Quiksilver’sbrand new Euro campus in St Jean De Luz (home to all their brands) looks like an amazing place to work. . . too bad it’s in France.
It is home to some 500 staff and around a dozen different nationalities, with an average age of 30. Quiksilver follows a policy focused on in-house training and promotion for its staff (80% of positions are filled internally). The project had a budget in the region of 24 million euros and enjoyed financial backing from the French government, the Aquitaine Regional Council and the Pyrénées-Atlantiques General Council.
Action sports retail has been headed for the showroom model for years. Sadly, the only way this really works is when the retail stores are owned by the manufacturers who are selling the product. That’s exactly why we’re expecting to see a lot more deals like today’s announcement in the Orange County Business Journal that Billabong has purchased all five Becker Surf locations.
When a action sports clothing company (Comune) refers to its own promotional snowboard film as “avant-garde” and uses an infamous 1960s anti-establishment art colony in Colorado (Drop City) as its main inspiration to help it move product through the malls of America (Urban Outfitters, Pac Sun) it’s difficult not to chuckle.
When the title of that black and white film is as pretentious as “Black Holes and Invisible Forces Bending Time Through Particle Deformations Creating Infinite Freedom in the Garden on the Moon,” it almost becomes farcical.
That said, the new Comune teaser Burn The Witch is fun to watch no matter we look at it.
Back in September 2009 we mentioned that The North Face had been sued by the US Environmental Protection Agency for reportedly claiming that 70 styles of their shoes were “antimicrobial.” To the EPA an “antimicrobial” is technically defined as a pesticide. And because The North Face was claiming to sell a pesticide they must first register that product with the EPA before selling them.
At that time Steve Rendle, the president of VF Outdoor Americas (The North Face’s parent) said that although they disputed the EPA’s claims “we immediately stopped making the claims they found objectionable, removed them from hang tags and our website, and revised the product packaging accordingly.”
Last week, however, VF Corp agreed to settle claims to the tune of $207,500, according on the Reuters wire. Apparently, the EPA’s claims held a little more water than VF’s disputes.
Theo Severson is 32 years old. He is a data-entry worker/ DJ from Tampa, Florida and he has 292 pairs of sneakers. He’s proud of the fact that he turned his walk-in closet into a display for his collection.
Every morning, he sits on a footstool in his closet and spends 20 minutes deciding which shoes to wear. He’s formed friendships over conversations that started with, “Cool shoes.” . . Severson stores his size 10s in a walk-in closet of his South Tampa home, arranged by brand and style. He keeps all the boxes. There’s Adidas, Reebok, New Balance, Puma, Asics … And those are just the ones he’s worn. . . In a separate closet, Severson stashes the 35 pairs of “top-shelf” sneakers that have yet to touch asphalt, including Nike Dunk Low skateboarding shoes in Tiffany blue and black, which he bought on Aug. 22, 2005. (He saves the receipts, too.) Severson’s just waiting for the right occasion.
If you have an expo or tradeshow that relates to anything in action sports or fashion that could potentially bring more people to the ASR Show in San Diego, please call Andy Tompkins because ASR appears to be in a synergizing mood.
The most recent addition to Summer ASR (after Class@ASR and The Crossroads) is Scott Bass’Sacred Craft surfboard expo, according to a release sent out today.
Action Sports Retailer (ASR) and Sacred Craft have agreed to stage the summer edition of the consumer surfboard expo bayside in San Diego during ASR. The one of a kind event debuts on Saturday and Sunday, August 14-15, 2010 running concurrently with ASR at the San Diego Convention Center.
Sure, why not. But you know who ASR should be really working on partnering with? Comic-Con. They’ve got real traffic. . . follow the jump for the entire release. [click to continue…]
As if being the largest footwear manufacturer in the world (and number 1 action sports footwear brand) isn’t enough for the Portland, Oregon based company, Chief Executive Mark Parker now says that Nike plans on growing by more than 40 percent in the next five years to $27 billion in sales, according to a story on MarketWatch.
And guess which pond they plan to over-fish. . .
In addition to retail and apparel, Nike also sees the fast-growing action sports market, which it called underpenetrated, as a growth opportunity for both its namesake brand and Hurley, according to Parker. The company also said it will do a better job gaining the wallet share of its female customers. . . Converse, which Nike bought in 2003, will help fuel growth as well. Nike wants to double the size of the $1 billion brand in the next five years, with plans to open the first full-priced Converse store in Boston this summer.
And then one day the sales reps at action sports media companies will only have to make one call a year. We can hardly wait.
These artists are known for their graphic language and the ‘pattern-like’ feel often associated with their artwork. The lightweight scarves, just in time for summer, were inspired by The Standard cities and represent each artist’s signature style. Up until this point, the scarves were only available in a preview sale to private collectors, but are now available to the public on www.shopthestandard.com, as well as at The Standard Spa Miami Beach, Downtown LA and New York boutiques.
The scarves are 24.7 x 70 inches and are made of a 50-50 blend of silk and cashmere for the super smooth feel. Only problem is they are $225. Then again that’s cheaper than an Hermés and infinitely cooler.
The Gumball Rally 3000 is a race in which a bunch of rich guys (some extremely annoying) race around the world in their six-figure cars and party every night with strippers and/or highly educated, intelligent, caring women who dress and act like them.
To honor these daring young men and their driving machines Nixon Watches has created a special timepiece and two headphone styles which will be sold beginning May 1, 2010 only in retailers that are on the Gumball route.
Created in collaboration with Gumball 3000, Nixon’s limited edition Rubber Player features a black silicone case/band with a custom gold caseback, crown and hands and co-branded artwork on the case and will retail for $200 USD. Joining the Rubber Player in the Gumball collection is The Whip and The Wire, two of Nixon’s most popular headphones. Each headphone model in this collection is available in a matte black finish with gold accents and custom Nixon x Gumball artwork and will retail for $60 USD (The Whip) and $75 USD (The Wire). All three products will be available and on-sale at Nixon retailers along the rally route in London, Amsterdam, Boston, Quebec, Toronto and New York City beginning May 1st.
There may be a worse reason to buy a new watch or pair of headphones. If we come up with it, we’ll let you know.
Quiksilver’s brand new Euro campus in St Jean De Luz (home to all their brands) looks like an amazing place to work. . . too bad it’s in France.
