von-dutch

Trucking Hell: Welcome Back Von Dutch

The infamous brand is back to crack a post-Motorola world

Words by Bailey Slater

There are few things as significant in the meaty cultural tapestry of the 2000s than trash-fashion. Where would we be without the ‘got blow?’ logo tees, those seedy “Miss June” Playboy necklaces, or most importantly, the ICONIC Von Dutch trucker hat? It was a time where even the high-street was in Vogue, and we all dared to bare our best glad-rags, no matter how questionable the resulting concoctions may have been. We’re looking at you, capri pants! After a couple of years in the shadows, as is par for the course when a brand cannot escape its immediate history, Von Dutch have joined the likes of Juicy Couture, Miss Sixty and even Groovy Chick in resurrecting fashion’s obsession with Y2K. But how did a brand that lends its name from a bigoted American pinstriper and artist immersed in the Kustom Kulture movement become Kylie Jenner’s reprieve from a bad hair day? A staple fit littering the pages of any early ‘aughts tabloid, Von Dutch originally came to prominence after their former director, the late French stylist Christian Audigier, had spotted an “I’m A Slave 4 U” era Britney Spears toddling about Melrose one sunny morning in 2002. As legend would have it, Audigier then flagged down the pop sensation, and somehow managed to graft her into accepting one of the brand's signature caps as a gift. A week later her and JT called it quits, with the tabloids capturing the respective stars in their logo emblazoned clobber as they dealt with the fall out. From then on everyone from Chezza Cole, Missy Elliott, Jordan and, most notably, Paris Hilton wanted a piece of the trucking pie. Like the furry Ugg boot, or the worn-in velour tracksuit a la Juicy Couture, the brand became a go-to for celeb off-license runs or the gruesome walks of shame captured by paparazzi. Anna Nicole Smith would even don her own custom Cowboy-ified version on Jimmy Fallon, complete with a baby pink bowling bag. But as the 2010s approached, we set our sights on the sexy-yet-simple universe of American Apparel, and kicked dirt in the eyes of the brand's denim miniskirts with a simple pair of Toms. Now back in the business of serving LA’s entertainment elite, the brand has since cleared all their licences and kissed goodbye to the pools of mass-marketing that continue to dilute the brand, adopting a limited drop system based on feeling, not season. “We didn't really put too much thinking behind what it would become,” says Ed Goldman, the brands General Director, of their relaunch “it was just like, ‘What do we actually like?’” Having spotted the tidal wave of Y2K-revival from a mile off, Goldman joined the team back in 2019, tasked with masterminding exactly how Von Dutch would return to the top of the hat making hierarchy. After making over their admittedly “dumpy” Melrose flagship, turning their signature trucker caps into a hot-ticket item at $89, creating strong links with the city's hip-hop community – including co-signs from the likes of Travis Scott and Megan Thee Stallion – and engaging a plethora of rising social media stars, the building blocks of their return immediately fell into place. “Around March 2020 there was a ton of social media interaction with some really top-tier celebrities and rappers, and that’s what got it going. It literally went from one to 100 overnight” says Goldman. “That's really it. There’s not a lot of big marketing, or Harvard studies that we went through to try to revive Von Dutch. We just talked to a lot of people on the street and really tried to connect with what matters in today's US culture.” With so much nostalgia surrounding the brand’s reboot, Goldman believes that an explicit pivot to streetwear, following in the footsteps of the Palace and Supreme with a slew of limited drops and collaborations with the likes of Budweiser, fast-food giant Popeyes, Puma, and Parisian label Koché, is the key to keeping things as fresh as possible. “I don’t want to get into a seasonal routine,” says Goldman, astutely aware of the challenges losing your core customer base brings, “that ship sailed a long time ago, you know?” Control is ultimately where the brand finds their confidence that things will last long after Gen-Z move on from their obsession with the aughts. “Luckily for us, we're a family owned company in Paris, so there's less pressure on selling more to keep the brand hot,” says Goldman, separating themselves from Evisu, Ed Hardy and even Juicy Couture. “We can balance things a little bit better than a licenced company that has a lot of pressure on volume, they're forced to do things that you normally don't want to do.” Goldman is of course talking about the land of designer-discount, which the brand have left in the country in favour of the US’ many metropolitan hubs, from Houston to Chicago and Atlanta to New York . “You can’t walk down the street in Brooklyn without seeing someone in our pieces,” says Goldman, “I mean, we could sell 80% of our business in those MetroCard areas.” For powerhouse stylist Andrew Davis, the brand’s success lies in the myth of making normal folk feel like rockstars. “It was an easily accessible brand that appealed to the masses, with great celebrity endorsement,” he says – with ‘masses’ being the key word here – “unfortunately the taste of the masses is questionable.” Davis recalls their hey-day, also known as the magpie noughties, as an exciting new era for design akin to that of Paris’ Arts Decoratifs Expo in the 1920s, just with more rhinestones. Bridget Gushue, the eagle-eyed ‘aughts Instagrammer behind @literaltrash2004, is a little less effusive. “Let’s face it, they’re not the most innovative designs. It’s a patch that says “Von Dutch” on a trucker hat, but for some reason when Paris and Britney wore it the world needed it.” Though the excessive branding might not be to her liking, Gushue says that’s a testament to the era, describing it’s return as “the perfect storm” for millennials who still hadn’t really left the decade. “It feels like the younger generation saw how colorful, vibrant, irreverent and fun the fashion was of that era and wanted to bring that energy into the present.” Well, they succeeded. From polka-dotted sliders and pastel pink graffiti tracksuits to a brand new pride collection and upcoming Hulu series, it’s safe to say the brand is beating the hype, recementing their status in American culture for an entirely new generation. Love it or hat(e) it, Von Dutch will always be an obsession.

"There’s not a lot of big marketing, or Harvard studies that we went through to try to revive Von Dutch. We just talked to a lot of people on the street." – Ed Goldman, General Director

Fun Fact: The brand still have a 'Keepsake Book' of their pieces on the biggest celebrities of the 'aughts, to remind them of the biggest moments in their immediate history. Here's mine!

“Let’s face it, they’re not the most innovative designs [...] but when Paris and Britney wore it – the world needed it.” – Bridget Gushue, @literaltrash2004