Irvine-based Ray’s Apparel Inc., which makes surf and skate clothes under license, is looking to turn wetsuits into surfwear.
Ray’s has a 10-year contract to make and distribute clothes for Redondo Beach-based Body Glove International USA, a maker of wetsuits and other beach gear that’s part of Hermosa Beach-based Dive N’ Surf Corp.
The first Body Glove clothes are in surf shops, said Chris Jenks, who heads Body Glove’s business development and licensing.
“We’ve had Ray’s on our radar for a number of years,” Jenks said. “The people who work there live and breathe the (surf) market and they make great product.”
Ray’s has built a name for itself in surf circles.
The company cranks out clothes inspired by surfing and skateboarding under license from brands Split and World Industries.
The company recently bought Irvine-based Ambiguous Industries, an edgy maker of clothes inspired by music.
Body Glove wetsuits are staples of the surf world. The company also licenses its name for snorkeling gear, life vests and other products.
Foothill Ranch-based Chapman Walters Intercoastal Corp. makes Body Glove’s goggles and snorkels under license.
Ten years ago, Body Glove dabbled in clothes, but it “never really took off,” Jenks said.
“It wasn’t a focus,” he said.
Big Push
Body Glove is making a big push with Ray’s.
The apparel maker, which employs about 150 people, has some 155,000 square feet of space in Irvine, most of it for warehousing and distribution.
“We realized that Body Glove is a brand that everyone knows, yet you couldn’t find a T-shirt,” Jenks said. “We need the apparel from a revenue point of view. But we also feel the brand should have apparel.”
The company recently came out with a line of men’s and women’s clothes, which include surf trunks, T-shirts, knit shirts, skirts, pants and walking shorts.
Body Glove is selling the clothes at surf shops, including Jack’s Surf-boards, which has stores in Huntington Beach and Newport Beach.
They’re also sold at some sporting goods shops, such as Bart’s Water Sports.
“This year, we’re making sure we get the placement we need,” Jenks said. “We’ve been able to do that.”
Getting into stores isn’t easy. Shops already are jammed with garb from dominant Orange County brands, including Huntington Beach-based Quiksilver Inc., Irvine-based Billabong USA and Irvine-based O’Neill Clothing.
Body Glove is trying to get an edge by being different, Jenks said.
The company came out with a pair of surf trunks called “Vapor” with fabric that dries quickly, Jenks said.
“If you come out with another microfiber short with a floral print, nobody is going to care,” he said. “It has got to be great product.”
Ray’s is helping Body Glove fine tune its clothes.
The company tweaked Body Glove’s spring 2007 line after seeing what sold well this year, Jenks said.
“For spring 2006, we made a much bigger line to see where we’d resonate with people,” he said. “2007 will be much tighter.”
Striking a Chord
Body Glove plans to offer more “intricate designs,” such as shorts with cool graphics, he said.
The company is adding details to its clothes, including putting words on buttons or designs inside the pockets of cargo shorts, Jenks said.
“You need a little element of surprise,” he said.
Body Glove has to make “edgy enough product” so that it strikes a chord with people if it wants to grab customers, said surf industry veteran Peter “P.T” Townend, who owns marketing firm Huntington Beach-based ActivEmpire Inc.
Body Glove already has an edge, according to Townend: It’s “one of the oldest trademarks in the surf industry” with “tremendous brand equity and logo recognition.”
Still, there are some challenges.
Body Glove has been around for 50-plus years and seen other brands, including Quiksilver, Billabong and Costa Mesa-based Volcom Inc., steal the thunder in surf clothes.
But Body Glove has come on strong in recent years and has “done a great job re-authenticating its surf roots through advertising, a surf team and events,” Townend said. “That has made them desirable again in the core market.”
