Retail Round-up: VF’s Q3 Results with Vans Up 16%, Plus Re-launch of Women’s Collection; Adidas Group Unites Adidas and Reebok Under One Management Team

VANS Women's Spring 2014 Presentation Hosted by Chrissie Miller, Heidi Bivens, Langley Fox Hemingway, Annabelle Dexter Jones, Coco Young, Georgia Ford and Luz Pazon

Once again, VF Corp’s Outdoor and Action Sports divisions are leading the charge for the mega-conglomerate with revenues up 5% to $3.3 billion and Vans up 16% in North America. The Q3 financials released Monday, October 21, 2013 indicate a strong quarter and changes including a 4-to-1 stock split. “VF is at its best when […]

Dr. Martens, Quintessential Punk Boot, In Talks with Hugo Boss Owners for $485 Million Buy-out

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To be privately held for more than 50 years in the fashion industry is about as punk rock as it gets. But Dr. Martens, the quintessential boot of music icons and the genre of punk is in talks to move on from the Griggs family in a potential $485 million deal with Permira, owners of […]

Surf Round-up: Pro Surfing Gets New Media Distribution Deal with Facebook, YouTube, ESPN; Swatch Longboard Championships Boost Surfing in China for Women; HIC Pro Launches Big-Wave Season in Hawaii

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While may seem like the season for surfing is in the summertime, when it comes to professional surf competitions and the wrap-up of championship titles, the cusp of North American winter is the ideal timeframe due to big surf, particularly in the Mecca of surfing, Hawaii. Over the next few weeks, Label Networks will once […]

Shanghia’s NeoCha’s Lee Jeans Re-Think Denim Installation Takes Fresh Look at Denim as Sustainable Art Sculpture

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Lee jeans is among several denim brands taking a look at sustainability practices when it comes to their manufacturing process. In addition, they commissioned several creatives to also “rethink” denim and inspired several projects that have taken the concept of sustainability and denim into art including sculpture. NeoChaEdge, a creative agency out of Shanghai and […]

Women in Sports and the ESPNW Women + Sports Summit—Defining the Market Opportunity

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From October 9-11, 2013, some 275 top influencers and athletes in women’s sports gathered for the 4th annual ESPNW Women + Sports Summit in Dana Point, CA.  The topic of conversation centered around women in sports and also the missed opportunities that women could bring to sports marketing and industry decision-making. In an excellent review […]

Retail Round-Up: Uniqlo, Fast Retailing Reports Fiscal 2013; Nike Projects $10B in Apparel, Pushes Ecommerce and China Markets

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Fast-fashion giant Uniqlo based in Japan has released their latest financials. The brand which is catching on quickly across youth culture markets in the United States (see also our Fall Youth Culture Study 2013), has also just released their puffy jacket campaign that showcases how these cushy, soft winter outerwear can fit into the size […]

TOMS Shoes Re-Thinks Business Model and Launches Production in Haiti

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At the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Annual Meeting last month, one of the inspiring announcements came from TOMS founder, Blake Mycoskie, in stating that starting in January 2014, they would be manufacturing shoes and hiring local people in Haiti—one of several countries that TOMS supports with its buy a pair give a pair to a […]

Top 17 Women Surfers Chosen for 2014 ASP Women’s World Championship Tour, Plus Swatch Pro World LongBoard Championships Head to China, Stoking Shanghai Surf Fans

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The surfing season has wrapped-up for the top women pros for 2013 with Carissa Moore, 21, being crowned the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Women’s World Champion. Now with the women’s division no longer a part of the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing again for the 3rd year in a row, the big North Shore […]

Twitter Reveals Numbers In Statement for Public Offering

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As Twitter prepares for an IPO, social networking brands are watching to see how the little blue bird fares. Similar to Instagram, which started rolling out ads recently, Twitter, too faces the issue of incorporating ads or some type of business model towards generating a profit. According to their registration statement which was released Thursday, […]

ESPN Ends International X Games–Keeps Just USA Events

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It’s the end of the international versions of the ESPN X Games. Today, ESPN released a statement about why they are no longer hosting X Games outside of the United States: ESPN today announced it will not continue with X Games events in Barcelona, Munich, Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil and Tignes, France.  We are proud […]