Jeans on Parade in Greensboro, Home of Wrangler and Cone
The two companies, so important to the history and ongoing innovation in denim, are celebrating their hometown in North Carolina with a day they call “Jeansboro.” A series of painted fiberglass sculptures of pants, complete with rivets and back pockets, is getting noticed as more are installed along the town’s main street.
Greensboro, N.C. is home to two denim companies most integral to American denim production and its ethos —the headquarters of VF Corp. (owner of that performance cowboy favorite, Wrangler) and the flagship factory of Cone Mills (the storied 125-year-old denim maker and innovator).
Since 2015, Wrangler and Cone have tipped their hats to the city through an event dubbed “Jeansboro,” featuring celebrities, music, food and family-friendly events. On the march as part of that celebration, as of last year, is an on-going parade of larger-than-life pants—sculptures commissioned by Wrangler and Cone for a city-wide art installation.
The companies in 2016 called for entries by students and artists, asking for a range of topics to be depicted on the 4-foot tall fiberglass sculptures. Designs (which were chosen by Wrangler and Cone employees) could depict something local: sports, team mascots, Revolutionary War history, the area’s textile industry heritage, the influence of jeans in popular culture, notable school or state alumni, or local floral and fauna and the natural beauty of the Piedmont, were among the company’s suggestions.
The young designers came through. As a result, the statues— jeans-clad legs from the waist down that look like they might walk off at any moment—carry sporty themes, psychedelic art, international and local flags, nature, and images celebrating Carolina history and homegrown pride. The first six were unveiled last year (painted by the artists with acrylics based on the winning designs submitted in the contest) and another round of the quirky sculptures will be completed by local artists this year.
The sculptures don’t cause quite the stir as, say, race car driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. did when he showed up for Jeansboro last fall. But they do garner their own notice. Small children, teenagers and older folks of all walks of life can be seen inspecting the painted images that cover the “legs” and their back pockets, taking selfies, or imitating their various confident stances. Anyone wandering Greensboro will find a statue here or there along Elm, in urban plazas and near green spaces. It works, suggests Craig Errington, Wrangler’s vice president of marketing, because of how denim jeans have long been understood as articles of clothing that become highly individualized — and loved — as time goes by.
“Blue jeans have become an engrained part of our common experience, from our American agricultural and Western heritage to rock n’ roll and high fashion,” he said in a statement. “This is an exciting way for all of the incredibly talented students in our area to have a chance to put their stamp on a very special legacy here in Greensboro and the greater Triad.”