Lost's Relaunched Women's Line Hits the Floor

Lost announced last year that they werr relaunching their women's collection in Spring 15. Well, it has finally hit the floor and is receiving a positive reaction from specialty stores. However, the line is only available in these specialty stores right now and not online. 

“The …LOST woman is a gypsy by nature. Her spirit embodies the modern nomad with a passion for living and wanderlust. I wanted to provide her with pieces that are fashion driven but effortlessly integrate into her active lifestyle,” said …LOST Head Designer Rachel Anne Rainwater.

The spring 2015 collection is inspired by the love of the sea and the bohemian spirit. You can see this, with pieces throughout the line being a one-of-kind or handmade print. The vibe that the line is trying to put out is to take our traditional LOST surfer girl and transition her from the beach to the street. 

Amuse Society hits the floor...

Mandy Fry and Summer Rapp have officially dropped their line into our world! Amuse Society hit a local account here in the Mid Atlantic and was given its own small t-stand. Time will tell if the brad will make it in the world of Women's Surf. Amuse Society is meant to be combination of pretty and tough. The brand is coining the term "beach vida bling" to express the lifestyle of the Amuse girl. 

Tom Carroll visits 17th Street Surf Shop in Virginia Beach

Two time world champ and 2014 Waterman of the Year, Tom Carroll graced VBers with his presence this past Friday at 17th Street Surf Shop in Virginia Beach. Tom popped by 17th Street's surf camp ending ceremony to give some inspiration to the new generation of surfers. He was able to share his experiences about tackling some of the largest waves in the world! He later did a book and poster signing inside the store from 5-7 pm. We were lucky enough to have him join the rest of our Quiksilver team in the Mid Atlantic for a dinner with17th Street owner, Tom Brown and a few key employees. Joining us for the event and dinner was Jaci Schroeder from HQ. As well at east coast surfing legend, Matt Kechele from Wilmington, North Carolina. We are so glad was able to pop into Virginia Beach before heading back to Austrailia! 

RVCA collaboration with model Ashley Smith

With a unforgettable gap-tooth smile Ashley Smith came onto the modeling scene a few years ago. She has quickly caught the eye of the fashion industry with her flip flipping style and carefree attitude. After RVCA collab with supermodel Erin Wasson it makes sense to move on to their next "it girl". 

"The clothes turned out much like Smith herself, girly and a little naughty." - Harpers Bazzar 

Her new collab line with RVCA lands in stores this week and has RVCA's current customers dropping their jaws at the raised prices. The line includes lots of knits and a pair of high waisted leather shorts for $150. 

The line hit my cathedral account here in Virginia Beach today. Pictures fresh out of the box below! 

The Crazy Cat...Vans?

It looks like Vans has partnered up with ASPCA to raise more awareness and of course hop on the kitty cat trend! You are able to purchase dresses, slide ons, high tops, and bags with these cute little creatures all over them in a collage effect. 

Vans donated a lump some to ASPCA in order to launch this line. Also, the four legged furballs featured in this collection are pets of the Vans employees. 

But wait...there's more...

Fear not, dog lovers...they have slip ons and high tops in a dog print as well. 

Every account here in the Mid Atlantic has a desperate section whether it be on the table or wall to feature this unique new partnership line. 

With the new rise of this "cat trend", customers are saying it's "purrrr-fect"! 

Copy Cats

Recently on the floor I have run into some very interesting look-a-likes comparing to Quiksilver and Roxy. My first discovery this past week was an identical Hurley walk short mixed into our section. The fabric is the exact same and they used the same embellishments. I ended up having to double check all the tags to ensure they were ours! 

Does this next picture look oddly familiar ? These tags were spotted on some generic brand merchandise next to our Roxy section at a core shop here in Virginia Beach. Their tags are a scary reflection of our own. Not to mention this was my first time ever seeing this "Lagaci" brand name. 

Rip Curl LAX Store

Rip Curl is taking over space in places where you would least expect! Walking through terminal 5 heading home from our last sales meeting I noticed Rip Curl has it’s own decent sized store right in between some gates. With Rip Curl originally being based from Australia they operate stores in other airports globally, including Brisbane and Ngurah Rai in Indonesia. The store sits inside Delta’s Terminal 5 next to a Lakers Fan store and a gate. LAX is the sixth busiest airport in the world and third in the United States, contributing more than 600 daily flights to 91 domestic cities and more than 1,000 weekly nonstop flights to 56 cities in 32 countries on nearly 75 air carriers. The airport has so much traffic that the visibility alone is a great advertisement for the brand and clothing. Is Rip Curl doing something right by positioning themselves inside busy transit places like this?

Kelly Slater Wave Co. to create The Ultimate Surfing Experience

The Kelly Slater Wave Company is in talks of developing the ultimate surfing experience. With this resort being located in a best-in-class surf destination, it is garunteed year round perfect waves. Also offering luxurious amenities and entertainment. The essence of he resrot represents and celebrates beach culture and the "Kelly Slater" lifestyle. Whether you are a surfer, spectator, or beach bum...the Kelly Slater Experience can fit every need.

The experience developement site says "The Kelly Slater Surf Experience has something for everyone. For some, it's lounging wave-side entertained by the display of world-class waves and skilled surfing. For others, it’s the unmatched thrill of riding waves. For beginners, it’s small approachable whitewater waves, a boogie board, or soft-top with top-notch instructors available. For the advanced, it’s a barreling wave that challenges deep tube riding and aerial acrobatics, pushing the limits of performance. But for all, it’s a spectacle, with memories that last a lifetime."

The Kelly Slater Wave Co. is capitalising on the success of Kelly. He is branding himself and continuing his legacy for IF he ever retires. Would we be just as smart as one of the leading surf brands in the world, and a lifetime Kelly Slater sponsor, to also brand ourselves within this resort? With connections to the Kelly Slater Wave Co., Quiksilver could position our branding within the park to maximize sales and brand recognition. Being apart of this "Ultimate Wave Experience" could esatblish and confirm to beach goers, surfers, and spectators that with the Ultimate Wave experience...comes the Ultimate brand for surfing.

Keep A Breat Foundation: Brand Experience

Like several other non-profits and non-retail organizations, Keep A Breast has the challenge of charming its donors, partners, and target audiences on a personal, constant basis.  So to complement its event-based schedule of events, the organization set up a pop up shop for a month in Encinitas, CA.

The shop allowed guests to experience the Keep A Breast brand in a way that creates a larger impact.  An Airstream was converted into a temporary galleria to show some remarkable breast players.  The store’s merchandise assortment went well beyond the typical products, to include cool cut and sew garments and custom posters.  Mood photography lined the walls while old school music bellowed from a retro turn table.  They offered free educational materials comprising a door hanger with instructions on how to do a self breast exam, the organization’s magazine, and of course those iconic bracelets.

Visitors really got a feel of the Keep A Breast brand mission, values, and personality through the Pop Up Shop. It also encouraged more people to get involved and become supporters. They really set a great example of how to bring a brand to life and engage people with little effort.
There’s nothing like an in-person experience to make a memorable, motivating brand impression.

The Kardashians are coming!

THE KARDASHIANS ARE COMING! THE KARDASHIANS ARE COMING!

Kendall and Kylie Jenner’s line is flying off the shelves at their new home, Pac Sun. A store once known for carrying every surf/skate name under the sun, is now home to the reality stars.

Less than a week after launch which was February 8th, the Jenner sisters' clothing line is already selling out at PacSun. Two pieces are already rumored to be completely out of stock online. What are the Jenner girl’s hot trends for the season? The collection is inspired by their own style and their love of their home state of California. They were very involved in the design process (supposedly) and were thrilled they were been able to keep the prices at an affordable price ranging from $20 to $75.  What does this mean for the rest of the brands in PacSun? As a large role in the surf industry, should we be worried or should we be learning from this exciting new sell out line?