Von Dutch

This article is about the company. For the artist the company is named after, see Kenny Howard. For the Charli XCX song, see Von Dutch (song).

Von Dutch, WSG VD
IndustryMen’s and women’s apparel and accessories
Founded1999; 25 years ago (1999)
Headquarters
New Jersey
,
United States
Area served
USA, Indonesia, Brazil, Australia, Europe, HK, Malaysia, Singapore, China
ProductsShirts, jackets, shoes, hats, jeans, bags, eyewear, watches, and belts/buckles
OwnerWSG (White Space Group)
ParentWSG
Websitewww.vondutch.com

Von Dutch is an American multinational fashion brand posthumously named after Kenny Howard, a.k.a. "Von Dutch", an American artist and pinstriper of the Kustom Kulture movement.[1] After Howard's death in 1992, his daughters allowed Ed Boswell to produce items using the Von Dutch trademark logo.[2] The trademark rights were sold in 1996 to Mike Cassell who, with Robert Vaughn, used the logo for an apparel line named Von Dutch Originals.[3] French designer Christian Audigier helped popularize the brand in the early 2000s. Von Dutch was repurchased in 2009 by Groupe Royer S.A., through its Luxembourg subsidiary Royer brands International S.a.r.l. In 2024, WSG (White Space Group) purchased the global rights from Groupe Royer S.A. and plans to continue the journey of bringing Von Dutch back in a compelling way.

The clothing brand gained popularity in the US and attracted the attention of celebrities such as Paris Hilton, Whitney Houston, Madonna, Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Jay-Z, Ashton Kutcher and Eric Church.[4][5][6][7][8][9]

  1. ^ Thomas, Karen (26 August 2003). "Stars get revved up over Von Dutch". USA Today. Archived from the original on 30 July 2004. Retrieved 13 January 2011.
  2. ^ "Von Dutch homepage". Neuronsyndicate.com. Archived from the original on 12 February 2015. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
  3. ^ Kaplan, Ilana (17 November 2021). "The Untold Story of Von Dutch". The New York Times. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
  4. ^ "Being Bobby Brown Episode 7". 4 August 2005.
  5. ^ "Brand Strategy: Build an Icon, Not a Fad". Brandingstrategyinsider.com. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
  6. ^ Biederman, Patricia Ward (2 September 2002). "Car Painter Earned His Stripes". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
  7. ^ David, Mark (17 December 2011). "Von Dutch Tycoon Tonny Sorensen Lists L.A. Crib". Variety. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
  8. ^ Moore, Booth (2 January 2004). "Going Von Dutch". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
  9. ^ Kilgannon, Corey; Chapman, Ben (6 April 2009). "Transplanting the Legend of the Santa Cruz Surf". The New York Times. p. 21. Retrieved 14 January 2011.