VF Corp.'s North Face sees women driving potential $2B of growth. Levi's targets 50-50 revenue split. Columbia expands Amaze line. Women's market is 70% larger than men's.
Alpha Score of 68 reflects moderate overall profile with strong momentum, moderate value, moderate quality, moderate sentiment.
VF Corp., Levi Strauss, and Columbia Sportswear are all targeting female shoppers as a primary growth driver. The bet is straightforward: women spend roughly 70% more on clothing than men in the U.S., according to Needham analyst Tom Nikic. For brands that historically skewed male, the addressable market is sitting on the table.
VF Corp. CEO Bracken Darrell called women a major "unlock" for brands including Vans, The North Face, and Timberland. The North Face alone, which accounted for 42% of VF's $9.6 billion in fiscal 2026 revenue, could double from $4 billion to $8 billion over time. Darrell said women could account for more than $2 billion of that potential growth. The brand has added a full women's assortment to its Advanced Mountain Kit line and collaborated with Kim Kardashian's Skims, moving beyond the outdoor niche into fashion-adjacent territory.
At Vans, the turnaround has been slower. Sales on a constant-currency basis fell 11% in the fiscal year that ended in March, an improvement from the 15% and 27% declines in the prior two years. Jefferies analyst Blake Anderson said younger women can act as trendsetters, driving social-media awareness that helps Vans return to sustainable growth. VF shares have returned almost 36% over the past year, beating the XRT retail ETF's 10% gain, though they remain down about 7% since Darrell took over three years ago. State Street, which issues the XRT, has seen its own retail-focused ETF outperform VF in that period.
Levi's has the clearest numbers. CEO Michelle Gass, who took over in January 2024, launched the "Win With Her" initiative. Women's apparel accounted for 38% of Levi's revenue in 2025, up from roughly a third in 2022. The company targets a 50-50 split. On the fiscal first-quarter 2026 call, Gass said women's grew 13% versus 7% for men's. In its annual report, Levi's called women's a "powerful growth engine" with higher gross margins. Shares have returned 66% since Gass became CEO, topping the S&P 500's 58% and the XRT's 28%.
Columbia Sportswear CEO Tim Boyle pointed to the Amaze Puff Jacket, a stylish winter coat that generated significant social media attention, as an example of broadening the brand beyond hiking and fishing gear. The company plans to expand the Amaze collection into additional seasons. Columbia expects sales growth of 1% to 3% this year after a 3% decline last year. Over the past 12 months, the stock returned roughly 1%, lagging the XRT's 10% advance.
Nikic summarized the opportunity: the average U.S. woman spends almost twice as much on clothing annually as the average man. For brands that have leaned male, closing that gap represents a multiyear revenue stream without a radical pivot. Levi's reports its next quarterly earnings Wednesday.
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