Posts in category: Industry
Industry 07/22/2008
Laguna Volc & Sport
Seems weird. I know LS&S is a classic shop, but how does buying them help Volcom?
Check Transworld Business for the whole story.
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Industry 07/15/2008
O'neill Opens it's Flagship Store
La Jolla Group announced that the company is opening the doors to its first O’Neill Clothing flagship store, located in Anaheim, California’s GardenWalk shopping district. The 3,350 square foot store features the latest collection of O’Neill clothing, footwear, accessory, and wetsuits.
The company hired our good friends at Verdego Design to outfit the interior of the store, which incorporates several interesting design elements. Verdego Co-founders Tatiana Barhar and Sarai Grenell have worked with several companies in the industry including Quiksilver, Vans, DC, Reef, and Stüssy. According to O’Neill, the company used ecologically friendly materials through out the store.
The cash wrap is centrally located and O’Neill is calling the area surrounding it “The Hut” because it draws cues from Jack O’Neill’s original shop in Santa Cruz.
O’Neill had another area of the store called “The Wave Wall” designed to capture the surf essence of the brand. The idea is to give shoppers the feeling of standing under a peeling wave. The “Wave Wall” is backed by a large underwater image of a kelp forest, which the company says supports the ideals of
the Jack O’Neill Sea Odyssey and underwater education programs.
Aside from aesthetically appealing features—like lamps made from thousands of drinking straws that embody sea urchins, and a cash wrap covered in hand painted O’Neill images—the store is built to function as an efficient retail environment.
Coolest feature? The fitting rooms feature walls and cushions that are made of O’Neill neoprene wetsuit material.
[ via: Transworld Business ]
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Industry 07/01/2008
Billabong Buys Sector 9
GOLD COAST, 2 July 2008: Billabong International Limited today announced the acquisition of Sector 9, a premium Southern California-based skateboard brand.
Sector 9 was founded in 1994 and has emerged as a market leader in the design and manufacture of skate longboards, a fast-growing niche segment within the skateboard market.
Billabong International Limited Chief Executive Officer Derek O’Neill said Sector 9 operated in the specialty boardsports channel with a unique product offering.
“Sector 9’s products, primarily its longboards, really differentiate it from other brands in the boardsports channel and have appeal to surfers, skateboarders and the broader youth market,” said Mr O’Neill.
“The company has not only proved the viability of the longboard segment, it has experienced sustained growth over the past decade and has become synonymous with the California boardsport lifestyle.”
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Industry 05/31/2008
Quiksilver Launches E-Commerce Site and I Don't Care
Well one of the big stories in the surf industry this past week was that Quiksilver finally launched it’s full e-commerce site. A lot of people are pissed that this is taking money away from all of the surf shops that helped them build their brand into what it is today.
I don’t really understand what the big deal is, and here’s a few reasons why:
• Most people still like to try on clothes before they buy them. I mean really, what percentage of your clothing are you buying online at this point? I know I’m super picky about how t-shirts fit and feel, and I know most girls like to actually see how their butts look in jeans before they buy them. Call me crazy, but I like to feel how a wetsuit fits around my fat neck before I spend $400 on it.
• Let’s get real, all of the products from all of the companies are the same thing with different logos and 80’s inspired graphics on it. So what you’re buying is image. If you think Quiksilver has “sold out” because of this online thing, and is ruining their image in the core surf market, you can wear somebody else’s logo and retro 80’s graphics. Luckily there are a lot of other cool and upcoming surf brands for you to choose from, and you can buy their boardshorts at your local surf shop instead.
• Plenty of other brands are doing this (RVCA, Nixon, Etnies, No Fear, FOX...) it’s not just Quik. This is where they will all be going soon enough. It’s inevitable, things move forward, so why fight it. It’s like trying to hold on to your cassette player.
• It’s great for new brands! This will clear shelves in the “core” surf shops to make room for your cool new clothing line. I don’t know if you’ve noticed but there’s been a bit of a paradigm shift lately. It’s not the big brands that are really cool anymore. Kids who want to prove that they’re cool and cutting edge are discovering the younger brands (RVCA, Insight, O’Quinn, etc.), so it’s just up to the shops to start carrying the sub-giant brands.
What do you guys think? I’d like some other opinions on this one. Do you care if Quik has an e-commerce site now? Will you stop going to your local surf shop?
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Industry 05/02/2008
OP is a legitimate surf brand
Well it looks like OP has finally given up on making it in the real surf market… again. So now they’re using non-surfing “celebrities” to try sell their new line of shitty clothes at Wal•Mart.
So here we have Josie Maran, Christina Milian, Kristen Cavallari, and Rumer Willis posing as “surfers”. Doesn’t that make you want to wear an OP bikini? The campaign also features male surf icons like Wilmer Valderrama and Pete Wentz.
What happened? OP used to be the shit in the 80’s, and a lot of people have tried to revive the brand in the surf market over the last 20 years, and have failed miserably every time.
Oh well, it’s not like there’s a shortage of other “core” surf brands to buy clothes from, and when it comes down to it, they all make their clothes in the same Asian factories anyway. The only real difference is the marketing.
Click-thru for a few more awesome pics:
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Industry 04/15/2008
Insight Warehouse Sale
Looks like Insight is having themselves a big warehouse sale in L.A. this Saturday
I’m gonna be in Florida. Bummer.
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Industry 03/26/2008
COTO on JC Report
My friend and ex-Burton co-worker Dominick Volini has a nice little interview about his new company COTO on jcreport.com.
If you don’t already know COTO, this is what they’re about:
COTO is rooted in a philosophy of self expression. It is a simple idea that penetrates everything we create: to be forward-thinking in our own unique way. We view the building of COTO through an artistic lens that provokes thought and, we hope, inspires others in our creative niche.
Inspiration is pulled from a passion in art, sport, nature and travel. Nomadic surfers, isolated artists and cultural seekers ourselves, we embody the freedom and authenticity of a left-of-center attitude.
The COTO product offering is our platform of expression. Utilizing nature-borrowed, sustainable materials, we create a limited collection for those who appreciate the details. By using carefully selected components, each product reveals a familiar, almost vintage quality in character and craftsmanship. They complement a style of understated sophistication for the sartorial and sustainably minded.
As an ongoing installment, each season we will produce the COTO cultural collective. In this, we will team up with other like-minded creatives to produce special projects. This is a free-form platform where we are able to explore any/all areas outside of our seasonal product collection. We do what comes natural and create anything we like whether it be to convert a 1960s Land Rover into a waste vegetable run vehicle (greenroverproject.com) or produce a limited run artist collaboration piece.
Welcome to our world of neo-luxury, progressive creativity and sustainable style.
COTO / COTO INTERVIEW ON JC REPORT
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Industry 03/24/2008
Drift Magazine
For almost three years now, Drift Magazine has been a digital surfing magazine, available to download free from the internet. March 2008 represents a landmark for Drift, celebrating the launch of its first printed issue.
Drift is currently read worldwide, in over sixty countries, and is recognised for its refreshing take on the alternative surf scene. Throughout its brief history, Drift has focused on sustainability within the industry, and highlighted the work of several other affiliates including WiLDCOAST in San Diego and Surfers Against Sewage in the UK. The magazine has covered such issues as coastal management, community projects, surfboard manufacture and travel.
The magazine is a reader-driven publication, choosing to highlight issues within the industry through the voice of its most important members, the surfers themselves.
The creators of Drift have taken steps to ensure that the magazine and web site are an open forum for anyone with a view or opinion to be included, bringing a realistic and honest voice to the reader. New talent is showcased in each issue, with artists, photographers and musicians from around the globe.
Click-thru to see more spreads from the current issue:
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Industry 03/11/2008
Ezekiel Launches New Website
Ezekiel has launched their all-new website.
What do you think of the new design?
Comments please.
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Industry 03/10/2008
I Hate This Analog Ad
Came across this ad when I was flipping through the pages of Blisss Magazine and it was an instant bummer. What the fuck is the point? What does this have to do with surfing? Why do you think this ad will make me want to buy your clothes?
Sorry Analog, but I just don’t get it. This ad is fucked.
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