SIMA has expanded and refined its education and development program for younger brands after a successful inaugural year.
Stance President John Wilson, who led the Emerging Brands Committee last year, provided SES with an update on the changes and the thinking behind them at Agenda.
“Last year, it organically came together and it ended up being well-received by the brands participating and the SIMA members,” he said. “As we stepped into this year, we wanted to take it to another level.”
New name, new process
The program now has a new name, a formal application process, an in-person pitch requirement and a selection committee to evaluate potential participants.
The new name is the SIMA Business Development Committee, and it has been split into two groups: the Emerging Brands Group and the Business Advisory Group.
SIMA ended up creating the two groups this year after being approached by brands in different stages of development, John said. Having two groups allows SIMA to tailor the appropriate curriculum for each.
The Emerging Brands group will meet quarterly and the Business Advisory group will participate in two boot camps.
The selection committee that helped choose the participants for both programs included John, Tony Perez of TEN, Bruce Beach of Depactus, Duke Edukas of Surfside, Dominique Checkwood of Stance and Ryan Hitzel of Roark. The selection committee will also help with sharing ideas for speakers for meetings and provide other input.
Young brands selected
The brands selected to participate this year include:
Emerging Brands Program
OurCaste
Beach Riot
Iron & Resin
Jetty Life
Kid Creature
Business Advisory Program
Creatures of Leisure
Filtrate
Hippy Tree
Lira Clothing
Pura Vida Bracelets
Shaper Studios
SUPERbrand
Tavik
Vetra
Last year, several industry entrepreneurs, including Jeff Kelley of Sanuk, Michael Tomson of Gotcha, Jeff Kearl of Stance, and Mike West of 686, shared their experiences with the young industry entrepreneurs.
“It was incredible,” John said. “To listen to 25 years of industry history, and to hear stories about how they got started, families loaning money, trademark battles, total failures and going out of business, being almost out of business and pulling it off. …It was really inspiring and educational at the same time. ”
“The emerging brands program was super helpful for Roark last year,” said Roark co-founder Ryan Hitzel. “The seminar like meetings exposed the group to operational knowledge, distribution options, financial structuring and time spent with seasoned entrepreneurs. One thing that wasn’t on the agenda that I enjoyed was the camaraderie between our group. I think the brands kind of bonded among ourselves as well as in the eyes of the industry and retailers. It felt like we were in it together and that there was strength in numbers.”
Another popular session brought in a wide range of retailers, including Nick Cocores of Thalia Street, Duke Edukas from Surfside, Josh Schlekewy of Zappos, and Zumiez CEO Rick Brooks.
“They talked about where they have seen young brands fail, and where they have seen them succeed,” John said. “It was great to hear from such a wide range of retailers and get that perspective.”
Seventeen brands applied for the program this year, and SIMA was happy with the turnout.
“There some great emerging brands coming into the industry, and there’s a lot of talent and passion,” John said. “I think a program like this puts SIMA in the middle of the energy that’s building.
“Ultimately, we want to help people realize their dreams and help them succeed, however they define success.”
