by The Editors on May 2, 2012
Holden Outerwear (and now all-season wear) has announced they are leaving Portland, Oregon and doing what many ambitious people have done before them–they are moving to Los Angeles to pursue fame and fortune.
Scheduled to open in early July 2012, the move represents a significant commitment to the brand’s long-term strategy of extending Holden from Summit to Sea with a four-season offering. . . “Having spent the past ten years in Portland making the best snow products, this move is an exciting way to extend the Holden experience outside of our focus on the winter lifestyle and into year-round goods. LA is going to be about new energy, new products and new friendships.” says Holden co-founder Mikey LeBlanc.
Of course, they say their “commitment to snow sports and its Northwest heritage will remain intact.” But we all know what LA does to people. . . For the official word, follow the jump. [click to continue…]
by The Editors on May 1, 2012
Marchone Eyewear, Inc. (manufacturers nearly every fashion eyewear brand you can think of: Calvin Klein, Diane Von Furstenberg, Fendi, Jil Sander, etc. . . . ) today announced that they have purchased Dragon Alliance for an undisclosed amount.
Will Howard, founder and CEO of Dragon, started the brand in 1993 from his garage in Capo Beach and has seen it grow into an internationally recognized brand. “We are very excited about becoming part of the Marchon family,” said Howard. “With their support and shared vision for Dragon, we will become an even stronger company, while remaining true to our heritage.”
Seems to be the only way to make it in the eyewear business these days. . . For the official word follow the jump. [click to continue…]
by The Editors on May 1, 2012
Collective Brands, the owner of zombie brands Airwalk, Vision Streetwear, Lamar, and (sadly) Sims, has been purchased for $2 billion by a “consortium comprised of Wolverine Worldwide, Blum Capital Partners and Golden Gate Capital” according to a story on Sports One Source.
Upon closing, Wolverine Worldwide will acquire Collective Brands’ Performance + Lifestyle Group (PLG), which will continue to operate out of Lexington, MA. PLG had revenue of more than $1 billion in the fiscal year ended January 31, 2012. . . Payless will be acquired by Blum Capital and Golden Gate and will continue to be headquartered in Topeka, KS and CLI in Englewood, CO. Payless and CLI had combined revenue of approximately $2.4 billion in the fiscal year ended January 31, 2012, operating over 4,300 Payless retail stores globally at year end.
Guess this means Airwalk, Vision Streetwear, and Sims, get to stay in the Payless family only now they’ll be owned by Blum and Golden Gate Capital. As one of our more astute commenters pointed out to us, this sounds like a great opportunity for Jamie Salter to jump back in and grab a couple more brands . . . again.
[Link: Sports One Source]
by The Editors on April 30, 2012
Bob Smith, an orthodontist who just couldn’t stand goggles that fogged and went on to revolutionize the action eyewear industry with his double lens Smith goggles, died of complications from heart surgery on April 18, 2012 at his home in La Quinta, California, according to an obituary in the Washington Post. He was 78.
Using dental tools, foam and glue, Dr. Smith began building his first prototypes on his kitchen table. He traded his new goggles for lift tickets to ski mountains in Idaho or sold them to ski patrollers, who provided him with feedback to tweak his designs. . . As demand for his goggles spread, Dr. Smith formed his own company in Ketchum, Idaho. By the late 1970s, the company was selling 200,000 goggles a year. The firm also tinkered with goggles that included electrically heated lenses and small fans to cool the face.
Brands like Spy, Dragon, and Oakley would not exist without Dr. Smith’s game-changing product design and we will forever be grateful for the way Smith goggles allowed us to love riding on snowy days. Thanks, Bob. Our thoughts are with Smith’s family, friends, and everyone who has ever worn a pair of his goggles on a socked in white out day.
[Link: Washington Post]
by The Editors on April 27, 2012
Quiksilver today (April 27, 2012) announced that they have found the man to take the CFO job after Joe Scirocco leaves the company. His name is Richard Shields and he was formerly CFO of Oakley.
Robert B. McKnight, Jr., Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer and President of Quiksilver Inc., commented, “We’re really pleased to welcome Rich into the Quiksilver family. His extensive corporate financial experience and proven track record in international operations, retail and manufacturing make him an ideal fit for our growing global business. Rich is an accomplished executive who we expect will make an immediate contribution to our pursuit of substantially improved financial performance, especially through our long-term growth initiatives and globalization efforts.”
Shields, who has previously worked for Day Software, Frame-N-Lens Optical and Taco Bell, will officially start at the company on May 11, 2012. Follow the jump for the official word. [click to continue…]
by The Editors on April 27, 2012
VF Corp, the parent company of Vans, The North Face, and Reef announced “record first quarter revenues and earnings thanks in part to their acquisition of Timberland and Smartwool, but also because their outdoor group (the only part of the company we really even care about) did really, really, well.
Global revenues of The North Face® brand increased 14% during the quarter, with double-digit growth in both the Americas and internationally. Momentum continued in The North Face® brand’s direct-to-consumer business, where revenues grew more than 20% in the quarter. The Vans® brand achieved another quarter of very healthy growth, with global revenues rising 25% and strong increases in both its Americas and international businesses. The Vans direct-to-consumer business demonstrated solid results, with revenues rising by 18%.
Boom. As usual, Reef did not get so much as a mention in the quarterly numbers, and only showed up in the list of companies VF owns. That must be so motivating for the people at Reef. For the official word follow the jump. If you’re interested in the hard numbers click here. [click to continue…]
by The Editors on April 25, 2012
Collective Brands, the owner of zombie brands Airwalk, Vision Streetwear, and (sadly) Sims is reportedly up for sale, according to a story in the Wall Street Journal.
The team, private-equity firm Golden Gate Capital and bootmaker Wolverine World Wide Inc., are competing in the last stretch of a months-long auction for Collective Brands, owner of Payless ShoeSource as well as brands including Keds, Stride Rite and Sperry Top-Sider, according to people familiar with the matter. . . The pair is dueling for the deal against South Korean conglomerate E-Land Group, these people said.
E-Land recently made a run at buying the LA Dogers. We’re not sure what any of this means other than maybe, just maybe, this deal will finally let the Airwalk, Vision, and Sims brands die in peace.
[Link: Wall Street Journal]
by The Editors on April 25, 2012
by The Editors on April 23, 2012
Rail shredder Forest Bailey has just signed on with Dragon apparently.
“I’m very excited to be joining the Dragon Alliance,” said Bailey on joining the team. “With the most proper goggles and a team stacked full of homies, it was pretty much a no brainer.”
Congrats, Forest. [click to continue…]
by The Editors on April 20, 2012
Klen Laundry and the skate deck reclamation artists Timber have created a limited edition collab belt buckle made out of old skate decks called the Hostage.
With this new KLeN belt buckle made from old skate decks you’ll never be so excited to have a skateboard near your crotch! . . . Show off your love for skateboarding, recycling and all things KLeN.
Get strapped. . .
[Link: KleN Laundry]
