In Fort Worth, the skyline changes slowly, but the stories shift fast. And over the past year, one of the biggest stories in the city’s ever-expanding Western canon has been the steady arrival — and now full-throttle expansion — of Ariat. The California-born boot and apparel maker planted its regional headquarters here back in 2020, but what began as a strategic foothold has swelled into something much larger. Fort Worth wasn’t just a convenient landing spot. It was a cultural match — a place where the brand’s mix of grit, innovation, and Western tradition made immediate sense.
That instinct has since proven right. In late 2024, the company announced a $72.6 million investment to grow its local footprint. Now, one year later, Ariat is doubling down with another $72.6 million for a two-phase expansion that puts Fort Worth at the center of its long-term play. The move, approved unanimously by City Council, adds up to a sprawling headquarters upgrade on Blue Mound Road and a new distribution hub rising off Eagle Parkway — a pair of projects designed to fuel growth, speed logistics, and most importantly, bring 250 new jobs to town.
For a city that has long claimed to be where the West begins, the partnership has a sense of inevitability. Ariat’s identity is wrapped up in Western sports and in the everyday realities of people who put boots to dirt. Its ties to the PBR (Professional Bull Riders) run deep — the brand has sponsored the sport’s athletes since 2009 — and that connection only tightened when the PBR moved its headquarters to the Stockyards and planted its World Finals in the middle of Fort Worth’s historic district. The Ariat-backed Texas Rattlers now compete on home turf, feeding the energy of a growing Western-sports corridor.
But Ariat’s ambitions aren’t confined to the arena. The brand has spent the last few years chasing a broader vision — one where Western style is less a niche and more a mainstream aesthetic. Its collaboration with Paramount Consumer Products tapped into the runaway success of “Yellowstone,” opening the door to a limited-edition line crafted with costume designer Johnetta Boone. The collection nods to tradition while pushing the look forward, a blend that mirrors Fort Worth’s own balancing act between the old West and the city it’s becoming.
This new announcement makes clear that Ariat sees the city as essential to its next chapter. Phase one of the expansion brings an $8.9 million investment in headquarters improvements and 150 new jobs. Phase two, centered on the new regional distribution center, adds $63.7 million more and 100 additional jobs. For Fort Worth, the effect is both economic and symbolic. The governor has pointed to the project as proof of the state’s business climate, while Mayor Mattie Parker frames it as another step in solidifying Fort Worth’s role as a hub for global brands with Western roots. Ariat’s own leadership speaks of the moment with the clarity of a company betting big on place as strategy.
“Fort Worth and the State of Texas have been an incredible partner in Ariat’s growth, and we’re proud to expand our presence here with this investment,” said Beth Cross, the company’s co-founder and CEO. “Creating 250 new jobs in the community is especially meaningful to us, and we’re committed to building opportunities that strengthen both Ariat and Fort Worth for the long term.”