The La Jolla Group announced tonight a new segmenting strategy for Rusty. Rusty is creating a special young men’s and boys collection for JCPenney. The clothes will have a different logo and will include T-shirts, boardshorts, shorts and hoodies.
The “R dot” logo and more fashion forward line will stay in speciality stores.
Here are some more brands headed to JCPenney: RS By Sheckler, Southpole, Third Rail a Zoo York Production, and the extension of Decree into young men’s.
Here’s the release:
LA JOLLA GROUP ANNOUNCES RUSTY FOR JCPENNEY
Customized Apparel Collection Launches Nationwide This Summer and Further Supports Brand’s Commitment to Core Retailers with Exclusive Styles
Irvine, CA (April 9, 2009) – La Jolla Group (www.lajollagroup.com), the premiere multi-brand
company in action sports with a prominent portfolio that includes O’Neill Clothing USA, Lost Clothing, Metal Mulisha Clothing, and Rusty North America, today announced a new collection of Rusty surf apparel for JCPenney, consisting of an exclusive line of graphic tees, shorts, boardshorts and hoodies for young men and boys to drop in stores this July. Featuring a customized “crown” logo, the Rusty collection for JCPenney will offer a fresh assortment of styles ranging from $26 for tees to $55 for shorts and hoodies. Rusty will also continue to design and distribute a specialty line for core retailers, reinforcing the brand’s high-quality, performance-driven products bearing the signature R-dot logo.
“We’re excited to bring Rusty’s rich surf heritage to one of the nation’s leading department stores,” said Toby Bost, chief executive officer, La Jolla Group.”Rusty has been a core surf brand for 25 years, and has one of the most recognizable logos in the industry. The Rusty collection for JCPenney will offer authentic, beach-inspired products that appeal to a diverse, aspirational and highly impressionable young audience. We’re stoked to add JCPenney to our growing list of premiere retail partners, while enhancing our growth at the core level.”
“With the growing interest in action sports everywhere, we have an exciting opportunity to further segment our distribution channels with product differentiation and distinct branding, while maintaining Rusty’s core authenticity, quality, and innovation,” added Charlie Setzler, president of Rusty North America. “We are now able to make the entire core line available exclusively to specialty stores and more actively explore trends, fabrications and ideas; and at the same time, drive demand at core stores, thanks to the increased exposure in a national retailer like JCPenney.”
The Rusty Collection for JCPenney joins the retailer’s growing list of national, exclusive and private brands for teens such as Vans, Arizona, American Living, RS By Sheckler, Southpole, Third Rail a Zoo York Production, and the extension of Decree into young men’s. Rusty’s specialty retailers will continue selling an exclusive collection of sportswear, printables and boardshorts bearing the iconic R-dot logo. Rusty’s premium boardshorts category, including its unique Global Cooling Boardshort series featuring the brand’s trademarked Ecostretch fabric, will maintain distribution at specialty stores as well.
For more information, visit www.rusty.com
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About Rusty
Rusty is a brand with its roots firmly planted in the pursuit of the surfing lifestyle. By 1984, Rusty Preisendorfer had already established himself as a young legend in the surfboard shaping world. When
the Rusty brand officially launched in 1985, there were few people who didn’t recognize the R-dot logo on surfboards across the globe. With the initial goal of making the best surfboards on the planet, it soon became clear that the tremendous demand for Rusty boards and recognition of the name would easily translate to apparel. What began with t-shirts quickly grew into a comprehensive collection driven by authentic surf roots, progressive product, edgy style, and the signature R-dot.
Decades later, Rusty continues to be an iconic brand in surf culture, featuring a product mix for guys and girls that includes boardshorts, hoodies, tees, knits, dresses and accessories; all available at leading surf shops worldwide. Inspired by art, fashion, music and design, Rusty delivers surf products that represent the classic, casual beach lifestyle defined by the risk-taking spirit and irreverence of today’s youth.
To get a closer look, visit www.rusty.com.
About La Jolla Group
La Jolla Group is the premiere multi-brand company in action sports, with a prominent portfolio that includes some of the most recognized names in the industry: O’Neill Clothing USA, Lost Clothing, Metal Mulisha Clothing, and Rusty North America. Enhancing the successful model perfected with the company’s acquisition of the O’Neill Clothing USA license from Jack O’Neill and family in 1992, La Jolla Group has applied its core competencies in design, marketing, sales, production, and distribution to each of its licenses, creating a diversified brand mix specialized in surf, skate, snow, motocross and beach lifestyle.
With four successful brands, over 300 employees across the U.S., six successful retail locations — including O’Neill’s flagship store in Anaheim, CA and the expansion of its Irvine, CA headquarters into a new 200,000 square foot facility — La Jolla Group continues to evolve and leverage synergies across its platforms.
La Jolla Group brands are sold in over 3000 retailers across the country, and can also be found in Europe, U.K., Canada, Latin America, Australia, and Japan.
For more information, visit www.lajollagroup.com, and subsidiary brand sites oneill.com, rusty.com, metalmulisha.com, and lostenterprises.com.
About JCPenney
JCPenney is one of America’s leading retailers, operating 1,101 department stores throughout the United States and Puerto Rico, as well as one of the largest apparel and home furnishing sites on the Internet, jcp.com, and the nation’s largest general merchandise catalog business. Through these integrated channels, JCPenney offers a wide array of national, private and exclusive brands which reflect the Company’s commitment to providing customers with style and quality at a smart price. Traded as “JCP” on the New York Stock Exchange, the Company posted revenue of $18.5 billion in 2008 and is executing its strategic plan to be the growth leader in the retail industry. Key to this strategy is JCPenney’s “Every Day Matters” brand positioning, intended to generate deeper, more emotionally driven relationships with customers by fully engaging the Company’s approximately 150,000 Associates to offer encouragement, provide ideas and inspire customers every time they shop with JCPenney.
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