboys Association circuit in the 1940s and 1950s. During his career, he won RCA All-Around Cowboy titles in 1950 and 1953, along with an unofficial All-Around Cowboy championship in 1945; in addition, he earned season...

 and Jim Shoulders

Jim Shoulders

James A. Shoulders, known as Jim Shoulders , is known as the "Babe Ruth of Rodeo".-Rodeo career:Shoulders entered—and won—his first rodeo when he was just fourteen...

.

1952
Lot number 11MWZ is renamed 13MWZ to conform to the 13 oz. per yard denim weight being used to manufacture the style.

1962
Blue Bell opens a factory in Belgium and the Wrangler brand name enjoys a successful launch in Europe.

1973
Wrangler jeans become an icon of youth culture, synonymous with teenagers the world over.

1974
The Pro Cowboys Association of American (PRCA) officially endorses Wrangler Jeans.

1986
Blue Bell merges with the VF Corporation of Pennsylvania, preparing the ground for the global success of the Wrangler brand.

1996
One of every five pairs of jeans sold in America is a Wrangler.

1997
The 50th anniversary of the 13MWZ. A Special Collectors Edition of the 13MWZ is created to celebrate this event.

2000
"Whatever You Ride" television ad campaign is launched, focusing on core brand values.
2001
Wrangler commences making its jeans in Mexico.
2002
"There's a bit of the West in all of us" TV and print ad campaign is launched, staying true to Wrangler's unique heritage while shifting it to a modern European setting.

2004
A new Wrangler European print campaign is launched, "Wanted," representing a powerful modern expression of Wrangler's roots. Wrangler also celebrates 100 years of manufacturing quality denim by producing Blue Bell by Wrangler, a limited edition collection that reproduces the first Wrangler jeans right down to the last detail and is only available at selected premium stores. Wrangler also reworks the mainstream collection, producing new fits using icons inspired by the very first jeans designed by Rodeo Ben. The Wrangler brand is now recognized in 22 European countries.
2005
Wrangler's last U.S. sewing plant is closed.
2010
Harrison Ford

Harrison Ford

Harrison Ford is an American film actor and producer. He is famous for his performances as Han Solo in the original Star Wars trilogy and as the title character of the Indiana Jones film series. Ford is also known for his roles as Rick Deckard in Blade Runner, John Book in Witness and Jack Ryan in...

 wears Wrangler jeans at his wedding to Calista Flockhart

Calista Flockhart

Calista Kay Flockhart is an American actress who is primarily recognized for her work in television. She is best known for playing the title character in the Fox comedy-drama series Ally McBeal for which she won a Golden Globe Award...

 in June 2010.

Auto racing

From 1982–1983, Dale Earnhardt

Dale Earnhardt

Ralph Dale Earnhardt, Sr. was an American race car driver, best known for his involvement in stock car racing for NASCAR...

 drove a blue and yellow # 15 Wrangler Ford in the NASCAR

NASCAR

The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...

 Winston Cup Series for car owner Bud Moore

Bud Moore

Bud Moore may refer to:* Bud Moore , American football player and coach* Bud Moore , former NASCAR owner**Bud Moore Engineering, his team* Bud Moore , former NASCAR driver...

. Wrangler followed Earnhardt to Richard Childress Racing

Richard Childress Racing

RCR Enterprises, LLC, doing business as Richard Childress Racing, is a NASCAR team based in Welcome, North Carolina, and is owned and operated by former driver Richard Childress...

 number 3. Oddly, They also stayed on that year with Bud Moore and driver Ricky Rudd

Ricky Rudd

Ricky Rudd is a former American NASCAR driver. He is the uncle of actor Skeet Ulrich and Nationwide Series driver Jason Rudd. Rudd is known as the "Iron Man" of NASCAR; holding the record for most consecutive starts in NASCAR racing. At the conclusion of the 2005 season, Rudd had made 788...

. In 1988, the primary sponsor became GM Goodwrench and the car was painted black. He became known as the "Man In Black," but Wrangler was still an associate sponsor. Earnhardt raced in the Wrangler colors again at the 1999 Winston. The car is now on display at the RCR museum, curated by one of Dale's former crew members, gasman Danny "Chocolate" Myers

Danny "Chocolate" Myers

Danny "Chocolate" Myers is an American stock car racing personality. A long-time staffer for Richard Childress Racing, he was the fueler on six of the team's NASCAR championships and is the current curator of the team's museum. He is a radio host on Sirius Satellite Radio...

. A 1987 Wrangler Chevrolet

Chevrolet

Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918...

 is also on display at the museum. Currently, Wrangler has an associate sponsorship deal with Dale Earnhardt, Jr. who has appeared in several commercials for the famed jean company. Dale Jr. won in a #3 Wrangler car on July 2, 2010 at Daytona, in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.