Jeep goes preppy with Vineyard Vines collaboration

You’ve heard of Jeep, yes? What about Vineyard Vines, heard of that? If not, it’s an apparel line brothers Shep and Ian Murray quit their desk jobs to create 26 years ago and then built the hard way. Despite a backstory that makes the rise hard to place — a Boston magazine profile begins with, “According to company lore, a 16-year-old named Shep Murray was skiing in the Alps in 1987 when he came across a comfortable navy-blue quarter-zip shirt” — the brothers started by driving around Martha’s Vineyard selling ties out the back of their Jeep Wrangler. They’ve turned that into a full line of “clothing that’s classic but relaxed, preppy but not fussy.” Perhaps seeing the emotional connection, licensing company IMG got Vineyard Vines and Jeep together for a two-way collaboration.

One on side is a new Vineyard Vines x Jeep capsule collection featuring the Jeep logo and Vineyard Vines’ smiling pink whale logo. The collection includes hats, sweatshirts, T-shirts, shorts and totes for men and women. All come in the brand’s “soft fabrics and colorways reminiscent of a beach sunset.” Items are already for sale online, like a Jeep Rear Window short-sleeve pocket tee for $45, a Whale long-sleeve Dunes tee for $49.50, a Sankaty Quarter-Zip for $128, or even the Jeep Collection Scenic Shep Shirt for $198. The brand created the regular Shep Shirt based off the quarter-zip pullover Shep had seen in the Alps years before, this item now one of Vineyard Vines’ perennially popular offerings.

On the other side, Jeep created a custom Vineyard Vines Gladiator that some folks across the country can get close to when Jeep takes the truck on a cross-country trip to promote the collection. Stops will include “exclusive events,” and there’s a sweepstakes to win the Vineyard Vines Gladiator that you can enter now. The equipment includes Nappa leather seats, Alpine audio system, LED accessory lights, a winch, Salta wheels, a 2.5-inch suspension lift, and a “Custom fish camo finish” that doesn’t appear to have a whale in sight. We’ll guess the winning entry gets the clothing swag and Yeti coolers as well, and you can enter to win at the Vineyard Vines site right now.