Genesco Inks Footwear License With Wrangler as Levi’s Deal Comes to an End

Genesco is making another big move with its licensing division.

On Tuesday, the Nashville-based footwear company revealed that it inked a new multiyear licensing agreement with Kontoor Brands to design, source and market men’s, women’s and children’s footwear under the Wrangler brand.

The company noted that the agreement is a “strategic move for both companies,” designed to support Wrangler’s growth and development as a cross-category lifestyle brand and leverage and build on Genesco’s extensive branded footwear expertise. Wrangler previous worked with TwistedX for its footwear license.

Rick Higgins, president of Genesco Brands Group, told FN in an interview on Tuesday that the first Wrangler footwear collection from the company is expected to launch for fall 2026 and will feature some classic Western shoe models as well as workwear-inspired silhouettes.

“At Genesco Brands Group, we’ve always done a great job with our workwear and casual lifestyle offering,” Higgins said. “This is something that you will see come to life across men’s, women’s and kids’ in the coming seasons.”

The executive added that consumers can expect to find the same comfort technology used in Genesco’s shoes for its Dockers license in the new range.

“The consumer is demanding innovation and comfort, and that’s one of the things that obviously is helping drive awareness for Dockers, and we will continue to incorporate that throughout everything that we do, in any of the brands that we’re doing,” Higgins noted. “Wrangler specifically gives us an opportunity to really elevate that with technology.”

For Steve Armus, vice president of licensing and collaborations at Wrangler, he’s excited to team up with Genesco for its track record in interpreting brands and bringing compelling footwear to market.

“This licensing agreement represents a promising opportunity to introduce Wrangler footwear to a wide audience,” Armus said. “We believe this partnership will strengthen our brand presence and allow more consumers to experience the quality and heritage of Wrangler in an exciting new product category.”

This new license for Genesco comes after Levi’s CEO Michelle Gass said last year that the denim brand would be exiting the footwear business. Genesco previously held the shoe license for Levi’s.

“Wrangler is the next chapter,” Higgins said. “The 75-year-old label has really been building brand heat under Kontoor over the past few years, and we are excited to be a part of that growth. And Wrangler is just a great brand to work with and is a testament to how we want to grow our branded business. With Wrangler now part of the portfolio, it gives us an opportunity to elevate into new distribution and to some premium product.”

Will Genesco add more licenses in the near future? Higgins hinted at more to come.

“Our CEO Mimi has been very vocal in how we are right-sizing our portfolio when it comes to Genesco Brands Group and building that with meaningful brand that feel much more scalable than before,” the executive added. “Wrangler provides us that opportunity compared to some of the licenses that we have shed along the way over the last few years.”