CWF to develop Timberland's children's collections in the United States

The duration of the licence has not been announced, but CWF is taking over from American brand licensing specialist Centric Brands, which has held the licenses for children's collections from the likes of Under Armour and Nautica.

The first collection with an outdoor feel will be launched for spring-summer 2024 and will be aimed at children aged 3 months to 16 years. "Each piece will be made using expert craftsmanship and sustainable materials," says the CWF group in a press release.

Pieces such as Timberland's iconic Stratford and Benton jackets will be part of the range, which will be complemented by dungarees and technical trousers.

The signing of this new licensing agreement comes not long after the children's fashion specialist benefited from a reinvestment of 140 million euros from its current shareholders: Arkéa Capital (the private equity subsidiary of the Crédit Mutuel Arkéa group), Raise Investissement and Dzeta Group. CWF's portfolio includes fourteen licences such as Aigle, Kenzo Kids and Givenchy, as well as two of its own brands.

With a presence in 80 countries and nearly 2,500 points of sale, including 350 department stores, 70 pure players and 65 'Kids around' shops (its own multi-brand concept), CWF's sales reached 284 million euros in 2022.

For its part, the American group VF Corporation, owner of Timberland, Vans and Dickies, reported a 2% fall in sales to 11.6 billion dollars (10.78 billion euros) in its 2022/23 financial year, which ended on April 30. Over the period, Timberland's sales fell by 9%.