Spy announced today (August 29, 2012) that they have signed legendary skateboarder and musician Ray Barbee as an ambassador for their Crosstown Collection of handmade acetate sunglasses.
“Very few people possess a truly infectious persona like Ray, and I really appreciate his point of view on life,” says SPY President and CEO Michael Marckx. “Ray’s parts in the Powell Peralta videos, Public Domain and Ban This, allow him to easily carry the weight of the title icon, but it’s his open and innovative approach to everything he does that makes him a standout, whether its behind his camera, in front of his Fender or on his board. Beyond his skate style, I happen to be a really big fan of his music, which makes this such a fun connection for me, and SPY.”
Dudes, Skullcandy would like you to take all that passion you feel for big boobs, flat stomachs and tight assesKate Upton and transfer it to their headphones. Yes, they want you horny, horny, horny for headphones. And to help get everyone there, they’re going to inundate us with nearly naked hot girls as part of their new Skullcandy supermodel crew.
Joining Kate Upton in the horny for headphones fest are Chrissy Teigen, Jessica Stam, and Chanel Iman. And look, they’re posing with a surfboard, BMX bike, and skateboard. How action sporty cute is that? And the best part–someone in the Skullcandy marketing department probably thinks this whole tired effort is “killer.”
When Billabong reported their financial results for the year ended June 30, 2012 this week there weren’t many surprises. The company reported a $275.6 million loss, according to a story in the Business Spectator. But CEP Launa Inman is still confident.
Chief executive officer Launa Inman said that at an underlying trading level, the group remained profitable. . . “As previously flagged to the market, the group’s results have been adversely impacted by various significant and exceptional items,” Ms Inman said. . . “In recording the various significant and exceptional costs and charges, the Group has endeavoured to adopt a conservative position.” . . “The group is well on track in implementing the initiatives outlined in the previously announced strategic capital structure review and will continue to implement a number of new strategic initiatives announced today as part of Billabong’s transformation strategy.”
According to Inman’s new plan (click here to dowload) the company “will focus on simplifying the retailer’s business, leveraging its brands, expanding its online business and globalising its supply chain.” Billabong has closed 58 retails stores since February 2012 and 82 more shops are set to close this year. Ouch.
In the quarter ended July 28, 2012 Pacific Sunwear saw an increase in net sales of $10 million over the same period in 2011, however, their loss from continuing operations was $17.5 million. But they have an excuse:
The loss from continuing operations for the Company’s second quarter of fiscal 2012 included a non-cash loss of $8.2 million, or $0.12 per share, related to a derivative liability that resulted from the issuance of the Convertible Series B Preferred Stock (the “Series B Preferred”) in connection with the term loan financing the Company completed in December 2011.
In other words, if it wasn’t for that thing they had to do to try to save themselves from bankruptcy they wouldn’t have lost as much money. CEO Gary H. Schoenfeld sees this as a good sign.
“Our 5% comparable store sales, 260 basis point increase in merchandise margins, and positive operating cash flow for the second quarter further demonstrate our belief that customers are beginning to rediscover PacSun, including our improved merchandising and brand mix, and our distinct Golden State of Mind brand identity,” said Schoenfeld. “Newer brands helped drive a 7% comp in our Men’s business, which represents our biggest increase in Men’s since 2004. Women’s continued to improve as well with a 2% comp and higher margins, and we also achieved a 15% increase in online sales.”
Nice to see a silver lining beginning to appear around the dark cloud that has been hanging over Pac Sun for years. If they stay at it they might even begin breaking even in five or 10 quarters. Follow the jump for the official info. [click to continue…]
As the 2012 US Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach, California made plainly clear to everyone, Nike’s only real interest is action sports is selling shoes and clothing. Providing more evidence is their latest commercial featuring buttery smooth skater Gino Iannucci rolling around NYC in a pair of shoes that John McEnroe used to play tennis in, the Nike Challenge Court. But with this shoe, Nike has added an “SB” so you’ll know it’s for, you know, skateboarding. . . classic.
DC Shoes co-founder and Gymkhana video star Ken Block has reportedly filed a lawsuit against Mad Media (the company that directed the first three Gymkhana videos) over their use of the word Gymkhana, according to a post on Jalopnik.
The lawsuit stems from the creation of Gymkhana.com, which focuses on rally, drift, and general car news. It features advertisements and includes links to Ken Block-related content, although it also carries the legal disclaimer “DISCLAIMER: This gymkhana.com website does not originate from, is not affiliated, connected, or associated with, and is not sponsored or approved by Ken Block or DC Shoes.” at the bottom of the page.
In the lawsuit, which was filed on Friday, August 17, 2012, Block’s lawyers claim that “By registering and using the domain name GYMKHANA.COM, Mad Media breached its contractual obligations to Plaintiffs to refrain from using the knowledge it gained from its contractual relationship with Plaintiffs to misappropriate, interfere with, or profit from opportunities and property in the GYMKHANA brand.” See, success ruins almost everything. Click the link for the rest of the story.
Raen Optics is kicking down what they’re calling the “boldest offering in the new collection” with the women’s shade, The Pogue.
The Pogue is equal parts praying mantis and Audrey Hepburn. For women who don’t mind being asked, “Where’d you get those?” five times a day. Art Deco flair and Optics by Carl Zeiss Vision.
Few things in life go together better than ice hockey and surfing. That’s apparently why Quiksilver has announced a new merchandising agreement with the National Hockey League to produce “co-branded board shorts” (puck shorts?), according to a story on SportsPro.com.
“We are excited to extend the reach of our Quiksilver brand in partnership with the NHL,” said Quiksilver Americas executive vice president Steve Tully. “Hockey fans in the US and Canada will now have the opportunity to experience Quiksilver’s iconic product category — boardshorts— in collaboration with their favourite NHL teams.”
According to NHL VP of Cosumer Products Jim Haskins, “The NHL boardshorts line will feature Quiksilver’s signature mix of surf and skate-inspired colours and styles designed for the young NHL fan.”
First the NFL, now the NHL? At this rate Quik’s next agreement will probably be with NASCAR and be distributed in Walmart. Just think of the revenue that deal would generate?
For the past two days (August 1 – 2, 2012) the Agenda Show has packed buyers, brands, and the media into the Long Beach California Convention Center and dazzled them with a wild array of clothing, accessories, surfboards, and skateboards.
Because of its growing size it seemed like more than a few industry veterans still couldn’t help comparing the Agenda Show to the long defunct ASR Show. With the exception of a small area of tables (the Agenda Cafe) on the South East end of the center, the entire 224,000 square feet of floor space was filled.
Everything felt bigger. We had to park farther away. We walked in large groups from the parking garage. Inside on the Berrics Agenda skateboarding end of the show it was often difficult to walk down an aisle without having to say excuse me several times. It seemed too busy writing orders to even look up. And that played into the feeling of bigness even more.
“It’s really not that much bigger,” Agenda Co-founder Aaron Levant said. “We have about 50 new brands, but we also had a few brands that wanted to increase the size of their booths.”
Even with those increases, however, at least one of the brands who took more space this year believed they could have used even more. “We’ve been writing orders all day,” said a partner at one clothing brand. “And our sales manager came back to me and said if we had more room to show the line we could have written more orders.”
With that kind of thinking Agenda can only get bigger. But one thing is for sure: the Agenda Show is still virtually free of the bikini models that seemed to get so much play back in the day. “We did let one exhibitor have a model,” Levant said. “But that’s because they’re a clothing company that makes bikinis and buyers need to see how they fit.”
Beer is a pretty popular thing these days. We personally haven’t seen much good come from the mass consumption of alcohol in general, but hey, if O’Neill want to sell some surf gear to guys who have a Pavlovian response to the old blue ribbons logo, then why not go for it.
“This season, we stayed true to our roots and designed with the American heritage in mind. The collaboration with PBR is a great way to celebrate the legacy of two American brands,” says Shawn Peterson, Vice President of O’Neill Men’s Design.
Really, what beer drinking surfer doesn’t want a shirt with a keg of Pabst on it? Drink up, O’Neill. Have another beer. This entire collection will be available at select retailers nationwide. Probably wouldn’t be a bad idea to put it in a couple truck stops, mini-markets, and retro, hipster biker bars while they’re at it.
