Built for the Job: How Dickies EMEA Automated Its Visual Asset Workflow

ABOUT

Iconic American Brand With Global Reach

Founded in Texas in 1922, Dickies built its reputation on tough, durable clothing made for the American worker. Today, that same spirit lives on in Dickies products sold through wholesalers, retailers, and e-commerce channels in more than 100 countries — serving a wide range of industries, climates, and styles.

THE CHALLENGE

A Lean Team Buried in Asset Requests

Dickies EMEA began migrating from Magento to Shopify as part of a broader digital transformation. Because product imagery is central to the online shopping experience, the team needed a better way to move assets from a central repository into product detail pages (PDPs).

As it planned the migration, a bigger question emerged: Was there a better way to manage and share assets — not just for the website, but across the entire ecosystem?

Previously, Dickies relied on a DAM platform that was difficult for external partners to navigate. New agencies frequently reached out to the marketing team with questions. Without a dedicated DAM specialist, the lean team lost valuable time fielding requests and troubleshooting issues.

Control was also limited. Anyone with access could download nearly any asset, including images tied to expired usage rights. That meant the team had to manually monitor what stayed in the system and be extra cautious about compliance.

At a small scale, this manual process could work. But at seasonal scale, it didn’t.

During product launches, thousands of assets for new styles arrive at once, along with a surge of image requests from distributors, agents, and sales teams across the region. The volume quickly became overwhelming for a lean team that needed to focus on delivering the full brand experience.

THE CLOUDINARY SOLUTION

A Central Hub Built for the Job

As Dickies EMEA migrated to Shopify, the team took the opportunity to rethink how product imagery moves through the business.

At the center of the new approach is Cloudinary Assets, which now serves as the central DAM hub for product imagery. Through a direct integration, images automatically flow from the DAM into Shopify to update product detail pages, reducing manual work while helping keep product imagery fresh for online shoppers.

E-commerce was only part of the challenge, though. Dickies also needed a better way to get those same images into the hands of the many teams responsible for selling the brand.

To support that ecosystem, Dickies introduced a Cloudinary Portal — a dedicated site where agents, distributors, and sales teams can access brand and product images.

For the marketing team, this streamlines the workflow. Instead of back-and-forth emails, users request the images they need directly through the portal, and marketers can approve requests with a click. Creative agencies can also upload new images, which the marketing team reviews before moving them into folders that automatically feed the e-commerce site’s product detail pages.

The portal also gives the team stronger control over how assets are shared. Permissions can be tailored by role — defining which users can upload assets, download images, or access specific folders. This level of control helps ensure images are used according to contracts and usage rights.

Finally, delivering channel-ready images is much easier. Retail partners like Zalando and About You require specific image sizes and formats, so the Dickies team worked with Cloudinary to create presets that allow users to download images in the formats required for each channel.

THE RESULTS

Product Imagery Working Across Digital Channels

Dickies EMEA migrated more than 200,000 images into its new system, creating a single source for assets used across e-commerce and sales channels.

For the marketing team, the biggest gain is focus. Instead of responding to image requests or tracking down files, the team can focus on preparing launches and delivering a strong online product experience.

That shift becomes especially important during new season drops and busy holiday periods, when thousands of new images arrive at once.

Dickies built its legacy on clothing designed for the job at hand. Now its product imagery works the same way: dependable, accessible, and ready for the teams bringing the brand to market.