Business Description

Overview Kontoor Brands, Inc. (collectively with its subsidiaries, "Kontoor," the "Company," "we," "us" or "our") is a global lifestyle apparel company, with a portfolio led by three of the world's most iconic consumer brands: Wrangler ® , Lee ® and Helly Hansen ® . The Company designs, manufactures, procures, sells and licenses apparel, footwear and accessories, primarily under the brand names Wrangler ® , Lee ® and Helly Hansen ® . Our products are sold through wholesale and direct-to-consumer channels in the United States ("U.S.") and internationally, primarily in the Europe, Middle East and Africa ("EMEA"), Asia-Pacific (“APAC”) and Non-U.S. Americas regions. We also license the use of our brands in certain regions. Kontoor is headquartered in the U.S. with a presence in over 90 countries and is focused on leveraging its global platform, strategic sourcing model and supply chain to drive brand growth and deliver long-term value for its stakeholders. Our portfolio of brands has a rich history and heritage of delivering technical and innovative products in the denim, outdoor, workwear, footwear and accessory categories. We focus on continuously improving the most important elements of our products, which include fit, fabric, finish, technical performance and overall construction, allowing us to engage with more consumers in more places. We leverage innovation and design advancements, as well as the unique heritage and authenticity of our brands to create products that meet our consumers' needs. The Company operates and reports using a 52/53-week fiscal year ending on the Saturday closest to December 31 of each year. For presentation purposes herein, all references to years ended December 2025, December 2024 and December 2023 correspond to the 53-week fiscal year ended January 3, 2026, and the 52-week fiscal years ended December 28, 2024, and December 30, 2023, respectively. Accordingly, the year ended December 2025 included an extra week when compared to the year ended December 2024. Acquisition of Helly Hansen On May 31, 2025, we completed the acquisition of a group of companies that own and operate the Helly Hansen ® and Musto ® brands, collectively referred to as "Helly Hansen," for initial cash consideration of $1.3 billion Canadian dollars, equivalent to $957.5 million U.S. dollars. The purchase price was funded by indebtedness and cash on hand. Helly Hansen ® is a premium global outdoor and workwear brand, and Musto ® is a premium sailing and outdoor brand. The acquisition of these brands scales Kontoor's penetration in the large and growing outdoor and workwear markets globally, and diversifies Kontoor's portfolio across geographies, categories, consumers and points of distribution. The results of operations of Helly Hansen have been included in the Company's consolidated financial statements since the completion of the acquisition. Refer to Note 2 to the Company's financial statements in this Form 10-K for additional information. Macroeconomic Environment Global macroeconomic conditions that continued to impact the Company during 2025 included inconsistent consumer demand despite recent declines in interest rates, ongoing fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates, moderating inflation and global supply chain issues. During 2025 and at the beginning of 2026, the U.S. government enacted and continues to enact significant changes to its tariff regime which increased rates on virtually all imports. The ongoing impact of increased tariff rates and uncertainty regarding the outcomes of trade negotiations is contributing to macroeconomic volatility. In addition, on February 20, 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court issued an opinion regarding certain tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Powers Act. It is unclear at this time what impact this decision will have on the Company’s future financial results, including whether we will be able to obtain refunds of amounts previously collected for such tariffs or the level of replacement tariffs the current U.S. administration may impose through other means. Inflationary and interest rate pressures have lessened in recent quarters. Despite reduced pressure, these rates have continued to impact us, along with recent increases in product costs and tariffs, as compared to 2024. In 2025, retailers continued to conservatively manage inventory levels as a result of this uncertain macroeconomic environment.…