Little San Clemente-based clothing maker Mada Inc. has gotten more publicity than it could buy from Australian surfer Bede Durbidge.
A year ago, Mada signed Durbidge to appear in ads for the maker of clothes for guys ages 13 to 24.
Then in December Durbidge won the Triple Crown of Surfing event.
“He got me more editorial coverage than my whole time in this business,” said Mada owner Vince De La Pena. “He’s raised the level of awareness of the brand on a global level. We’re seeing it translate into sales.”
Mada doesn’t disclose sales. The company is small with about five workers.
De La Pena has been in the apparel business for two decades and cofounded Irvine-based Ezekiel Clothing.
Media coverage of Durbidge, one of the world’s top five surfers, has helped spur sales of Mada’s denim pants, T-shirts and men’s board shorts, among other products.
Mada may look to add a couple of workers this year to help with the increased business, De La Pena said.
Last year, Mada hired a national sales manager to help boost sales.
The company, which has investors, funds its own growth. The investors have insisted on a lean operation, according to De La Pena.
“It’s very typical for (smaller) Orange County action sports brands to lose money,” he said. “My partners have no tolerance for losing money.”
The company has been making a push abroad, “at a more aggressive rate than most of our competitors,” De La Pena said.
Mada is finalizing a deal for a licensee in Australia, which should be complete in a few weeks, he said. The company already sells on its own in the country.
It also hopes to have a licensing pact in South America by the end of the year, De La Pena said.
Mada already has licensees in Canada and Europe, where it opened its first store in the surfing hub of Hossegor, France, about three months ago.
The area is splattered with Orange County surf brands that have stores or offices there, including Huntington Beach-based Quiksilver Inc. and Costa Mesa-based Volcom Inc.
Eventually Mada would like to have its own store in the U.S., De La Pena said, instead of just selling through retailers.
But there are “no immediate plans,” he said.
“We don’t plan on competing with our current retailers,” De La Pena said.
Mada is small but has some buzz. It helps that De La Pena has a reputation for building other popular brands, such as Ezekiel.
“Although (Mada) is a young brand, it comes with a lot of maturity behind it,” De La Pena said. “Mada has been able to move really quickly even though we’re younger than most of our competitors.”
The clothes are sold in surf shops and boutiques, such as Killer Dana in Dana Point and San Clemente; Jack’s Surfboards stores in Huntington Beach, Dana Point and Newport Beach; and Active, which has several locations in OC, including one in Irvine.
Mada doesn’t sell in larger chains, such as Anaheim-based Pacific Sunwear of California Inc.
“We’re still establishing ourselves in the core market,” De La Pena said.
For now, the company mainly focuses on guys’ clothes. It also has a few styles for young boys.
Women’s clothing is on its radar, but not in the near future.
“It’s something we want to do,” De La Pena said. “But the infrastructure isn’t ready yet.”
Mada continues to keep a close eye on its operations, particularly in this tough retail climate, De La Pena said.
“The good news is we’re in the action sports segment and it’s a youth-driven market,” De La Pena said.
Typically, teenagers, who dig buying hip clothes and their favorite brands, are the last to be affected by a slower retail economy, he said.
