New brand ourCaste has been in the market for about a year now. The brand, with roots in surf, skate and motorcycles, makes modern clothing with an elevated aesthetic.
In addition to looking good, the line is functional, with water repellant, wicking and anti-microbial treatments throughout.
OurCaste partner Michael Quinones, VP of Design & Merchandising, answered some questions for us about how the first year has gone.
How many doors are you in and what type of accounts?
Michael Quinones: For 2014 we rounded out at just over 100 accounts, including some iconic partners like Jack’s, Active, Thalia, Annex, Farias, Ron Herman, American Rag, Equinox Gyms, and Seed People’s Market to name a few.
We also hand-selected two majors, Nordstrom and Urban Outfitters, to come on board for 2014.
We feel blessed with the partners on board for our first few collections. Every young brand always has their idea of who and where they are going to sell, but ultimately it’s the partners that pick you up that can really shape you as a young brand.
I’m pleased to say that we’re about 90% on plan to the distribution strategy we launched with. For 2015, we are looking to continuing growing our footprint within our current retail partners by building out our in-store presence.
There are a few key accounts we are still chasing and trying to convince that there is enough room in their store for a new brand. Guys like Surfside are a tough nut to crack!
Any international distribution?
Michael Quinones: We’re excited to have international partners in Australia and Japan. We just finalized a deal in Europe where we will be launching with three countries.
In Europe, we are partnering with Hectic Ltd, in Japan we’ve partnered with Hand In Tree Showroom, and we are selling direct into Australia.
Building our international business is a large focus for future growth of the brand. We feel this is important so that we can protect our domestic business and really grow with the partners that have supported us from the beginning. We are spending the time to make sure we have strong synergy and shared vision for our brand globally, and we want to make sure that is conveyed worldwide.
What are some of your biggest challenges?
Michael Quinones: Any new business shares the common challenges of gaining retailer confidence, navigating production minimums, and the overwhelming workload day in and day out.
With all of the port issues that have been coming up, it has added work to our plate by forcing us to navigate delivery ship dates for Spring 2015. We managed to come out in a good place I’m happy to say, but we did so by airing ALL of our production in. That retailer confidence is our number one priority, at any cost.
Something that I’ll admit not taking into account is the massive amount of absolutely epic brands sharing the core space at the moment. Guys like Roark are inspiring and have reinvented what a successful marketing campaign means. Our buddies at Duvin are aesthetically amazing and doing an epic job.
The energy in this new “emerging” marketplace is massive right now. There’s positivity amongst the new brands, all wanting to help and see each other succeed. We’re proud to be a part of it.
Lastly, being one of SIMA’s emerging brands has been a total godsend as far as knowledge. The boot camps and accessibility to some of the smartest leaders in the industry is an invaluable resource. We are really thankful for everyone there and just the program as a whole.
Have you made any adjustments to the strategy or the products in the past year?
Michael Quinones: We have strong surf and skate roots, and come from a decades-long love affair of riding Harley’s. Time spent outdoors, on the road less traveled is a necessity to our sanity, and we do our best to be active however we can.
Our collections are built around the ideal of “Goods For Life,” meaning developing product that works when you need it to, daily.
We’ve built Durable Water Repellent (D.W.R.) coatings into our bottoms to keep you drier in those freak downpours when you’re on the bike. That same D.W.R. coating is also used in styles across all categories, accompanied by wicking and anti-microbial treatments, making every category we put out do a little more for you.
For 2014, we spent a ton of time trying to engineer these components into all categories at a price still inline with the brands we sit next to. It’s been exhausting, but we’ve done it, and we couldn’t be more proud.
Overall, do you think retailers are more open or less open to new brands right now?
Michael Quinones: I think retailers are definitely more open to new brands, and are actively seeking somebody with a new perspective to bring to the table to help sell product in their space.
Even the larger industry shows like Surf Expo have recognized the new brand’s space by putting a focus on the “Emerging Brands” aisle. Retailers have seen that these younger brands freshen up their floor, keep their existing customer interested, and bring a potential new shopper in.
We’re happy to be in good company with some of our idols and the like-minded creative brands out there right now.
