Slowtide launched another collaboration with a big brand today. This time, the company has created a capsule collection with athletic footwear brand New Balance. That comes on the heels of a recently announced project with The Beatles.
We reached out to co-founder Dario Phillips to ask him about the recent collaborations and also about just how much Slowtide has grown in the past two years given that the brand has been a top performer during the pandemic.
The new collection with New Balance includes a New Balance AM574 tennis shoe style, a slide, a beach towel with pocket and a camp blanket.
How did this collaboration with New Balance come about?
Slowtide Co-Founder and Marketing Director Dario Phillips: We have always been huge fans of the New Balance brand and when they reached out to us for an initial meeting, the wheels started spinning. We knew we always wanted our first shoe collaboration to align with the beach but also wanted a collection that would work in multiple settings.
The New Balance x Slowtide capsule collection
On our annual trip to the North Shore of Oahu in 2019, we took the entire staff shark diving and I knew then that I wanted to somehow incorporate the experience into a shoot. It was challenging to pull it off but we did it and are excited for this to finally launch and can’t wait to dig into our next project.
Slowtide also recently launched a project with The Beatles. What was it, and what has been the response?Â
Dario Phillips: For our Summer ‘21 line, we launched a Beatles capsule collection and will be expanding on that going into Spring ‘22. The initial response has been really good, especially with the Yellow Submarine towel, and Here Comes the Sun blanket.
What is happening with Slowtide that appears to have helped the brand jump to the next level?Â
Dario Phillips: This October, the brand will be turning 6 years old and we have a really great team internally. Overall, we have always strived to stay elevated as a brand and work with people we like.
The team did great adjusting to remote work schedules throughout COVID and now we are part-time remote but overall, just more flexible with work locations. We have continued to expand our collection with new sustainable product categories like quick-dry park blankets and our changing ponchos continue to be the industry leader. We also have been partnering with non-profits like Un Mar De Colores who cultivate inclusivity in the surfing community.
How much has the business grown percentagewise over 2019? How much has your e-commerce grown?
Dario Phillips: Since 2019, our overall business has grown over 300% and our e-com business is up 360%. It has been great to see wholesale recently bounce back stronger than ever and see new technologies develop like our friends at ENDVR that help educate and incentivize retail employees on our brand.
Our DTC growth has been driven by great products but also great content creation led by our internal marketing team and our network of photographers and collaborators.
Do you have the resources you need to keep up with demand?Â
Dario Phillips: We have been selling out of products more frequently but are always working on our inventory planning and encouraging our retail partners to prebook based on our growth as a brand.
We also have a great team internally that manages to wear a lot of hats and have an entrepreneurial mindset. Lastly, we are hiring. 🙂
