Off-the-Rack Off-Roading

Some companies use fashion to sell their cars. One car company’s new plan is to use its cars to sell fashion.

DaimlerChrysler’s Jeep is lending its name to an array of macho-esque soft goods that the company will market as reflective of its tough-guy line of vehicles.

Already in specialty luggage stores is a new line of Jeep luggage. In May, the company will license professional apparel for the first time with two lines of men’s neckties, Jeep Classic and Jeep Jamboree. The featured designs include maps, a car-grille type design as well as, of course, various Jeep icons.

Promotional materials make Jeep’s intentions clear: Each of the luggage pieces has the word “extreme” in the name; the apparel, the company asserts, “allows men to convey their rugged personalities and free-spirited nature without compromising their professionalism.”

That pitch doesn’t stray far from Harley-Davidson’s tough-looking belt buckles and new clothing line, Marlboro’s manly men’s shirts, or Camel’s boots and watches.

The company--which previously has licensed radios and televisions encased in durable materials--is also lending its name to a new line of “SUV” bicycles, aimed at on- and off-road cyclists, rolling out in June, and watches, available in July.