Wrangler Bets on Material Science to Modernize a 75-Year-Old Denim Brand

Quick Facts

Wrangler’s Toughlite denim, launched July 9, weighs up to 20% less than traditional 14.75-ounce heavyweight denim and retails for $69.99
The brand’s Dyneema Riding Jeans, launched in February 2026, incorporate fiber 15 times stronger than steel and retail for $89.99
Wrangler’s Indigood foam-dyeing process cuts water use from 400 gallons per 100 yards of fabric down to 3.5 gallons

Wrangler, owned by Kontoor Brands (NYSE: KTB), is running multiple fabric innovation programs at once. The strategy spans lightweight performance denim, ultra-high-strength fibers, near-waterless dyeing, and circular manufacturing. Each program targets a different gap in the brand’s existing lineup.

The most recent launch is Toughlite, which became available on July 9 at Wrangler.com and select retailers nationwide. The fabric is a 99% cotton, 1% elastane blend engineered to offer airflow and flexibility without a break-in period. It debuts in the 13MWZ Original Fit Cowboy Cut and the 936 Slim Fit Cowboy Cut, in four washes.

Holly Wheeler, VP of Global Brand Marketing at Kontoor Brands, described the product’s intent directly. “Wrangler has always stood for durability you can trust. With Toughlite, we pushed ourselves further, engineering a fabric that’s up to 20% lighter, has enhanced airflow, and is incredibly flexible, while not sacrificing durability,” she said.

Five months before Toughlite, Wrangler introduced its first-ever styles using Dyneema fiber. The women’s Riding Jeans line launched in February 2026 with two high-rise styles built from 12-ounce denim: 90% cotton, 5% Dyneema, 4% T-400, and 1% elastane. Dyneema, a polyethylene fiber made by Avient, is marketed as 15 times stronger than steel by weight while remaining light enough to float on water.

The two styles are the High Rise Rodeo Bootcut and the Skylar High Rise Relaxed Riding Jean, both priced at $89.99. Chiharu Pidgeon, Global Business Manager for Dyneema at Avient, said the collaboration shows “how high-performance materials can redefine traditional apparel categories.”

On the production side, Wrangler has been scaling Indigood, its foam-dyeing technology developed with the Fiber and Biopolymer Research Institute at Texas Tech University. Wrangler and Lee, along with the Walmart Foundation, were early investors in the process.

Standard rope dyeing uses 400 gallons of water per 100 yards of fabric. The Indigood foam-dyeing process uses 3.5 gallons for the same output. The process also cuts energy use and waste by more than 60% compared to conventional dyeing. Wrangler says it could reduce production cycle times by 50% to 90%.

Wrangler also joined Accelerating Circularity, a Walmart Foundation-funded nonprofit, to develop a five-pocket jean from upcycled denim. That effort connects to Wrangler Reborn, a program launched in 2022 that uses vintage and preloved denim fabric, some dating to the 1950s, to produce new products without generating demand for new raw materials.

For operators in apparel and DTC, the Wrangler story illustrates a specific approach to product development: run parallel innovation tracks targeting performance, sustainability, and durability, then bring each to market under the same heritage brand umbrella. The Toughlite and Dyneema lines both carry price points above mass-market denim, with Dyneema styles at $89.99 and Toughlite at $69.99, suggesting Wrangler is using material science to justify margin expansion alongside brand differentiation.

Kontoor Brands has not disclosed revenue projections for any of these product lines.