Stay tuned for Rusty’s Spring 2011 collections and its expanded Wired Series. Shop Eat Surf caught up with the brand at ASR in San Diego to talk about the high-tech clothes and the junior’s market.
Director of Sales and Marketing Casey Fleming said Rusty is betting on the continued success of The Wired Series.
Last year, the collection – which has built-in machine washable headphones that can be plugged into an MP3 player – had only three pieces.
For spring there will be six, including short sweatshirt sets, hoodies and dresses.
“It’s going to do really well for sure,” Fleming said. “It’s our big story for 2011.”
Rusty envisions its customers wearing the pieces as cover-ups on the beach as well as active wear.
Fleming said Rusty received good feedback at ASR and believes the junior’s market is starting to reenergize.
Good news for the seller of graphic T-shirts, fashion tops, shorts and swimwear.
For spring 2011, the company is adding texture to its swimsuits with crochet overlay while also following popular floral and tribal trends.
On page 2: Dresses, fast-fashion and grassroots marketing
Another area performing well for Rusty is dresses, with tube dresses trending up into bestseller status.
“We’re very confident that the tube dresses will be strong,” Fleming said.
It may not be obvious that they came from Rusty though, as the brand is choosing subtle branding in lieu of big logos throughout its spring lines.
Fleming said buyers are a lot more specific about their inventories these days, keeping them tighter and turning faster, ordering about the same amounts, but placing more orders in strong categories.
“Everybody is a lot more serious about doing business at the right time,” Fleming said.
“It’s really made our industry think how to become innovative and very fresh in fabrication and design and how to break away from fast fashion.”
He said Forever 21 and H&M have put a lot of pressure on the industry, but he believes brands have reacted well.
“We’re starting to remind our action sports audience who are customers are and who they should be loyal to,” Fleming said.
“It’s too hard to compete with how fast they can react, but where we can beat them is in our design and innovation.”
That said, Rusty is looking into ways to speed up production and creates occasional flash collections. The company is also adjusting its retail pricing strategy.
“We want to help our accounts so the customers feel like they can get more for their dollar,” Fleming said. “We’ve sharpened our retail price points a little.”
The company is taking a grassroots approach to marketing and advertising its events through email blasts and social media.
Rusty’s RBQ proved to be successful in the past and will continue in the spring. The idea is simple. Rusty sets up a barbecue outside a store and feeds customers who buy any of the brand’s merchandise.
The company has been promoting The Wired Series in a similar direct way, setting up listening bars where shoppers can learn more about the pieces as part of The Wired Series Listening Tour.
Although the cooler Southern California summer has affected Rusty’s sales, the company is meeting its overall business goals with a slight improvement over last year. The brand is adding new accounts, but focusing on retailers who understand the boardriding culture and can represent it.
“It’s a roller coaster,” Fleming said.
“It’s fun, it’s scary, it’s exciting. You want to get off, but you want to get right back on again and we’re all on the same ride.”
