Rock & Republic taken over by owner of Lee, Wrangler jeans

The Culver City-based jeans maker, which had been stuck in Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, was in talks with VF Corp. for several months. As part of the deal, VF is acquiring Rock & Republic's trademarks and intellectual-property rights. No price was announced, but reports peg the purchase at $57 million. While the edgy denim maker has been saved, its controversial head, Michael Ball, is apparently gone. "VF always was interested in Rock & Republic, but always on the condition that Ball was out of the picture," one source told the NY Post. The purchase by VF must be approved by the U.S. bankruptcy judge. From California Apparel News:

VF has been eyeing several Los Angeles brands to acquire. In the past, its most notable recent California acquisition was the 2007 purchase of 7 For All Mankind for $775 million. The high-end denim brand, which in 2000 was founded by Peter Koral, brother to Richard Koral, is still headquartered in Los Angeles. VF's purchase will make it an interesting competitor in the premium-denim field dominated by Los Angeles designers. "The Rock & Republic name still has cachet. What VF does with that is another story," said Michael Glasser, co-owner of Los Angeles denim label Rich & Skinny. He is also founder of the Cj by Cookie Johnson denim label. "They have Seven. Adding another premium-denim brand into the mix is interesting. Especially as premium denim is not what it was. It's still a strong category but not in the same way as before. It'll be interesting."