A showing of the art of Dustin Ortiz, Jonathan Mattson, and Jared Mattson titled Top Ramen Nachos will open this Friday, September 30, 2011, at UNIV in Encinitas, California.
Born and raised in Encinitas, surrounded by the creative melting pot of the surf and skateboard communities, Dustin and the Mattson’s have been using the tools at their disposal to create for the better part of their lives. They have chosen the name, “Top Ramen Nachos” for their first show together as a symbol of the unique and satisfying combinations that can manifest when one is left their own devices in a world where the circumstances are not ideal.
We’re going to officially add Snowboarder Magazine’s Pat Bridges to the list of snowboarders who can act better than they ride. This new Nike Snowboarding parody of the old Bo Knows campaigns (“Danny Don’t Know”) proves it once and for all. We’re still laughing just thinking about how nice it must be for Mr. Bridges to get checks from both Source Interlink and Nike at the same time.
Right on the heels of one of the most amazing surf contests ever comes a little bad news for Quiksilver. Yesterday (September 21, 2011) the stock reached a new 52-week low of $3.44, according to a story on The Street. And what they have to say about the stock is even worse:
TheStreet Ratings rates Quiksilver as a sell. The company’s weaknesses can be seen in multiple areas, such as its disappointing return on equity, weak operating cash flow and generally weak debt management.
Ouch. Click here for the complete The Street overview of Quiksilver’s stock.
Laura Lynn Murphey (our favorite half of the DJ duo Heart + Heat) has just joined Bonfire’s product development team.
“We are very happy to have Laura Lynn added to our Portland crew. Her experience and dedication to snowboarding will not only enhance our product line but also add to Bonfire’s legacy of truly being a brand designed, developed and marketed by snowboarders for snowboarders,” says Product/Marketing Manager Amy Eichner.
DeKalb, Illinois’ Smalltown Skates shop owner Ariel Ries didn’t know what to do with all the broken skateboards that were piling up around her shop, according to a story in the Daily Chronicle. That’s when she says she thought of making jewelry out of it.
“I was really interested in the multicolored plies,” she said. “I thought, why am I not using this material?” Ries studied jewelry-making at Kishwaukee College, but there she used only metal materials. She started working with the wood from skateboard decks in April and has since accumulated about 200 pieces of jewelry. She said she’s spent at least 2,000 hours making jewelry since she started.
Sounds like it might be time to hire some third world laborers. . .
The ex-wife of former Billabong CEO Matthew Perrin’s will reportedly get to keep their mega-million dollar Gold Coast home after a Queensland Supreme Court found that Mr. Perrin forged his wife’s signature (and his brothers) when he put their home up as security for a $13.5 million loan, according to a story in the Sydney Morning Herald.
The Queensland Supreme Court ruling means the Commonwealth Bank cannot enforce its mortgage over the couple’s Gold Coast mansion or enforce personal guarantees against Mr Perrin’s wife, Nicole Bricknell.
They did it with Thalia Surf Shop in Laguna Beach and now Vans has teamed up withDQM(aka Dave’s Quality Meat) in SOHO for another retail collab. Last night (September 15, 2011) Vans celebrated the opening with a few “hundred friends and family.”
Located at 93 Grand, the Vans DQM General is Vans’ first store in Manhattan and the co-branded project with local skate and streetwear purveyor DQM is the first of a kind in the United States for Vans. Expect to find the newest cut & sew and accessories from DQM, the latest from Vans across several lines including our Classics, California, Surf, OTW, Skate and Vault collections and a nice selection of boards, wheels and trucks – all in a setting that beautifully nods to SOHO’s unique heritage and personality.
Quiksilver Australia has reportedly cut 20 merchandising and design positions from it’s Torquay headquarters thanks to a retail industry that is at its “worst in 20 years” according to a story in the Geelong Advertiser.
President of Quiksilver Asia Pacific Greg Healy yesterday told the Geelong Advertiser the job cuts were regrettable but needed in times when retail sales were down and there were overlaps between some positions. . . “I would say it’s been a pretty tough day for us because we pride ourselves on being a close-knit community but some decisions have to be made for the long-term,” Mr Healy said.
Some of those cut were reportedly offered transfer position in the US. That was nice.
As if winning the Street League Championships in New Jersey on Saturday, August 27, 2011 weren’t enough, Sean Malto also walked away with this $50,000, diamond encrusted Nixon 51-30. It goes a little like this:
The customized watch was designed as a collaborative effort between Street League founder Rob Dyrdek and Nixon. The custom 51-30 features a Swiss made movement, stainless steel case and band, custom engraved case back and bezel complete with sapphire crystal. The watch showcases 963 total diamonds on the case, band and dial, making it truly extravagant and unique.
Not that anyone expected it, but there is no shame in Street League it appears. Follow the jump for more details. [click to continue…]
Volcom’s Senior Vice President of Strategic Development and General Counsel Hoby Darling continues the post PPR acquisition VeeCo executive team departures by announcing that he is leaving the company and taking a job with Nike where he will be “head of strategy and planning for its affiliate brands,” according to a story on FINS.com.
Darling’s thoughts on leaving make sense:
For me, I had taken the company public, helped grow it from a $116 million company to almost $400 million, then sold it to a great company in PPR. It felt like, hey, been there, done that, I had done what my role was designed to do in strategic development and decided it was time for the next challenge.
News like this always makes us wonder who will be next. Who could it be? For the rest of the Darling interview click the link.
