Costa Mesa will get a new headquarters of an apparel behemoth and score a win for California when the Dickies brand leaves 65,000 square feet in Fort Worth for new coastal digs.
It’s not clear whether the addition involves a new lease of office space for the 100 or so headquarters staffers of the Texas-born workwear-turned-hipster brand, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported.
Dickies is one of several brands under the umbrella of VF Corporation, a roster that includes Costa Mesa-based Vans, which operates from a 182,000-square-foot headquarters at 77 Fair Drive, where a fresco of its checkerboard insignia greets commuters on the 405 Freeway. Vans has several hundred employees at the Fair Drive office but could end up sharing space with colleagues from Dickies as parent VF continues a cost-cutting program.
The arrival of an apparel brand is old hat for Orange County, birthplace of the surfer segment of the industry and longtime hub for various labels and designers, ranging from Quicksilver to St. John Knits.
The departure of Dickies, meanwhile, prompted some consternation and a bit of defensive preening in Forth Worth, where the brand was founded 103 years ago.
“It’s worth noting that since 2005, more than 230 companies have left California and more than half of them have relocated to Texas,” Robert Allen, president and CEO of the Fort Worth Economic Development Partnership, told the Star-Telegram.
Dickies’ move could stem from how it has evolved in the marketplace from a standard workwear brand to a popular choice for style makers from rap musicians to skateboarders. The shift from utility to fashion appears to be in need of some fresh sensibilities, and the move to Southern California “will help us revitalize Dickies so we can carry on the brand’s heritage for years to come,” the company said in a statement.
The move came as a surprise to locals in Fort Worth, where Dickies recently moved from its longtime headquarters to the top floor of a downtown highrise, putting more than $4 million into upgrades and taking space for additions of staff.
Parent VF Corporation has since sought to cut costs of around $300 million annually and said it plans to focus on core brands and sell off others.