Williamson-Dickie, a storied 102-year-old Fort Worth-based clothing company specializing in tough workwear, is leaving Cowtown for the West Coast.
A company representative confirmed to NBC 5 on Thursday that VF Corporation, the branded apparel company that bought Dickies in October 2017 for $820 million, was moving the headquarters to Costa Mesa, California so that they could share space with other brands.
"By co-locating Dickies with our Vans team in Costa Mesa, we will create an even more vibrant campus where creativity and best practice sharing can thrive through greater collaboration and connections – creating a dynamic and innovative environment similar to our other VF co-branded offices," the Dickies representative said in a statement.
Dickies said about 120 employees who work at the headquarters in Fort Worth will lose their jobs as a result of the consolidation move.
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"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," the representative said. "Our priority is to ensure that everyone is treated with respect and care throughout this process. We will provide resources and assistance to help them navigate the next steps in their careers."
Dickies said the move does not impact employees working at a local distribution facility, local warehouses, and stores in the Metroplex.
City officials said they were aware of the proposed move and said Dickies is a true Texas original and an example of the kind of success stories that businesses can find in Fort Worth.
“Great success stories have their roots in Fort Worth and Dickies is just one example," said Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker. "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.”
The company said the move to California will be carefully managed over an "extended transition period" and is expected to be completed by May 2025.
"We remain proud of Dickies storied Fort Worth roots," the company said. "While this was a tough call, we are confident this change will help us revitalize Dickies so we can carry on the brand’s heritage for years to come."
In 1980, the company moved its headquarters to a historic two-story brick building on Lipscomb Street. Before Dickies moved in, the Romanesque-style building served as Stephen F. Austin Elementary School from 1892 until 1977. Dickies remained at the building until 2020, when they moved to their current headquarters on West Vickery Boulevard. The Lipscomb Street headquarters, the oldest standing school building in Tarrant County, has been rebranded as The Schoolhouse on Lipscomb and is named in the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
Six months before the company was sold to VF Corp., Dickies secured the naming rights to a new 14,000-seat arena being built in the Fort Worth Cultural District. The area opened in 2019 and has since been known as Dickies Arena.
Along with Dickies and Vans, VF Corp. owns lifestyle brands The North Face, Timberland, Jansport and Eastpak.
Editor's Note: A previous version of this article said VF Corp owned the Wrangler and Lee brands. In 2018, VF Corp spun off its denim business into a new company, Kontoor Brands. We regret the error.
