by The Editors on December 6, 2018
Marquee Brands, LLC, owners of zombie brands like Body Glove, Ben Sherman, and Bruno Magli, announced yesterday (December 5, 2018) that they have acquired the Dakine brand along with all related intellectual property. They’ve also partnered with JR286 to operate the brand.
Marquee Brands and JR286, who will develop Dakine’s core categories, will maintain dedicated teams for the brand in Hood River, Los Angeles, California, and Annecy, France. Ken Meidell, Dakine’s current CEO, will be joining the Marquee Brands team.
Last we checked Dakine was owned by Altamont Capital, which also holds majority positions in Brixton, Fox Head, and Mervin Manufacturing. They paid $70 million for Dakine when they bought it from Billabong in 2013, wonder what this sale means for the rest of the portfolio. Maybe nothing, maybe something. For the official word from Marquee, please follow the jump.
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by The Editors on November 30, 2018
We were planning on doing these super list news link updates on the weekly, but last month seemed a bit shorter and our slow typing fingers failed the task. Take this as a catch up on all the news that caught our eye lately. we’ll attempt to do better moving forward. . . or not. Follow the jump for all the stories. Happy Friday.
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by The Editors on November 30, 2018
Vans just signed South African pro surfer Michael February to their global footwear and apparel team.
Recently featured in Vans’ surf film Can’t Steal Our Vibe alongside fellow teammates the Gudauskas brothers, February has been a driving force in Vans’ philanthropic initiative to inspire at-risk youth in South Africa through surfing. In partnership with Waves for Change, February helped to collect over 750 surfboards for local South Africa townships, helping kids heal through surfing.
For the official word from Vans, please follow the jump.
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by The Editors on November 28, 2018
Writer and former pro surfer Jamie Brisick has a story in The New Yorker, sadly, he had to lose his home to the Malibu fire to make it happen. In his Personal History story A Surfer’s Perspective on Malibu In Flames he explains what it was like to go back in during the evacuation to check on things. Here’s a piece.
The homes leading up to mine were gone, and so were the homes across the street. I pulled into the gravel driveway and got out of my car. The burning smell was like a punch in the face. There was nothing left of the front house, a ranch-style home where my neighbors—a husband, wife, twin thirteen-year-old daughters, and two loud dogs—had lived. I followed the winding concrete footpath back to my guesthouse. It used to be shaded by a canopy of trees, but the trees were no longer. Ditto the surfboard rack that held a half-dozen prized boards. I’d never seen a burned surfboard before. The foam had disintegrated, but the fibreglass husks remained. They resembled shed skin, or cocoons.
For the rest of his story, please click the link. Brisick’s perspective has much more to do with his being a great writer, than it does with being a surfer, but those East Coasties seem to have a thing for surfers who can write.
[Link: The New Yorker]
by The Editors on November 14, 2018
Can you think of anything worse than selling your soul and then not getting paid? That’s the position 2John Florence has put himself in according to a lawsuit he filed against Monster Energy in May of 2018, according to a story in the New York Post.
According to the 26-year-old Florence. . . he and Monster cut a three-year marketing deal beginning in January 2017. . . Under the deal, Florence . . . agreed to promote Monster drinks for $350,000 a year plus $150,000 toward a marketing production that recounted his pursuit of his world surfing title, court records show. . . Nevertheless, Monster “has refused to pay any amount whatsoever under the 2017 agreement,” according to the suit, which has managed to stay under the media radar despite getting filed in California state court in May.
Monster claims that Florence hid “material facts” from the company during those contract negotiations. Florence says his dealings with Monster have been a series of broken promises and last minute changes to his contract. And, yeah, $350,000 in missing money is a pretty big deal. We hope 2John has learned his lesson when it comes to energy drinks–especially a brand with copious lawsuit experience.
Sidetone: if you’re in the Inland Empire today (November 14, 2018) you can stop by the Riverside, California superior courthouse and drop in on a conference hearing between the lawyers.
[Link: NY Post]
by The Editors on November 5, 2018
Team Japan made junior surfing history and earned their first-ever Team Gold Medal at the 2018 VISSLA ISA World Junior Surfing Championship presented by Visit Huntington Beach.
Led by the individual Gold Medal performance by Boys U-18 competitor Keanu Kamiyama and four additional individual medals, Team Japan pushed ahead of Silver Medal Team USA to take the Junior Team World Title by a margin of 132 points.
Japan’s first-ever Junior Gold Medal performance comes shortly after an historic first Gold Medal for Team Japan in the World Surfing Games that took place in September in Tahara, Japan. It would appear the host country is getting ready for the Olympic debut of surfing. For the official word from the ISA, please follow the jump.
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by The Editors on October 15, 2018
Once again, a list of links to some of the stories we wish we had time to read and re-type. Follow the jump for all the details.
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by The Editors on October 8, 2018
A certain privately owned entertainment company specializing in event and online streamed content production (mostly surfing sport) announced today the hiring of former Oprah Winfrey Network President Erik Logan as their new president of content, media and studios. The Hollywood Reporter has gone so far as calling it a “shakeup at OWN.”
There’s no doubt this guy’s CV is stacked. Take a look:
[Logan] led OWN’s turnaround from 2011 and has positioned the company today as the #1 cable network in its target demographic with 5 of the top 20 shows in scripted cable programs for women ages 25-54, more than any other cable network. Before OWN, Logan was Executive Vice President, programming and broadcast operations for XM Satellite Radio, where he helped build the subscriber base to over nine million subscribers, negotiated partnerships, and managed day-to-day relationships with major content providers including Major League Baseball, PGA Tour, CNN, Clear Channel Communications and Fox News. Prior to joining XM, Logan also served as President of Programming for Citadel Broadcasting, and served for over a decade at CBS/Infinity Broadcasting in a variety of roles, including Vice President of programming.
We’re worn-out just reading his bio. Think of how good Erik is at going to meetings? Can’t say this company isn’t hiring the best people they can find.
In addition to his deep biz cred, Logan is also described as an “avid waterman,” co-founder of Shred & Speed, LLC Infinity SUP, and co-owner in Nikau Kai Surf Shop in Manhattan Beach, California. Guess that means he knows which way his fins go.
We’ll just have to wait and see if Logan can find an audience or if he’ll have to branch out into something other than surfing if they really want to maximize their ROI. Maybe live SUP events or even scripted cable programs for women ages 25-54? Logan starts his new job in January 2019.
by The Editors on October 4, 2018
We’ve never really been able to figure out why VF owned Reef. They never seem to mention it during their financial calls, nor report on the brand’s progress or any plans they have for the company. It always seemed like Reef was Vans’ forgotten step-sister at VF. Guess VF felt the same way as they are reportedly selling Reef to The Rockport group, according to a story on Bizjournals.com.
Greensboro-based VF Corp. is further slimming its portfolio by entering into an agreement to sell beachwear brand Reef to The Rockport Group. . . The company disclosed the deal today, the terms of which were not disclosed. . . The acquisition is expected to close October 2018. . . The Rockport Group is based in Newton, Massachusetts, and is a maker of casual and dress shoes. The group was acquired by private equity firm Charlesbank Capital Partners LLC Aug. 3.
Okay. Reef and all their assets will now be part of a company that makes shoes the elderly wear while stumbling around in the forrest. Not sure it’s a good fit for reef, but it will likely be great for Rockport. The Newton, Massachusetts based company plans to keep Reef in Carlsbad, California, but really, how long will that last?
[Link: Bizjournals.com]
by The Editors on October 1, 2018
Julian Wilson, a top actor on a moderately popular, privately owned TV/streaming content series about competitive surfing, is reportedly selling his Sunshine Coast house for a cool $4 million, according to a story in the Sunshine Coast News.
Wilson, a Coolum Beach native who grew up across the beaches along the coastline there, owns an award-winning home designed by renowned Noosa architect Tim Ditchfield. It was described as “a master class in coastal luxe” and became the Australian Institute of Architects‘ Sunshine Coast House of the Year in 2009.. . Wilson’s four bedroom, three bathroom home has hit the market for sale by negotiation, with agents Rachel Sellman and Mike Hay of Century 21 Conolly Hay Group open to offers over $4 million.
Looks like a pretty not bad view from the master bedroom. If you want a shot at it get in there. Getting an appointment to see the house has been pretty tough lately. For more photos, click the link.
[Link: Sunshine Coast News]
