Abercrombie & Fitch has turned to luxury Westernwear retailer Kemo Sabe for its latest partnership.
The Aspen-based Kemo Sabe, which operates six stores in Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Texas and Montana, is known for its premium boots, hats and Western apparel.
The collaboration with A&F is for a women’s-only collection of leather apparel and accessories, denim jeans and skirts and Western-inspired jewelry. Several of the pieces include embroidery and detailed stitching. The denim skirts are available in both Classic and Curve Love, Abercrombie’s popular fit that eliminates waist gap and features additional room through the hip and thigh. The collection also includes romantic dresses, statement tops and accessories. It also marks Kemo Sabe’s first global retail collaboration, allowing it to expand beyond its own stores in the west.
“We have admired Kemo Sabe and owner Wendy Kunkle for years,” said Corey Robinson, chief product officer at Abercrombie & Fitch Co. “She is someone with an incredible vision and a unique grasp of customer experience. Having spent time in their Aspen store, there are a lot of parallels between our brands and customers. The Western trend grew in the last year, and, while Abercrombie has released Trend Edits that have been Western-inspired, we wanted something unique in this space.”
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Robinson said there are “few brands more synonymous with Western apparel than Kemo Sabe. Further, there is such an authentic synergy with our own heritage story — both iconic American brands rooted in craftsmanship, quality and timeless style.”
He added that the partnership “allowed both brands to celebrate what they do best: Kemo Sabe’s iconic aesthetic combined with Abercrombie’s expertise in denim and apparel. Every piece from the 12-piece collection channels Kemo Sabe’s distinct design and heritage craftsmanship, paired with Abercrombie’s style-forward, quality product.”
Wendy Kunkle, president and owner of Kemo Sabe, also pointed to the unique opportunity to bring together two complementary businesses. “We admire Abercrombie & Fitch tremendously,” she said. “Abercrombie started as a hunting and fishing store in the 1800s — both stores have rich American history associated with their brands, and don’t take themselves too seriously. Abercrombie has been nothing but a joy to work with. We consider them not only working partners, but friends. There is nothing better than working with someone you trust and love.”
Neither Robinson nor Kunkle would say whether they will continue to work together in the future and both remain focused on this launch.
“The goal is to have fun with this collaboration and show Abercrombie & Fitch customers what Kemo Sabe is all about, and to show Kemo Sabe customers what Abercrombie & Fitch is all about,” Kunkle said. Robinson added: “We are focused on making this a successful launch for both brands. It has been a pleasure working with the Kemo Sabe team and we look forward to seeing our customers’ response to this collection.”
The Abercrombie x Kemo Sabe collection will retail for $50 to $500 and will be sold on the Abercrombie website on Thursday before rolling out to its stores on Nov. 6.
