Reinvention Playbook: What Retailers Can Learn From True Religion and Vera Bradley

What’s one thing retail brands True Religion and Vera Bradley have in common?

In undergoing recent brand transformations, they both returned to what made their brands so authentic — the “why” behind the initial successes of each brand when it first launched.

At the 2025 Women in Retail Leadership Summit, marketing executives from both True Religion and Vera Bradley sat down with Veronika Sonsev, co-founder of CommerceNext, for a fireside chat about how they navigated challenges, redefined their brand identities, and implemented bold strategies that drove success.

Vera Bradley’s brand transformation is more than a year in the making, and Chief Marketing Officer Alison Hiatt was brought in to lead the overhaul of brand, product, and channels. Vera Bradley knew it needed to grow its audience with a fresh and sophisticated product while still giving a nod to the heritage of the brand that was founded in 1982 by two friends who simply wanted to see more bold color in their luggage: Barbara Bradley Baekgaard and Patricia Miller.

Hiatt said her team underwent “brand therapy” to figure out exactly why Vera Bradley existed in order to define what made it authentic and what would resonate most with new customers. They went back to the story of Baekgaard and Miller, back to their desire to “inspire women to be bold in their expressions and choices.” What resulted was a new logo, in-store renovations, new products, and more, all redesigned to be more elevated while still honoring the heritage and elements that have classically defined Vera Bradley.

Hiatt said part of the challenge in transforming any brand is ensuring your existing customers’ needs are still being met while you’re going after new customers.

“Sometimes what your new customers want and what your existing customers want are very much at odds,” said Hiatt, adding the transformation involved reminding Vera Bradley customers from 20 years ago how it felt to purchase a fun, stylish, unique product.

The buzz around Vera Bradley’s transformation happened organically as well, with a resurgence on TikTok that led to a collaboration with Urban Outfitters.

Like Vera Bradley, True Religion got its own taste of organic buzz during its multiyear transformation, with celebrities like Timothée Chalamet sporting the classic horseshoe jeans in multiple public appearances.

Also like Vera Bradley, leaders at True Religion — a brand that’s been around since 2002 — realized it was time for a refresh and a back-to-the-beginning examination of the brand story in order to grow in the 2020s. CEO Michael Buckley started the transformation in 2019 when he returned to the brand for his second stint as chief executive, and he brought along Chief Marketing Officer Kristen D’Arcy in 2023 to amplify True Religion’s marketing.

D’Arcy said when it first launched, True Religion was known for sitting at the intersection of music and sports. Celebrities like Britney Spears, Serena Williams, The Black Eyed Peas and Paris Hilton all repped the jeans back in the day. D’Arcy noted it was time to lean into that again, bringing along diverse partners and influencers that had a true, authentic love of the brand.

The first campaign D’Arcy worked on after coming on board was a holiday campaign with the rapper Quavo, who she had heard was a fan of the jeans. Little did she know that as a teenager Quavo had gotten a tattoo of True Religion on his arm.

From there, it was a continued balance of reconnecting with what made True Religion great to start with — “being bold,” D’Arcy said — and pairing that with celebrity faces that would resonate with the next generation of customers, including Megan Thee Stallion and Brazilian artist Annita. That approach, along with doubling down on the great products True Religion was known for, including its horseshoes, its thick stitching, and its buddhas, have driven the brand’s success over the last few years, D’Arcy said.

These transformations aren’t for the weak. Upon starting at True Religion, D’Arcy told her team: “You’re probably going to move faster than you’ve ever moved. If we’re not moving fast and trying and learning and moving onto the next thing, some other brand, some other retailer is, and they’re going to take our customer.”

Vera Bradley’s Hiatt shared similar sentiments. When asked by Sonsev what advice she had for other retail leaders considering embarking on a rebrand, Hiatt said, “Avoid needing to have one. The day-to-day business is really about evolution and staying relevant. Regardless of your business, regardless of what role you have in the business, you have to change with the times and stay relevant.”

Women in Retail Leadership Circle (WIRLC) members can watch the full interviews with Hiatt and D’Arcy on demand. Not a member? Apply today!