By ALISHA GOMEZ
Orange County’s latest buzz brand, Irvine-based Analog Clothing, has an edge on other industry hopefuls.
It’s part of the grandfather of snowboards, Vermont’s Burton Snowboards, which has estimated yearly sales of more than $200 million.
Being part of Burton gives Analog advantages a lot of other small brands don’t have. It gets to piggyback on Burton’s contacts with manufacturers and retailers across the globe.
But Analog, which designs clothes inspired by surfing, skateboarding and snowboarding, is following in the footsteps of smaller, independent apparel companies.
It’s looking to build cachet (and profits) by sticking to small stores. Analog’s clothes are sold in surf shops and other boutiques, as well as at stores of Everett, Wash.-based Zumiez Inc.
Don’t look for them at Seattle-based Nordstrom Inc. or PacSun, the mall chain of Anaheim’s Pacific Sunwear of California Inc.
“We’re not trying to go everywhere at once,” said Kevin Meehan, Analog’s general manager, who came from Nike Inc.’s Costa Mesa-based Hurley International LLC last year.
“Quality is a big point for us,” design director Joey Gorgensen said.
Analog is playing to smaller retailers that want more exclusive brands, which help their stores stand out.
“It’s a newer brand and people like the graphics, style and the look,” said Bob Abdelfattah, general buyer for Huntington Beach’s Jack’s Surfboards. “It’s something different. When people see something different, they jump on it.”
The Business Journal estimates Analog has about $30 million in yearly sales, with about half of that coming from the U.S.
“Globally, we’re achieving double-digit growth,” Meehan said. “U.S. (sales) are on par with that as well.”
Analog, which first started selling clothes in 2001, makes boardshorts, denim jeans and jackets, T-shirts, hooded sweatshirts as well as snow gloves, jackets and pants.
It has about 15 workers in Irvine, where Analog’s clothes are designed. They’re produced overseas, with the exception of a few items such as T-shirts, which are made in Walnut.
The company’s denim jeans and jackets sell for $60 to $125. Boardshorts go for $48 to $60. T-shirts are $22 to $34.
Analog got its start making jackets and other snow garb. Burton moved the unit from Vermont to Irvine in 2004.
The company’s clothes are inspired by midcentury American styles and by Analog’s sponsored teams of surfers, skateboarders and snowboarders, according to Gorgensen.
“Our riders are unique because they’re pulling outside of their sport and bringing in things they like like motorcycles and other outside influences into the design of our clothes,” he said.
Analog is one of a few apparel makers to strike a chord with clothes inspired by the three major board sports,surfing, skateboarding and snowboarding.
Still, Analog is a small player in what’s known as action sports apparel, an exclusive club with a handful of big names and many more upstarts and hopefuls that may never end up joining the top ranks.
The last one to make it big,and do it well in all three board sports,is Costa Mesa-based Volcom Inc., which got its start in 1991 and went public in 2005.
“Volcom has done an amazing job with their brand,” Meehan said. “Who wouldn’t want to aspire to what they’ve done. And they’ve stayed true to their values. But we just want to be the best at what we do.”
Competition is fierce. Despite troubles, Huntington Beach’s Quiksilver Inc. dominates the industry, followed by Irvine’s Billabong USA.
Big retailers such as Abercrombie & Fitch Co.’s Hollister Co. and H & M; Hennes & Mauritz AB also are rivals for mainstream shoppers.
Then there are the smaller, more direct competitors: Costa Mesa-based RVCA Clothing, Lake Forest-based Sole Technology Inc.’s Altamont, and Insight, part of Australia’s Bleach Pty Ltd.
“All are taking dollars away from potential customers,” Meehan said. “It’s a battle every day.”
Analog’s also dealing with the recession, which has hit retailers hard.
“We’re faced with all the same challenges as everyone else,” Meehan said. “We’ve been forced to look at our business and tighten up. Certain (areas) are seeing amazing growth. Others are challenged.”
The company has pared the amount of clothes in its line and only produces enough to meet pre-booked orders, he said.
Abdelfattah of Jack’s Surfboards has added more clothes from Analog to its stores.
“We just added the line to two more shops because we’ve seen more activity, sales wise,” he said.
Analog’s board shorts are one of the chain’s best items, Abdelfattah said.
“The brand (itself) has been growing every season and if it keeps going this way, we’ll be adding more racks,” he said.
Getting space in shops isn’t easy these days, according to Meehan.
“It was a lot easier to do everything when the economy wasn’t so (bad),” he said. “Everyone is watching their return on a dollar. You have to really earn your position at a store. People aren’t just giving sections to try something new.”
Gomez is a former Business Journal editor and freelance writer based in Long Beach.
