Shaun White 4 Target
Skateboard-inspired fans can now go to Target for the new Shaun White (and brother Jesse) “Shaun White 4 Target” collection to drop July 29th. As Label Networks reported previously this year, when Shaun’s contract ended with Volcom, he didn’t renew and instead opted for his own designer collection for the newly-hip Target chain. Featuring skate/street-inspired styles such as stovepipe denim, graphic T-shirts with skate motifs, and hoodies, the collection sounds like a less expensive version of, well, most other skateboarding-inspired collections with prices ranging from $14.99 for a T, to $29.99 for denim.
Rumor has it that the Target/Shaun jeans are actually quite good with durable fabrics and washes. The hoodies should also be a big hit for the mass retailer as more young people look for new, but less expensive options in hoodie designs in general.
According to Label Networks’ Spring Study 2008 on Target (and the popularity of Shaun White), the collaboration will most likely boost Target sales among specific demographics. Target has already moved up the rankings as a favorite store to shop in among this new generation, and even named as a favorite brand among some, indicating that the cool ads, designer collaborations, and attention to hitting specific price points for various fashion needs, is working.
RVCA X Cinelli X Barry McGee
In other news, as fixed gear cycling continues its meteoric rise among young urbanites ditching their cars and opting for the far more credible mode of transportation/bikemessanger cache, RVCA launched their new collaboration with Italian made Cinelli bikes last week with an exciting event at their headquarters in San Francisco. The Italian bike manufacturer worked with artist Barry McGee in creating the design concepts so the 3-way collab in essence, is already a collector’s item. The show, called Pressure, which took place as VASF Gallery June 19th, also featured other artists including C.R. Stecyk III, Phil Frost, and Stephen Powers, among others. We anticipate more skate-inspired brands to collaborate with bicycle companies in the near future.
Surfing Out of X Games
Surfing, which industry officials had been working hard towards making an Olympic debut one of these years, took a set-back when it was decided that the event would not take place during this summer’s X Games. Just days after announcing the official line-up of sporting events which had included surfing, according to Brad Gerlach, the X Games surfing organizer, there just wasn’t enough sponsorship to make it happen. One problem surfing has in the X Games is that it takes place in Mexico before the X Games in Los Angeles, a decision based on better, more consistent wave conditions than Huntington Beach where it used to be. But since the competition wasn’t live and ran on ESPN late (which is similar to a lot of action sporting events when it comes to TV coverage), it wasn’t all that interesting since we all knew who won and at least one person usually scored grainy crappy footage for a YouTube site or blog before the slick TV version with its plethora of ads debuted on ESPN.
ASR Launches Virtue
Action Sports Retailer (ASR) is launching a new trade show called Virtue, to be held at the same time as ASR September 4-6th at the new Hard Rock Caf%uFFFD across from the San Diego Convention Center. The show will feature brands from the street fashion genre of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), tattoo-inspired graphics (which is just about everyone in the T-shirt industry), freestyle motocross, art, and music. Clearly this is a reaction to the popularity of Agenda, just 4 limo-blocks down the street, that has been sucking-out cool lifestyle brands from ASR for years. .
According to Andy Tompkins, ASR’s Group Show Director, “The mixed martial arts discipline is one of the fastest growing sports in America right now. We’ve had strong interest from both the exhibitor and retail side to offer a trade event for this emerging market.” Invited brands include Sullen, Metal Mulisha, Tap Out, Triumph, Throwdown, Punishment, Hitman, Premier Fighter, and Sinister.
