Wrangler introduced its first jeans under the Wrangler brand in 1947.
The brand was created by the Blue Bell overall company, which had acquired the Casey Jones Company and its rights to the Wrangler name. Blue Bell developed a cowboy-oriented jeans line with input from rodeo professionals, including tailor Bernard Lichtenstein, known as Rodeo Ben.
Wrangler’s early designs emphasized movement, durability, and practical details for ranch work and rodeo riding. The brand became particularly associated with Western clothing, helping distinguish it from workwear and five-pocket styles associated with other major denim companies.
People sometimes confuse Wrangler’s founding date with the history of its parent company, Blue Bell. Blue Bell had much older roots, but the Wrangler jeans label itself dates from 1947. The year therefore refers specifically to the brand’s first jeans launch, not the beginning of the wider corporate business.