The Y2K resurgence isn’t over yet. At least, that’s what Von Dutch’s new owners hope. Today, White Space Group, a new New York-based brand management company, announced it acquired the aughts-favourite brand, previously owned by French footwear company Groupe Royer since 2009. The acquisition cost remains undisclosed.
White Space’s goal is to transform Von Dutch’s recent online popularity into sustained sales. WSG Brands plans to expand its US market (currently, 90 percent of sales are international), invigorate its marketing with new collaborations and campaigns centered on its American heritage, and partner with the right collaborators.
Marc Benitez, WSG Brands’ COO, emphasized the brand’s relevance, global awareness, and licensing potential. “When you couple these aspects with the trend of Y2K brands and what they mean to the younger generation, the stars aligned,” Benitez remarked.
The 2000s fashion trend, riding a wave of licensing deals, has seen brands like Ed Hardy and Juicy Couture revive their popularity. However, licensing presents challenges by forcing the owner to sacrifice some control over the brand’s appearance, production, and distribution, pointed out Sonia Lapinsky, managing director at Alix Partners.
Von Dutch’s swift rise in the early 2000s, which saw annual sales surpass $33 million by 2003, was followed by a rapid decline. Paris Hilton, a significant figure in the brand’s initial popularity, said in Hulu’s 2021 documentary “The Curse of Von Dutch: A Brand to Die For,” “It used to be cool people wearing it, then all of a sudden this cheesy, random crowd started wearing it.”
After a series of controversies, Groupe Royer bought Von Dutch in 2009. Despite several international licensing partnerships and a recent sub-label, Von Dutch Paris, aimed at the upscale market, the brand struggled with consistency.
Nonetheless, TikTok and celebrities like Bella Hadid and Emma Chamberlain have boosted Von Dutch’s cultural relevance. Mentions of the brand on social media surged nearly 13,000 percent last year, inspired by nostalgia for Y2K trends.
Von Dutch’s new owners plan to unify its look and pricing across markets and reestablish wholesale relationships in the US. Currently, its state-side business is largely direct-to-consumer. “Our goal is to tone it down and make it much more attractive to the everyday consumer,” Benitez shared.
Focusing on Americana in its upcoming campaigns, WSG has already hired a brand manager and teamed up with licensees like C-Life and Supply Accessories, aiming to reestablish Von Dutch’s market position.
However, while the brand’s name is trending, converting this into genuine demand is uncertain. Post-documentary, searches dwindled, and Instagram followers saw a minor 3 percent growth in three years. Ultimately, sustaining interest in a brand experiencing multiple comeback attempts will require strategic marketing and partnerships.
Benitez concluded, “We intend on this brand having staying power, capitalizing on this time-sensitive opportunity.”
