We have been hearing that the men’s and women’s sunglass brands kreed and Crush have been growing at core shops at a time when much of the sunglass market is down.
The stylish, yet moderately priced brands, include a men’s line with musician Brian Brent and a women’s collection with surfer Bethany Hamilton. The brands are owned by parent company Fortress Eyewear, based in Orange County.
We spoke with Co-Founder and President Sean Sullivan to find out more about the company, how it got started and why it is growing.
For more information about the challenging sunglass market, see our previous story.
Can you give us a little background on Fortress?
Sean Sullivan: Fortress began in Orange County in 2003 when Mark Lohrbach and I designed and produced a small collection of eyewear under our Crush and kreed labels and began selling out of our trucks. My background in the surf-skate-snow industries included: I-Ski/Suncloud, Mantra eyewear and M3 snowboards. I was the President and Co-Founder of Mantra and President of M3 Canada. Mark was in sales at Oakley and was GM at Arnette.
Considering our backgrounds and as enthusiasts in surf and snow sports, Mark and I chose to launch Crush and kreed into the market where our understanding came naturally. We believed that we could present Crush and kreed with points of difference from what the other eyewear labels were offering.
We grew modestly and profitably with our growth guided by capital limitations. In 2012, we secured working capital that allowed us to expand our Crush and kreed product lines, increase our marketing, and add product SKUs and sales staff. This enabled us to design our first signature collections with surfer/artist/musician Brian Bent and with Bethany Hamilton, who is one of the most popular surfers on the planet.
Today, the company has 12 head office staff and 18 U.S.-based sales reps. Our domestic sales volume is in the mid-single digit millions.
What is the price range for the bulk of the glasses?
Sean Sullivan: Our retail price range for both kreed and Crush begins at $16 reaching a high of $49.95 in our “Bethany Hamilton” collection.
Brian Bent’s collection is at $45.
The strength of sales in kreed and Crush are driven by our styles from $24 to $35, and in Bethany’s collection from $29.95 to $49.95.
In 2016, we will have a collection that will run up to $75 retail, which is traditionally the highest retail price in the “open-sell” category.
For Fortress, this will enhance our leading position in the “open-sell” category and at a price point still well below the action sports industry’s top marketed brands.
In a saturated market where sunglasses sales have been weak, you guys are doing well. Why do you think that is?
Sean Sullivan: We founded Fortress with an innovative approach to product development, including sourcing quality and affordable materials, and combining this with production efficiencies based on our experiences and strong factory relations. This allowed us to generate high quality eyewear at a lower cost than the other action sports brands.
With sourcing in place, our focus has been on fashionable and functional design, while keeping retail price points below $75 in the U.S. This is our number one focus.
Who are some of your best accounts?
Sean Sullivan: Jack’s, Val Surf, Hansen’s, Wavelengths, Huntington Surf & Sport, Aqua East, Maui Nix, Surf Station, 17th Street, The Curl, Ron Jon, Surf & Sea, HIC, Local Motion, Honolua Bay Surf Co.
What are some of the biggest regions for the brand?
Sean Sullivan: We reach across all 50 states and will be expanding internationally in 2016. Alex Connelly is our National Sales Manager and Mark Lohrbach is overseeing the international plan.
What marketing strategies have you used that are different and have set you apart from other brands?
Sean Sullivan: For both kreed and Crush, our marketing team, led by Brendan Mignogna, is focused on social media using an active campaign with an aggressive investment planned in 2016 on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter.
It’s worth noting that our relationship with Bethany Hamilton has been fantastic in this regard, as we have had access to her social media audience of over 3.5 million followers.
We have also exhibited at recent Surf Expo Trade Shows and will be in Florida, again, for the upcoming January Surf Expo
In your marketing and on your website, there are references to Bible verses. Is that a part of the brand and how does it fit in?
Sean Sullivan: Our marketing team is preparing to launch its 2016 campaign using phrases such as “You are beautifully made” for Crush, and “Be strong and courageous” for kreed.
These, and other encouraging phrases, will appear on our website, social media, packaging, and even on our products. The Bible verses noted, and others, are the inspiration for these phrases.
