Snowboard clothing maker Westlife Distribution USA LLC has moved its headquarters to Irvine to be closer to the county’s surf, skate and snow sports hub.
Westlife, known for its 686 snowboarding clothing brand, more than doubled its size in the move from San Pedro. Westlife moved into a 25,000-square-foot warehouse at 20 Goodyear in Irvine.
The company needed more warehouse and distribution space, said President and Creative Director Michael Akira West. Plus, it wanted to be in the hub of Orange County’s action sports scene as Westlife promoted 686’s latest sportswear clothing line, West said.
“One of the biggest reasons we’re moving down here is to let people know we’re serious,” West said.
Westlife has 22 workers, who mostly commute from Los Angeles. The company also is looking to hire about 10 more employees in the next six months, about half for its warehouse, West said.
Westlife is ramping up to handle its U.S. shipping operations, he said.
The company’s 686 snowboarding line is sold in more than 1,000 stores worldwide, with about half in the U.S. Local retailers include Sunny Smith in Orange, Jack’s Garage in Huntington Beach and Surfside Sports in Newport Beach.
Surfside Sports co-owner Duke Edukas said 686’s snowboard garb has been one of his top selling brands along with Costa Mesa-based Volcom Inc. and Burlington, Vt.-based Burton Snowboards.
“We started selling it four years ago and should have carried it sooner,” Edukas said of 686.
The company’s “smarty” system, which is a zip-out insulated lining in pants and jackets, is very popular, he said.
Westlife also has another snowboard line called Sepia, which it launched last year. The Sepia snowboard gear is edgier and slightly pricier than the 686 line, West said. It’s sold mostly in small specialty stores.
“We want to keep it small and very limited,” West said of Sepia.
Westlife is looking to go wider with its 686 line.
This is the company’s second go at casual clothing. Westlife started out making men’s clothes in 1992 in Los Angeles.
Two years later, it shelved the casual clothes and shifted to men’s snowboarding jackets and pants. 686 expanded into women’s snowboarding gear in 1996.
Unlike most of OC’s action sports brands, which cater to the teen-to-20-something set, Westlife goes after a slightly older crowd.
Its 686 line targets people 20 to 40 years old with pricier items, such as jackets that average $200 to $300.
The garb has technical features, such as zip-out linings, and is waterproof and breathable, West said.
686 also gives an artsy spin to its clothes, which help it stand out from other snow apparel makers, such as San Leandro-based The North Face Inc., a unit of VF Corp., Berkeley-based Marmot Mountain Works and Burton, which moved its Analog Streetwear clothing unit to Irvine last year.
Some of 686’s jackets feature artwork, which also is displayed at 686-sponsored art shows that promote the clothes, West said.
Westlife collaborates with other gear makers. The company sells a 686 snowboard jacket with a pair of limited-edition goggles from Carlsbad-based Dragon Optical Inc., West said.
“In our industry, we’re the outsiders,” he said. “We’re not the typical mold.”
Expansion a Risk
Now Westlife is looking to expand its 686 line into shirts, sweaters and other casual clothes.
It won’t be an easy move.
Westlife has some stiff competition, such as Irvine-based Stussy Inc., Huntington Beach-based Quiksilver Inc. and Volcom. Westlife’s 686 casual line is different from other local surf and skate clothing makers,one minus surf trunks and cargo shorts.
The company describes its casual clothes as “high-class English style mixed with the organic dirt of the outdoors.” The line includes knit shirts, a cashmere hooded sweater, jeans that cost $65 to $125 and jackets in the $100 to $250 range.
One of the jackets in 686’s fall line is a traditional wool blazer with nylon sleeves, like the type you’d find on a snow jacket.
“I wanted to make it easy to see where we’re from and where we want to go,” West said of the line. “It’s like, ‘OK. This is different.’ You’ve got to keep it exciting.”
Surfside Sports’ Edukas said he’ll hold off on ordering 686 streetwear until he “sees where it goes.”
“Their biggest challenge is to have the continued acceptance in the snow market and hopefully branch out,” Edukas said.
Snowboarders think it’s cool to wear a 686 jacket on the mountain, but go for street garb from the likes of Volcom, Edukas said.
