Asics America Corp. is ready for the summer music festival season, but consumers can bank on getting more than flower crowns.
The Irvine-based label signed a three-year deal this month with Los Angeles-based entertainment company Live Nation to be its exclusive footwear sponsor at venues and festivals in the U.S. and Canada.
The partnership starts this summer and includes influencer collaborations and digital content, as well as online and retail promotions.
Asics Vice President of Marketing Sarah Bishop said it allows the Japanese brand to expand its footprint.
“Music is a new avenue for the brand, yet it is the most universal means of communication and authentically brings people together through movement,” she said in a statement. “We are thrilled to embark on this journey to emotionally connect with and inspire a newer generation of consumers and drive home the mission of our brand.”
Some Live Nation venues Asics will be an official sponsor at include FivePoint Amphitheatre in Irvine, Glen Helen Amphitheatre in San Bernardino, Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre and Huntington Bank Pavilion in Chicago, The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in Houston, Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theatre in Wantagh, N.Y., the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, N.J., and the Budweiser Stage and RBC Echo Beach in Toronto.
It will also sponsor the Hard Summer festival in Fontana, the Governors Ball in New York, Bonnaroo in Manchester, Tenn., Lollapalooza in Chicago and the Bud Light Dreams Festival and Field Trip Music & Arts Festival in Toronto.
The partnership is an extension of its global “I Move Me” campaign, whose face is Grammy-nominated DJ Steve Aoki. The effort kicked off last year with a 90-second video starring Aoki, and Asics-sponsored wrestler Jordan Burroughs and hurdler Lolo Jones.
Stepping Up
Boot Barn Inc. (NYSE: BOOT) is kicking up its heels to Grammy-winning country music star Miranda Lambert.
The Irvine-based Western and work-wear retailer is gearing up to launch apparel, accessories and footwear brand Idyllwind created by Lambert.
Debuting this fall, the line is inspired by vintage and retro looks with a modern flair. It’s meant to help a woman feel great and to be easy to style.
There are distressed T-shirts featuring graphics such as Boss Lady and Crazy Heifer Cattle Co., plus denim dresses and jackets.
Boot Barn teased the line’s launch during the holiday season via trunk shows in select states, including California, Texas, Tennessee and Florida, to offer customers a sneak peek.
“We view Miranda as the number one female country music star in the world and feel that her brand, coupled with her personal authenticity, are a natural fit with Boot Barn and our customer base,” said Senior Vice President of Marketing Mike Love.
Boot Barn was founded in 1978 and operates 226 stores. It’s No. 12 on the Business Journal’s list of largest apparel companies, reporting $678 million in revenue in the fiscal year ended in March. Its stock has tripled to $24 per share in the past year, lifted by higher oil prices.
It’s not the first time Lambert has partnered with a fashion retailer. In 2013, she teamed with St. Louis-based Rich Footwear Group on a line of footwear that included dress heels, sandals and cowboy boots. It was sold at retailers DSW, Rack Room Shoes and Country Outfitters.
Musical Chairs
Costa Mesa action sports brand Volcom announced a change to its marketing and design team this month.
The company brought on Erica Yary as global women’s marketing director and promoted longtime employee James Gonzales to global men’s design director.
Yary previously served as director of the skateboarding and lifestyle category and director of media at San Clemente-based socks maker Stance Inc. The TV personality has also hosted shows on FUEL TV, Dew Tour, X Games and Street League Skateboarding.
Volcom also promoted Gonzales, who’s been with the company for 16 years, to oversee its men and boy’s product and to lead the global design team. He was the brand’s apparel and denim designer.
The label recently unveiled the Volcom for Every Body campaign to promote the launch of all-inclusive sizing, from petite to plus-size, in its women’s denim line. It also received an accreditation in February by the Fair Labor Association for upholding the association’s labor standards in its global supply chain.
Its parent, Parisian luxury group Kering, acquired the label in 2011 for $608 million. It said it had taken steps to sell Volcom in April “to fully dedicate itself to the development of its luxury houses,” such as Gucci and Saint Laurent, according to a company statement.
