Everybody wants their clothes in Fred Segal, the Los Angeles and Santa Monica institution that carries the most fashionable, up-and-coming brands.
I wanted to find out if any action sports industry brands are doing well there now, so I talked with Karen Meena, vice president of buying and merchandising for Ron Robinson at Fred Segal.
Fred Segal has different owners who operate different areas of the store. Karen works for Robinson, who runs the mens and kids departments in Los Angeles and Santa Monica, in addition to a few others in the Los Angeles store.
Karen likes to find young brands and nurture them along. When they grow and become more widely distributed, Fred Segal moves on. “When they lose their edge and become too saturated, I have to let them go.”
Dean Quinn and Dale Rhodes
Right now, O’Quinn, WESC and Insight are doing well, Karen said. One older brand she still carries and loves: Billabong.
O’Quinn
“They’ve had a great response. Their T-shirts did really well, their sweaters got a great response. They have great price points and an easy, very Southern California look that can also dress up. I’m really looking to spring and summer. (The line) looks great – very fun and retro. We are hoping to grow with them.”
Insight
“They are from Australia, of course, and it’s a fun strong-selling brand for us. They are a great bridge between fashion and the surf/skate lifestyle. They have fresh, fun color for spring, it looks great on the floor.”
WeSC (We are the Superlative Conspiracy)
“It’s a street, skate brand out of Sweden that’s huge in Europe and has an underground following here. I buy their women’s line, too, which is amazing.”
Billabong
“I just saw summer, and they have the best boardshorts. They are just amazing. They make a private boardshort (line) for me.”
