We caught up with Bill Gage of Metal Mulisha at Magic to talk about the brand’s new “Armed Society” collection, a new segmentation strategy, and more.
How is business? Still up, how much, things flattening or growing?
Metal Mulisha Founder Brian DeeganBusiness has been very strong in 2011. Metal Mulisha continues to show significant increases over the last year, with our core channel up nearly 40% from 2010. If you are healthy with these retailers, your roots are strong and branches will continue to grow.
What’s new?
Firstly, we will be implementing some new product segmentation strategies with our “Armed Society” category, available only to core channel retailers.
This new category will consist of very edgy Metal Mulisha T-shirt graphics (weapons and more), some key hats, and some very innovative cut-and-sew products.
Some core shops that will carry them include Eminent Stores, Mainland Skate and Surf, Toda Moda Surf and Street, Industrial Ride Shops and Motoworld of El Cajon.
In addition, we are continuing to expand our Junior’s collection, as this continues to be our fastest growing category. We will be providing more in-store support for this category, and will have a comprehensive marketing campaign as well.
Any big changes in strategy, retail, distribution, or new categories?
Going into 2012, we are confident we can achieve our desired growth with our existing retailer partners. We are focused on providing more in-store support and identifying new opportunities in growing markets.
Anything else?
The motorsports lifestyle has proven to be more than a trend, as there are enthusiasts everywhere who can relate to our brand. We appeal to a broad base of consumers, from freestyle motocross, motocross, off-road truck racing, MMA enthusiasts, and even BMX kids. We are also aligning with a number of metal bands that will continue to expand our audience.
It’s an exciting time to be working with Metal Mulisha because of all this growth potential and a core team who knows how to get it done.
