Welcome to my first column on Orange County’s apparel industry for the Business Journal. I cover apparel companies extensively on my Web site, Shop-Eat-Surf.com, which is read by executives at surf-and-skate-inspired brands.
I’ll be doing a twice-monthly column on the county’s apparel companies.
I launched Shop-Eat-Surf.com in 2007 after leaving the Orange County Register, where I worked as reporter and editor for 10 years.
L*Space Sees Sales Growth
Monica Wise, founder and president of upscale swimsuit maker L*Space Swim-wear in Irvine, says she’s loving life since she started a venture with C & C; Partners early last year.
Irvine-based C & C; Partners, owned by Paul Carr and Donald “Dac” Clark, used to hold the license to make clothes under the Rusty brand and currently makes Sanuk sandals and Liquid Force wake-boarding-inspired clothes under licensing deals.
With L*Space, Carr and Clark invested in the swimsuit brand and formed a new company with Wise called L*Space America LLC.
Wise previously handled everything on her own at L*Space,design, collecting money from accounts, packing orders. She said it’s a relief to let go.
“We meet every week and talk about everything,product, budget, planning,” Wise said. “Paul and Dac have taught me so much.”
Now Wise focuses on design.
Her swimsuits continue to gain sales. Wise said L*Space sales grew 30% in 2008, though she declined to say what total sales were.
Wise said she expects a double-di-git increase for 2009, even with the tough retail market.
One of L*Space’s coups was landing four swimsuits in 100 Victoria’s Secret stores.
Wise is focusing on marketing, including a digital project dubbed “screen cleaners” featuring the brand’s lead model, Corrin Nomad of San Clemente.
The screen cleaners, which show Nomad cleaning the screen of an iPhone in an L*Space bikini, can be downloaded for computers, iPhones and Blackberrys.
La Jolla Hires
Toby Bost, chief executive of Irvine-based La Jolla Group Inc. and O’Neill Clothing, is making key hires during the downturn.
Bost hired Bill Bussiere, former chief financial officer of Quiksilver Inc.’s Americas division, to become president and chief financial officer of La Jolla, maker of O’Neill, Lost, Rusty and Metal Mulisha clothing.
He also snagged designers Johnny Monson and Chris Boland of San Clemente for its Lost brand after Monson and Boland’s design and marketing deal with apparel brand Allyance fell apart.
Monson is a prot & #233;g & #233; of Michael Tomson of Laguna Beach, cofounder and former owner of apparel brand Gotcha. Tomson is considered an industry design guru.
La Jolla still is watching its payroll. The company cut a few positions in the last quarter, but is hiring selectively, Bost said.
“We remain opportunistic and have in-vested in a few key human talents that will contribute to our long-term growth plans and assist us with managing through the recession,” Bost said.
O’Neill has a new program for retailers called First In. It offers surf shops the highest profits on O’Neill’s most popular products.
“Our message to retailers is, ‘We have a great brand, and we want you to be profitable selling it,'” Bost said.
Take O’Neill’s new Hyperfreak boardshort. La Jolla is selling it to retailers for $30. Retailers in turn sell it for $75.
O’Neill has gone to its contract manufacturers to rework costs to make the items more profitable, Bost said.
RVCA on Hot List
Costa Mesa-based apparel maker RVCA is coming up in conversation lately.
Pacific Sunwear of California Inc. Chief Executive Sally Frame Kasaks discussed the brand’s success and expansion at the Anaheim-based retailer during an investor conference. The same week, I overheard an employee at a surf shop in Florida pining to carry the brand.
RVCA, which is known for working with up-and-coming artists and musicians, is considered to be the next brand on the verge of making it into the top tier of surf and skate apparel brands.
“It is great to have retail partners show enthusiasm and support,” RVCA Chief Executive PM Tenore said about PacSun’s talking up of his brand. “We are pleased that PacSun has frequently made note of RVCA’s success at public forums.”
Tenore also said RVCA doesn’t have any immediate plans to bring on another president after the recent departure of Dan Levine, who served for less than a year.
If RVCA does fill the president’s spot, it likely will be from within, Tenore said.
“I believe that we have an incredibly strong management team that I can trust and lean on to make strategic decisions,” he said.
Montgomery is the founder of
Shop-Eat-Surf.com
, a business news and information site for action sports executives.