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.
Hey, look: Volcom made boat loads of money in Q1. In fact, total consolidated revenues were $77.4 million with $42 million of that passing through as gross profit. Hot damn. It appears there’s a future in marking up China products. Q1 was so good that even CEO Wooly was surprised.
“Our results for the quarter were stronger than we had anticipated, representing a solid start to the year and continued strength for both the Volcom and Electric brands,” said Richard Woolcott, Volcom’s chairman and chief executive officer. “Combined with great product, focused marketing and solid distribution, we believe we are well positioned to capitalize on the many opportunities before us and pave the way for continued growth and success.”
Here is our favorite stat: “At March 31, 2010 the company had cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments totaling $109 million, and no long-term debt.” Read it again: no long-term debt.
On Saturday, April 24, 2010, Shane Wallace invited a few people to Rancho Cucamonga, California for the soft-launch opening of OK Skate’s first retail showroom. It was a chance to show everyone what he and the OK Skate crew have been working on for the past six months.
Located on a frontage street near Interstate 15 just North of Interstate 10, the warehouse/ office/ showroom combo is in that strange zone between the Eastern edge of Los Angeles sprawl and the Western front of the Inland Empire. The business park that houses OK Skate is a few blocks from the nearest retail center, but signs on the upstairs windows are visible from the southbound lanes of the freeway. Commuters who continue further south can’t help but notice the large Active Ride Shop warehouse on the opposite side of the 15. The location is likely no accident, though Shane says it was chosen based on “area demographics.”
OK Skate marks Wallace’s return to retail after the Active Ride Shop bankruptcy and subsequent sale pulled the rug out from under much of the industry last March. Between greeting friends at the door, putting final tweaks on the POS system, and watching kids skate the showroom’s mini ramp, Shane had time to sneak upstairs to his office above the shop for a short interview to discuss what OK Skate is, how it came about, and what they have planned for the future.
Follow the jump for photos and the entire interview.
[Editors’ Note April 30, 2010: After reading the interview for the first time online, Shane had a few things to add. We have placed those comments at the end of the interview.] [click to continue…]
The Peanuts licenses generate annual retail sales of more than $2 billion world-wide, according to Iconix. “This asset is a dream for a marketer,” said Neil Cole, chief executive of Iconix, who said his favorite Peanuts character is Charlie Brown. . . “Neil and his team have great respect for who the Peanuts characters are and they honor all we have accomplished, and the spirit with which we do business,” said Jean Schulz, Mr. Schulz’s widow.
According to the story “Iconix expects Peanuts to generate roughly $75 million in annual royalties.” Apparently, newspapers companies are looking for revenue where ever they can find it. We can hardly wait for the Zoo York x Pig Pen collab decks. . .
