I checked in with Ambig President Christie Vogt at Agenda and she gave me an update on the brand.
Christie has been with Ambiguous since the Ray’s Apparel days. She moved with the brand to Life Distribution and kept her job as vice president of sales, and then became president in 2011.
Christie said she was happy to move on from 2011, which she described as flat. Some of Ambig’s specialty retailers didn’t make it last year, and “the cool guys aren’t opening stores anymore,” she said.
An Ambig woven
Ecommerce sales, however, are through the roof. Ambig does not sell direct online but works with skatewarehouse.com, flash sale sites, Amazon and others. The brand just hired a social media expert to coordinate and foster online retail relationships, Christie said.
On the brick and mortar front, Ambig is working to develop more relationships with larger specialty chains, and does have a good business with PacSun, particularly with jackets.
Ambig is planning 2012 up, she said.
Some exciting new developments include a new boys line that is selling in stores such as Kitson and Jack’s.
A versatile denim vest
Long sleeved wovens, jackets and denim are Ambig’s focus for fall and the brand has also added more knits.
Denim is still a strong category for the brand.
“$80 denim is selling well,” Christie said, and styles are moving away from the super skinny fit to gripper and straight fits.
For now, the company is concentrating solely on Ambig men’s and boys. While Life Distribution and Rays Manufacturing acquired Split in 2010, it has since decided to license that business.
Christie was pleased at Agenda, and said retailers are coming in and saying they were happy with the brand’s sell through.
“We are walking away with paper here,” she said.
