Rob Walker writes an advertising column for the New York Times. He has a new book out called Buying In: The Secret Dialogue Between What We Buy and Who We Are. The book includes case studies and a short profile on the The Hundreds. Walker’s book was recently reviewed on Forbes.com, and it looks like something all of us should read. Click the link above to buy it.
[Link: Forbes.com]
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
From the LA Times:
Bruce Grimes gingerly clenches his stitched right hand, asserting as best he can that he was accompanied by angels the morning a large bull shark chomped “softly” on his arm as he paddled his surfboard.
“I could feel the inside of its mouth with my hand,” he says while sitting on a small wooden stool inside his downtown surf shop. “It was steely, all hard inside, like a bear trap.”
Follow the link for the rest of the story from a Zihuatanejo surf survivor.
[Link: LA Times]
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
Thanks to chaotic traffic in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta police will soon start patrolling on skateboards.
Traffic police on skateboards will began patrolling the Indonesian capital from July 1, the Koran Tempo newspaper reported on Friday. . . . The city’s traffic police chief, Dua Sutirto, said police had hired a professional skateboarder to teach a team of 20 young police officers. He believes that skateboards will be able to get traffic police to any congested road in Jakarta much faster than cars or motorbikes.
We love skateboarding cops.
[Link: Russian News Agency]
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
Teton Gravity Research, the company most widely known for their ski movies (that occasionally include snowboarding) and their popular website, has been purchased by private equity firm BlackHawk Capital Management for an undisclosed amount, according to a press release posted on Private Equity Hub.
BlackHawk Capital Management recently completed the purchase of Jackson Hole, WY based Teton Gravity Research (TGR), a feature film and TV production company referred to by Outside Magazine as “one of the most influential companies in the outdoor industry.” TGR has produced 23 award winning films and 53 half hours of television programming over the past 12 years while establishing the leading brand in adrenaline sports.
Guess we’ll see how the Jones boys like having business jocks for bosses. They’ll probably be really optimistic about it for about three or four weeks.
[Link: PEHub]
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
For a long while people didn’t really understand that Dragon was owned by Oakley. Then when Oakley was purchased by the largest eyewear company in the world, most didn’t realize that Dragon was a tiny piece of that deal.
Now, according to a press release Dragon has announced that Founder and CEO Will Howard and General Manager Aaron Behle were able to take Dragon private.
“We want to thank Scott Olivet and the rest of the Oakley team for their support over the years and during this transition,” says Howard. “In two very different business plans, we collectively saw an opportunity to allow Dragon to break off and do its own thing in the marketplace.”
“We have restructured Dragon to fully leverage a decade of brand authenticity and capitalize on what we believe is a paradigm shift in the action sports market,” said Behle. “We have a unique position with a unique plan. More importantly, we have a young and passionate team with the ability to ‘zig’ while the market ‘zags’ and enjoy ourselves along the way.”
Congrats, Will. It’s about time.
[Link: Dragon Alliance via Freeskier]
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
Guess everyone needs more side projects these days. In an announcement today Kohl’s big box clothing stores based in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin said they were bringing Hang Ten back to life with a little help from Quiksilver, the company who helped them with the Hawk line of clothing.
The licensing agreement with American Brand Holdings will make Kohl’s (NYSE: KSS) the exclusive U.S. retailer for the California lifestyle brand. Kohl’s also announced an agreement with Quiksilver Inc. (NYSE: ZQK) to design the collection and its packaging. Quiksilver, of Huntington Beach, Calif., designed the Tony Hawk action sportswear brand that Kohl’s launched in 2006.
What are Quiksilver’s designers just sitting around with nothing to do?
[Link: Bizjournals.com]
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
Last night friends and family of Adrian Ruiz, the 25 year-old surfer who was killed by a shark near Troncones, Mexico, gathered for a traditional Hawaiian paddle out.
Holding a surfboard, Misty Spinney said it was Ruiz who taught her to surf at Linda Mar. “He was my best friend,” she said, “He was the most beautiful person, fun charasmatic loyal, fun human being to be around and you don’t say that about anybody. He was legit. . . . His mother, Sharla McDaniel struggled to hold back tears. “I feel him out here, it’s part of who he is,” she said.
[Link: KTVU.com]
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
On June 7, 2008 the following post was up on the Emerica website. But then by today (the start of Emerica’s Wild Ride) it was gone. Wonder what happened? Did Heath Kirchart get a little too much grief on the phone?
Attention, girls! Heath Kirchart and his sidekick Bob are on their way to kick off Emerica’s Wild Ride! They’re somewhere in Georgia right now. To meet up with them, text SLAGS to 619-559-6141 and they’ll give you directions. Join in on the (Girls Gone) Wild Ride! . . . All you non-Southerners and non-girls: text photos of your sisters and girlfriends to Heath and Bob instead! Who knows, Heath might even call you back to say what’s up! Stay tuned for more Wild Ride updates coming soon!
Looks like a certain Sole Tech blogger got the reigns pulled in a little.
[Link: Emerica.com]
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
Steve & Berry’s (200 super-stores in 33 states) has figured out that if Quiksilver can sell more trunks because of Kelly Slater, and Kohls can sell most stuff because of Tony Hawk, why shouldn’t they help move some of their cheap action clothing with Laird Hamilton. Enter Wonderwall.
Last month, Hamilton unveiled his surf-and-skate-inspired men’s board shorts, graphic T-shirts, cargo shorts and polo shirts. All 200 pieces of his new Wonderwall clothing and accessories are $8.98 or less at area Steve & Barry’s stores. . . . “I’d like to say I discovered Steve & Barry’s, but they approached me about the concept,” Hamilton says. “I had little to no knowledge of their business philosophy. After a very short discussion, I realized it was something that I definitely wanted to be part of.”
We are just glad that Laird is getting paid. Because that is what he does best.
[Link: The Detroit News]
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
