Motorcycle clothing maker Fairchild Sports has a message for men: Chicks dig bikes, too.
The company, a unit of McLean, Va.-based Fairchild Corp., is going after women with a line of clothing dubbed “G.”
Fairchild Sports is playing up the clothes with racy marketing. The line’s Web site: www.thegspotonline.com.
The company added the word “online” to the Web address to prevent folks from taking a wrong turn, said Jennifer Pantle, account executive for the G line, which is made by Fairchild Sports’ Tustin-based IFW unit.
The site features women wearing protective leather motorcycle jackets and pants in serious poses. The garb runs from $200 to $500.
“We sat down and did a lot of research in the market and found there wasn’t much apparel for women, ” Pantle said. “Just men’s clothes sized down (for women).”
Fairchild Sports is eyeing the women’s market as it looks to grow.
Its plans include expanding its German Hein Gericke USA motorcycle brand, and other labels, such as Harley Davidson, Honda and Yamaha, which it holds licenses for. Fairchild Sports also distributes garb for other labels, such as Oxtar.
The company has 50 workers in Tustin, up from 30 two years ago. It plans to hire 10 to 20 more during the next two to three years, Pantle said.
Sales at the Fairchild Sports unit were flat in the quarter ended June 30, versus a year earlier. The clothing line geared to females is part of its bid to boost overall sales at the unit.
So far Fairchild Sports has bulked up its sales staff and product development team, Pantle said. But getting the mostly male-dominated industry to warm up to women could be a challenge.
Female bikers make up a small portion of the overall motorcycle market in the U.S., roughly 10%, Pantle said.
But the segment is growing quick, Pantle said. And there are many women who ride on the back of men’s bikes, she said.
Now Fairchild Sports has to convince motorcycle shops, which mainly cater to men, that women’s clothes are worth carrying.
“The dealers haven’t come to the realization that they need to carry women’s clothing,” Pantle said. “We did a lot of surveys at events and women wanted sizing, comfort and function.”
Fairchild Sports plans to do the bulk of its sales over the Internet, Pantle said. It also will sell the clothes to motorcycle shops and piggyback on its distribution for its other brands, such as Hein Gericke, which recently moved its design operations to Tustin, Pantle said.
Retailers that sell Hein Gericke clothing include Mission Motor Sports in Irvine.
Fairchild Sports’ parent bought Hein Gericke two years ago. Previously, the company, then known as Intersports Fashion West, or IFW, had distributed the label under a license agreement.
The collection, which ranges from $100 to $400, continues to expand and is now up to 30 pieces, including jackets with protective armor and pants, Pantle said.
“It’s not just your average fashion piece,” Pantle said.
