Celebrating the past in style
Ford has long been among the most impactful and distinctly American brands the world over. It’s easy to begin such a legacy with a product like the Model T, and easier to maintain when company control has remained in Ford family hands to this day.
But companies have to take risks to remain relevant. To that end, Ford has started breaking into the fashion space with collaborations. It began back in March with a three-way collaboration between actress Sydney Sweeney and Dickies, and now Ford is collaborating with Madewell.
Shop this article: Madewell X Ford Black Coal Allday Tee, Madewell X Ford 1991 Straight-Leg Jeans and Madewell X Ford Trucker Hat
What’s the Madewell x Ford collaboration about?
The seven-piece collection from Madewell and Ford is a celebration of a particular car at a particular time: the Ford Bronco in the 1970s. It specifically celebrates the stretch of years when the Ford Bronco was a heavyweight champ in offroad racing.
What’s in the Madewell x Ford collaboration?
The collaboration includes two T-shirts, a denim button-up, a pair of jeans, a jean jacket, a tucker hat and a key fob.
- T-Shirts: Both T-shirts are where the Ford Bronco focus shines the brightest. One is white with some faded Bronco imagery and the other is “black coal” with a colorful Bronco graphic.
- Button-up: The button-up features a boldly stitched “Ford Motor Company” on the back so you can feel like you’re right on the assembly line back in the day.
- Jeans: The jeans don’t have much that says they’re part of a limited-time collection, but they do rock a distinctly 1990s style.
- Jacket: The jacket is like the jeans in that it doesn’t have much obvious connection to Ford, save for a small patch on the left breast.
- Hat: The hat is a classic trucker hat, through and through, in a lovely shade of Fordlike blue.
- Fob: The fob is made of high-quality leather and sports the classic bucking bronco imagery.
A brief history of the Ford Bronco
Considering the collaboration is all about honoring the past, it’s only fitting to take a quick dive into it, direct from Ford.
- Generation 1 (1966-1977): The Bronco was Ford’s “all-purpose vehicle.” It was made of three models and is the most famous for its offroad racing wins.
- Generation 2 (1978-1979): This run of Broncos was bigger and more comfortable, and was a huge commercial success. It was also similar to the F-series of trucks.
- Generation 3 (1980-1986): Once again, the next generation of Broncos made strides to improve the comfort of the rider, both on- and offroad. It also improved fuel economy.
- Generation 4 (1987-1991): After 20 years of work, this generation of Broncos shifted more toward incremental improvements and slight changes to its style to fit the times.
- Generation 5 (1992-1996): The final round of Broncos was most famous for who drove it: O.J. Simpson, who drove a ’93 Bronco. There’s debate over whether that historical moment ended the Bronco line. Regardless of the reason, a new Bronco wouldn’t be released for 25 years.
- Generation 6 (2021- ): The Bronco was reborn in June 2021, as a competitor to the Jeep Wrangler.
Best Madewell x Ford collaboration items
Madewell X Ford White Allday Tee
This shirt upgrades the usual plain white tee with a nicely faded design of the Ford Bronco racers from the 1970s. It’s in green and on both the back and the left breast.
Madewell X Ford Black Coal Allday Tee
This similar shirt is in a brownish-black color and still celebrates the ‘70s Bronco. Instead of a faded tribute, though, it has a full-color design on the back with some small scripting on the left breast.
The idea of the “work shirt” has shifted throughout the years, being at times a simple polo, a T-shirt with a company logo or a classic button-down. This celebrates the old-fashioned, denim button-up style work shirt.
The denim jacket has continued to cycle in and out of fashion, ever since its early days way back in the late 1800’s. It’s currently a great look, and the extra flair of this jacket being a throwback certainly helps its appeal.
Madewell X Ford 1991 Straight-Leg Jeans
Blue jeans are among the few constants in the world of fashion, though their styling shifts through the decades. This ‘90’s throwback is relaxed in the hip and thigh with straight legs and a light wash color.
The trucker hat has a fascinating history. It culminated in the 1970s with the mesh back design, and got its name from the fact that companies would give them to truckers at truck stops for free as a method of advertising. This hat is not free.
Madewell X Ford Leather Key Fob
Key rings are as useful as they are fun to collect. This beautiful leather fob sports the Madewell logo on one side and a bucking bronco stallion to symbolize the car on the other.
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Jordan C. Woika writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
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