O’Neill Women’s recently launched a new collection at Fashion Week in New York with fashion designer Anna Sui.
I spoke with O’Neill Women’s GM, Kari Johnson, Marketing Director Cedar Carter, and Women’s Design Director Rachel Hill, about the fashion-forward line, how it has been received, and the revamped direction for the women’s side of the U.S. business.
The Anna Sui for O’Neill Collection features nine ready-to-wear pieces and six swim styles. It was inspired by Anna Sui’s 2011 runway collection, which featured handcrafted details and vintage silhouettes. Design Director Rachel Hill said the bohemian aesthetic of the 70s and the era of women like Joni-Mitchell and girls of Laurel Canyon inspired the line.
To launch the line with industry retailers, O’Neill hosted an impromptu gathering of some buyers at Surf Expo, and then debuted it officially with Anna Sui at Fashion Week in New York earlier this month.
At Fashion Week, the ladies received lots of praise for the collaboration from retailers, other designers, and prestigious fashion bloggers and media who attended the event.
“What’s been most exciting, is just how excited Anna and her team are about the line,” said Cedar. “Anna has always been a fan of our beach aesthetic, and from a design side we have always looked at her designs for inspiration, so the collaboration came together really naturally and it has exceeded our expectations.
“We’d been looking for a designer to partner with in a higher-end space, but it took us a while because we really wanted to find someone who was not only a great fit for O’Neill, but would also be really involved with us.”
At Fashion Week, the ladies said Anna was extremely gracious and invited the O’Neill ladies team and their guests backstage at the show.
The line retails at a higher price point than most of O’Neill Women’s items, but all products are still under $100.
See Page 2 for where the Anna Sui for O’Neill line will be carried
Both key specialty and better department stores will feature the line, and Anna Sui’s sales team will also sell items from the collection to their own boutique and better account base.
I asked the O’Neill Women’s team if this is something they’ll continue for next year and if getting into a higher-end space was a new strategy for the brand.
They said they will definitely continue the Anna Sui collection into fall, and that the branding and design on the women’s side is more consistent, more relevant, and has been better received than ever.
Part of the revamp is due to an internal restructuring at the company, which took place two years ago when O’Neill split their men’s and women’s teams into two different silos. At that time, Kari Johnson was named GM of the women’s team, and Steve Ward was named GM of O’Neill Men’s. Rachel Hill was also named design director for women’s.
“We really refocused the line from a design and marketing perspective at that point, and the results of those changes are just now starting to show,” said Kari who added that the women’s business has increased sales the last two years.
“We started to see results in 2013, but then this year we have seen a dramatic difference. Our booth was overflowing at the last trade show and some people from Surf Expo told us it was the busiest booth at the show,” said Cedar.
“I think 2014 has really been a solidifying year for the women’s team in terms of design and marketing,” added Kari. “We are continuing to grow, continuing to solidify the direction, and now we are really excited for what’s to come next in 2015.”
