by The Editors on February 3, 2010
[Editors’ Note: ASR Photo Gallery Now Up. To jump straight to a section click the links: Access : Class : Products : Crossroads : SPoT Am Awards]
ASR’s fractionalized trade show (February 3-4, 2010) had it all broken down into three zones: cool fashionista upstairs in Class (above), surf dogs and street fighters down the escalator in Access (below) and all the skateboarders in the PetCo Parking lot (way below).
The main isle of the ASR Access Show. See that’s stripped wall? That’s the end.
You don’t realize how much energy all the skate companies bring to ASR Show until they’re at their own venue across the street. We’ve never done so much walking just to see all our people. Not that we mind. We’re just saying.
More photos and commentary will be posted later. Right now, it’s time for the Grant Brittain signing in room 25B upstairs and the over to Tum Yeto HQ for the Skate Park of Tampa x The Skateboard Mag Amatuer Awards.
by The Editors on February 3, 2010
by The Editors on February 2, 2010
According to ActionWatch December 2009 comps in core shops were up over October and November, but closed out the quarter 13 percent down, according to a post on Transworld Business.
This number gives the fourth quarter first prize in lowest sales declines of the year for the shops on the panel, but by a very small margin,” said Cary Allington. “Also, Q4 2009 had the “easiest” comparison of the year since that quarter was so bad in 2008, so we were actually expecting (or at least hoping) for an even smaller comparative sales decline.”
So that means it’s not getting worse, worse. It’s getting better worse. And that’s good.
[Link: ActionWatch via TransWorld Business]
by The Editors on February 2, 2010
In a handful of Schedule 13gs filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday (January 31, 2009) investment firm BlackRock Inc. reminded us all that they own action fashion. After they purchased Barclays Global Investors from Barclays Bank PLC on December 1, 2010 they own just over five percent of the shares of Volcom, Quiksilver, VF Corp, and Pac Sun.
In fact, with 1.5 million shares of Volcom, 9.6 million shares of Quk, 6.4 million shares of VF Corp and 3.4 million in Pac Sun they’re in to action fashion for over half a billion dollars. . . that’s swinging some pretty large . . . shares.
[Link: SEC]
by The Editors on January 28, 2010
In a filing today with the SEC among the list of purposes for Quiksilver’s next shareholders meeting (March 26, 2010) was item number three (directly following a proposal to increase the number of authorized shares of common stock by 100 million):
3. To consider and vote upon a proposal to approve the grant of 3,000,000 shares of our restricted common stock to Kelly Slater as part of his sponsorship agreement;
Getting Kelly Slater to buy-in on the future of the company is a pretty good idea, actually. Few things are more motivating than the idea that you could make $20 million (or more) in the next couple years if Quik’s stock ever climbs up out of the dumps. Nice thinking.
[Link: SEC]
by The Editors on January 28, 2010
Eddie Wall has signed with Bond Outerwear and Weekend Snowboards according to an announcement that went out last night just in time for day one of SIA Show in Denver.
“Our whole philosophy with our brands is to work with people, whether they are reps, riders, or our accounts, that get what we are doing and have the same passion for it that we do,” stated Dan McNamara, co-Founder of Bond Outerwear. “Eddie is a great fit for us because he is one of us, and having him as part of the family means the world to Christian and I.”
Eddie joins Heikki Sorsa and TJ Schneider on Bond and Mark Carter and Heikki on Weekend Snowboards. Sounds like the Laguna Beach, California scene is back on the up.
Follow the jump for all the details.
[click to continue…]
by The Editors on January 26, 2010
Pharrell is looking all winterfresh these days with some Nike Danny Kass snowboots and his newly designed chair that looks to have borrowed some design stylings from a Kassbohrer PistenBully. What now, the Billionaire Snowboys Club?
[Link: Billionaire Boys Club Ice Cream]
by The Editors on January 25, 2010
The crew at IllicitSnowboarding.com has created a beautiful little “infographic” that illustrates how a few corporations run most of the brands in action sports. It makes a nice little quick reference card for those times when you’d like to do business with a small guy.
[Link: IllicitSnowboarding.com]
by The Editors on January 21, 2010
When the mainstream media visits the action sports world (even a corporate giant like Luxotica’s Oakley) their sense of gee-wizness is always entertaining. This mood is pretty self-evident in the title of Tom McNichol’s Time.com’ story on their visit to Foothill Ranch: Oakley’s Pursuit of Cool.
It’s not fair to say that the inmates are running the asylum at Oakley, the hypercool eyewear company–they’re designing and engineering the joint as well. . . . “Pursuit of cool” is not part of the company’s mission statement, but it’s a heck of a recruiting slogan. “Most of my engineering friends went into horribly stifling jobs where they get to design things like an on-off switch that clicks,” says Neil Ferrier, 26, an advanced-product-development engineer. “The freedom here at Oakley is fantastic. Once you’re given the basic aims of a project, you’re free to run with it.”
Heck of a writing job there, Tommy.
[Link: Time.com]
by The Editors on January 20, 2010
It would appear that the days of buying Von Zipper shades just to knock out the lenses and replace them with prescription glass are over according to a new section of the Von Zipper website.
Von Zipper Optical is bringing the focus back to the eye chart. So, lock and load your pocket protectors, pack up your scientific calculators and light up the Busen burner. . . Mixing geek chic contemporary looks with renegade sheik forwardness, this collection has every angle on your protractor covered to get you through all the fine print for life.
The new frame launch goes down in March 18-21, 2010 at Vision Expo in NYC.
[Link: Von Zipper Optical]
