by The Editors on June 13, 2019
MERGE4 has collaborated with Salman Agah on a new pair of socks that feature a collection of Pizzanista’s iconic logo boosts from all your favorite skate brands.
The Pizzanista! sock features . . . combed cotton, a terry loped foot, self-adjusting welt cuff, reinforced heel and toe, and elastic arch support, this awesome y-heel sock is athletic ribbed for performance (or for tip-toeing to the fridge in the middle of a night for that cold slice you’ve been dreaming about). . . “I’m constantly looking for relevant ways to communicate Pizzanista’s brand and teaming up with MERGE4 was a great way for us to do that,” said Agah, “Now everybody’s feet can also be ‘powered by Pizzanista!’”
Buy them wherever MERGE4 socks are sold.
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by The Editors on May 30, 2019
Today we’re highlighting an amazingly bland new product you don’t need, from a company we don’t like because, well, we got a press release from said company and putting up a press release is far easier than creating original content especially when all we’re interested in doing is fooling Google Ads into thinking we’re still posting content on this site so our rankings will continue to soar.
This banal new product is of course made in China and features several prominently placed logos from the company— both on the front, the back, the top, and the sides. In fact, this product features nine logos (if you count the one on the label). By moving this product around in the physical world you are acting as a sign spinner for this private equity funded zombie brand. You’re adding your youth, energy, and all around sexiness to their brand by being associated with it. Only difference is the sign spinner is getting paid $25 a hour and you’re getting nothing, aside from the pride you feel from sporting a logo that says you paid way more than you should have for this Bangladesh made product. Wait, did we say China before… sorry, same difference.
We’d highlight several of the features that set this product apart from all the other products available to you in this category and encourage you to purchase it, however, there’s nothing about this product that makes it standout from a similar product that can be purchased much more economically at one of the big box retailers.
That said, this product is being promoted as part of a “limited edition” collection which means you’ll be forced to visit one of the brand’s mall-based “flagship stores” or order it online directly from the brand because they don’t want to drop this product in the same massive chain stores where they dump the rest of their product because they’re charging more for this and that means they want you to have to work even harder to find it. As a value add this means you’ll have a product that your lazier, more thrifty friends won’t. And that makes you a big winner.
For more information on this product please visit the brand’s website where you can get the “product narrative” directly from their poorly paid marketing wizards. We’re guessing they’ll offer free shipping and returns so what have you got to lose? Shop, buy, consume. Repeat.
by The Editors on May 29, 2019
It’s official, Jamie Slater and his Authentic Brands Group of zombie brands (which now include Volcom, Airwalk, Vision Street Wear, and 47 others) has purchased the softcore skin and sports magazine brand Sports Illustrated from Meredith Corp for $110 million dollars, according to a story on Variety.com.
Under terms of the deal, Authentic Brands acquires the rights to market, develop and license Sports Illustrated and its kids’ edition as well as its swimsuit and “Sportsperson of the Year” franchises, along with the magazine’s photo archive. Meredith will pay a licensing fee to operate the editorial operations of Sports Illustrated in print and in digital for a minimum of two years. Editor Chris Stone and Publisher Danny Lee will continue to lead Sports Illustrated at Meredith.
So, Meredith is selling the brand and then paying to run the print magazine into the ground while ABG gets to re-animate Sports Illustrated by slapping it on all kinds of products until no one remembers what SI was all about in the first place. Chalk that up as another win-win for ABG.
[Link: Variety]
by The Editors on April 30, 2019
In the continuing saga of strange zombie brand shenanigans, it is being reported that Authentic Brands, the company that just purchased Volcom is very seriously considering purchasing Sports Illustrated, the fading print magazine known most widely for it’s annual bikini issue, for $110 million, according to a story on Pitchbook.com.
If Authentic Brands ultimately wins the auction, it would keep SI’s print product alive for at least another two years, per retail-focused website WWD. But its bigger play would be licensing SI’s brand, which could reportedly include launching kids’ sports camps and injury rehab clinics. That sort of cross promotion is what Authentic Brands has specialized in while building consumer brands for celebrities such as retired NBA star Shaquille O’Neil and ex-pro golfer Greg Norman. Here’s to hoping this strategy could produce a viable business model to preserve SI’s journalistic aspirations.
ABG has enough women’s wear brands to pack that bikini issue, and when you look at print advertising costs, it may be cheaper to just buy the magazine. We’ve said it as a joke before, but it’s looking more and more like Jamie Salter really will own everything soon.
[Link: Pitchbook]
by The Editors on April 24, 2019
All the headlines, no comments. Scan them, click them, read them, or just ignore them. A couple of these stories are worth reading and we’d point them out to you, but, well, that would take more time. You’ll just have to hunt them out yourself. Cheers.
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by The Editors on April 2, 2019
It’s hard to believe, but it appears that eventually every dead fashion brand ends up in Jamie Salter’s hands. So it should be no surprise that he was able to add Volcom to his arsenal of 50 zombie brands which also includes Airwalk and Vision Street Wear.
“We are thrilled to have completed the purchase of Volcom,” said Jamie Salter, Chairman and CEO of ABG. “For nearly three decades the Volcom family has created one of the most iconic brands in the skate, surf and snow markets. During the last few years, the brand has been consistently gaining traction with broader audiences around the world while staying true to its core. We could not be happier to finally get to work with this team.”
Yes, this is an over-simplification of the deal which includes the creation of a new operating group run by Todd Hymel and the current Volcom management of which ABG is a minority partner, but hey at least Vee-Co is out from under the French and zombie brands live forever.
For the official word and no mention of how much ABG paid for Volcom (last time it sold for $607 million, this time we’re guessing much, much, much less) please follow the jump.
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by The Editors on March 26, 2019
At this point see skate, snow, and surf headlines in our sleep and though we don’t seem to have time to snark this batch up, we still want them in an easy-to-scan format. So here they are as of March 25, 2019. Click the link for all the headlines you should have seen in the past few weeks (in no particular order, sadly) and enjoy the news.
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by The Editors on March 21, 2019
We’ve been out of the Surf Industry Manufacturers Association loop for more than a minute so please forgive our ignorance, but we were pleased to discover that SIMA is still doing an annual awards show. Yes, in 2019. Their 15th, apparently. And last night (March 20, 2019) they got their membership together for a “sold out” show at The Observatory in Santa Ana, California to pat (Parnell) each other on the backs for surviving another year and to swap awards for all the great work they’re doing.
Brands to grab awards included Vissla, Billabong, FCS, Vans, and a few others. There were 116 nominees from 41 brands. The breakout brand of the year award went to Seea. Who? Seea, you know, the swim brand that “is dedicated to the pioneering women who first braved the waves, and to every woman who has ever searched for a suit that is feminine, comfortable, and fun.” Now you know. Billabong was the night’s big winner with five awards. Quiksilver was nominated in six categories (eight if you count Roxy) and they didn’t win a thing. Volcom didn’t get a mention, and Hurley, well Hurley is no longer a member of SIMA, and you can’t win if don’t pay play.
SIMA even had an award from what’s left of surf media for something called the “Consumer Media Feature of the Year.” It was won by Stab Magazine for The Electric Acid Surfboard Test. The other media in the running were Surfer, Surfline, and something called The Inertia.
For the official word from SIMA including all the winners and nominees, please follow the jump.
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by The Editors on February 7, 2019
Burton Snowboards continues with their work supporting dead artists with a new capsule featuring the artistry of trail blazing NYC graffiti artist Keith Haring who died February 16, 1990.
Featuring the iconic style of American artist Keith Haring whose pop art and graffiti-like work grew out of NYC street culture of the 1980s. © Keith Haring Foundation, www.haring.com. Licensed by Artestar, New York.
The collection includes a Keith Haring Deep Thinker snowboard, a Keith Haring Anorak jacket, and a Keith Haring tech T-shirt. Would Keith have loved this collab? Unfortunately, we’ll never know.
[Link: Burton Snowboards]
by The Editors on February 4, 2019
It is, right? We’re not usually into the whole Adidas sporty spice thing, but look at that. The 3ST.004 doesn’t look too sporty, or too skatey. It looks like Adidas got their stripes going backwards on this one, but we’re okay with that. Tyshawn Jones will look smooth in these flip catchers, for sure. Here’s what Adidas says about them:
“Building off the design mentality of the 3ST family, the 3ST.004 is positioned to further progress and challenge skateboarding footwear. The low-profile forefoot and super tacky wrapping on the sidewall provide board feel like no other. With such great board feel, the intent is to never bail, but let’s face it, it happens. Therefore, we’ve placed BOOST in the heel of the shoe for protection and support when bailing.” says the brand’s Senior Footwear Designer, Scott Johnston. “Considering that Tyshawn Jones was the muse for the project, the shoe needs to not only perform, but look iconic and stand out. The shoe incorporates classic adidas aesthetics and modern design lines to keep you looking fly in the streets.”
And yes, we all want to be “looking fly in the streets,” Scott. We certainly do. The 3ST.004 will be in specialty retailers and Adidas online starting February 7, 2019. If you’ve got $120 they can be yours.
