Huntington Beach-based Quiksilver Inc. is targeting young women with a line of juniors clothes and accessories.
The clothes, which debuted at a fashion show and concert earlier this month at Quiksilver’s headquarters, draw on modern, classic styles that are more like J. Crew or Anthropologie than the company’s Roxy surfer girl line for teens.
The line, which is being sold under the Quiksilver name, includes a bright bohemian-print maxi dress, a colorful striped cardigan and worn-looking pin-striped denim shorts.
“Roxy will continue to be what Roxy is—fun, energetic, lively,” said Kenna Florie, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Quiksilver’s wo-men’s unit. “This line is more classic coastal, and a little more romantic in look and feel.”
The clothes are set to hit stores in early 2011 and are aimed at women ages 18 to 24. The Quiksilver line is designed as a middle brand in between Roxy and the company’s clothes for older women, which are set to be renamed QSW, a Quiksilver Collection.
“We’re bringing it all full circle,” Florie said.
It’s an interesting move for a company best known for guys clothes inspired by surfing, skateboarding and snowboarding.
Roxy, a $550 million yearly business that makes up about 30% of Quiksilver’s $1.8 billion in annual sales, has struggled during the downturn, which has been especially hard on girls fashion.
For the three months through April 30, Roxy sales were down “consistent with the continued challenges that the juniors business represents for us and our peers,” said Joe Scirocco, Quiksilver’s chief financial officer and chief operating officer, during the company’s June earnings call.
Roxy drove a 5% drop in quarterly sales from a year earlier at Quiksilver, which had revenue of $468.3 million for the quarter ended April 30.
The surf-inspired Roxy line has struggled in the past couple of years as trendy, cheap clothes, known as fast fashion, have ruled.
Fast fashion retailers and clothing makers were a hit during the downturn, quickly churning out inexpensive clothes inspired by pricier designs.
“Fast fashion and price-point driven goods continue to challenge the branded segment of the juniors market for all surf, skate and snow companies,” Chief Executive Bob McKnight said during the June earnings call. “Retailers continue to order cautiously and are planning their businesses in such a way that allows them to react to in-season trends.”
Loyalty
The company’s hope is that girls who start off with Roxy will move into Quiksilver Juniors and on to QSW.
“All of the studies of this generation say that the girls are incredibly loyal,” Florie said. “They just need to be given a reason to buy the product.”
The juniors line includes dresses, shorts, cardigans, tees and some bathing suits. The clothes are set to sell for $24 to $80, cheaper than the QSW line and more in line with Roxy.
In a shift for Quiksilver, the clothes were created by an outside designer, Culver City-based Pencil On Paper Studio, which is headed by John Moore.
Moore made his mark on the fashion world after creating the Hollister line for Abercrombie & Fitch Co.
The new line has a real “classic coastal feel and a big focus on fabric and feel,” said Susan Branch, head of Quiksilver’s merchandising and design.
About 500 independent surf and skateboarding shops are debuting the line, according to Florie. The move is designed to give those retailers something special and a reason for shoppers to seek out their stores, she said.
Buyer Reaction
Earlier this month, buyers got a look at the line at the Agenda trade show in Huntington Beach and the Action Sports Retailer show in San Diego.
“It’s very Anthropologie meets The Rack,” said Nicole Stratton, a buyer for Huntington Beach-based Jack’s Surfboards. “It’s very classic, a little more conservative.”
Jack’s plans to carry the line, according to Stratton.
“We think it will be successful,” said Kylie Yoshida, another buyer for Jack’s. “We really need this.”
Stephanie Nachnani, a buyer for Virginia’s Coastal Edge, called the line “really cute, fresh and young.”
“It seems like it’s on trend,” Nachnani said.
Timing could be on Quiksilver’s side, according to the company.
“We’re starting to see a return to brands,” Branch said. “Fast fashion is exactly what it says it is. It’s a flash in the pan. People come to appreciate quality and they know you are always going to get a quality product with the Quiksilver brand.”
Gomez is a former Business Journal editor and freelance writer based in Long Beach.
