Dockers is getting a facelift.The apparel brand known for popularising khakis and casual workwear in the late 80s and throughout the 90s has been undergoing a bit of a style and marketing revival in recent years. And now, the leadership team is ready to talk about it. Speaking with Inside Retail, Dockers CEO Natalie MacLennan explained that the brand, which is part of Levi Strauss & Co, underwent a restructure in 2020, which has given the business the focus – and resources – it needs to reinvent itself for a modern consumer. “Since 2020, we’ve changed the structure of how Dockers works with Levi Strauss & Co,” MacLennan said. “We really wanted to make sure that Dockers had focus.”At the time the rebranding initiative began in 2020, MacLennan was working as the vice president of Dockers digital, new business and strategy, before being promoted to vice president of global retail, e-commerce and licensing in May 2022.In May this year, MacLennan was officially named CEO of the almost 40-year-old brand.  “I came over with a bunch of other leadership team members,” she said. “For us, what was really important was getting the brand focused and resetting a new strategy. What we had been doing hadn’t been working great, so we’ve spent the last three-and-a-half years pushing towards that strategy.”The strategy, as she explained it, involves reinvigorating the brand’s image with new marketing initiatives, focusing on local and international expansion, bringing back classic Dockers designs, while introducing stylish new pieces to younger consumer groups, and  keeping the original ethos of the brand alive.“We’re going back to our sunny California roots. Dockers was literally a term that came from people working on the docks in San Francisco, that was our original icon,” stated MacLennan.The rise, fall, and return of DockersLevi Strauss & Co launched Dockers in 1986 with the aim of bridging the gap between the suit that dominated the officewear market and jeans that made up the weekender’s wardrobe. However, as MacLennan pointed out, the distinction between workwear and casual wear has become almost nonexistent in recent years, so Dockers’ position as the officeworker’s go-to brand has faded. Now the business is trying to revive its casually cool aesthetic for a more versatile dresser. “We’re working hard to expand beyond the office…In the past, Dockers had this strictly officewear image. Dockers was saying, ‘No, you don’t need to be buttoned up and wearing a suit to go to the workplace.’ So what is the version of that today?”MacLennan elaborated that people are working from home, but also Airbnbs, mountaintops, and many other places, and need a varied wardrobe for whatever activity they are doing, whether it’s traveling, working in an office, or playing with your kids on the beach.As part of the relaunch, Dockers will open approximately 30 new stores in 2024, bringing its total number to about 100 company-operated retail stores and over 200 direct-to-consumer locations. Currently, Dockers has seven stores in the US, with two having opened just within the last 12 months.Dockers has seen nearly 60 per cent global growth year-to-date in total net revenues in its women’s business compared to the same time period last year. To date, roughly half of Dockers’ revenue comes from the US, and half from its international markets. Dockers’ updated lookWhile the brand remains true to staple items, like its signature khakis, certain updates have been made to the type of pieces offered. For instance, it has created a patented “stain defender” fabric that is free of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, otherwise known as PFAS, and it is incorporating more sustainable fabrics into its designs.To appeal to the brand’s target consumer groups, older Gen Z and younger millennials, the brand has signed several notable athletes and pop culture icons as brand ambassadors, including professional basketball player Jordan Poole and Maud Le Car, an environmental activist, artist and pro sufer from Saint Martin in the French Carribean.In the first half of 2024, Dockers will be launching the second instalment of its “Live Original” campaign, featuring Taylor Hill, an American model and Victoria’s Secret alum, Nicole Zignago, a Peruvian singer/songwriter, and Elina Svitolina, a champion Ukrainian tennis player. With preppy clothing back in fashion, such as the items offered by Ralph Lauren or Rowing Blazers, Dockers is in a prime position to reach a younger consumer demographic. “We’ll take anything that is the trend of the moment that we can lean into; however, we want to make sure that we don’t just try and ride a trend,” MacLennan said. “We need to stay very true to what the Dockers brand is to us, especially because younger audiences can see through it if you’re just trying to trace a trend that’s not you.”