Rip Curl is dipping its toes in the footwear market, launching the category in North America for Spring/Summer ’16. While Rip Curl’s footwear program has existed for more than 10 years in overseas markets, the range will debut in stores in the U.S. at the end of this month.
We spoke with Pepe Landa, Rip Curl’s Global Footwear Chairman, about why Rip Curl decided the time was right to launch footwear in the U.S. and what we can expect from the range.
Can you give us a bit of background on Rip Curl’s footwear program?
Pepe Landa: I took over the role of Rip Curl’s Global Chairman for Footwear five years ago, when the global design/development team was based out of our office in Hossegor, France.
Our footwear program has been in existence for well over a decade; however, our distribution has been predominantly focused in Australia, Indonesia, Europe and South America.
We then relocated the global footwear unit to our North American office two years ago, and we’ve been lucky enough to build a team of extremely talented people.
Antonio Escario has more than 10 years of footwear design experience and was formerly heading up men’s sandal design at Reef. Lita Tiu has more than 15 years of footwear development experience, and Rodolphe Bossin has more than 20 years of footwear design experience.
Now that our team is in place, we have been focusing on preparing for our North American launch this Spring 2016.
Why was now the right time for Rip Curl to launch footwear in the U.S.?
Pepe Landa: Over the last several years, Rip Curl has achieved significant success in boardshorts (Mirage), women’s swim (My Bikini), wetsuits (Flash Bomb), and our tide watches (SearchGPS), so the timing was perfect to introduce a new category.
With the talented team we have in place, we’ve really just been focusing on developing the right product assortment before going to market. We feel we have definitely achieved this.
How will Rip Curl’s sandals stand out in a crowded market?
Pepe Landa: The driving inspiration in all that we do is “The Search.” Our goal was to introduce a quality footwear range that can withstand the demands of the road, while still having a styling aesthetic that identifies with the Rip Curl customer.
Put simply, we want surfers wearing our sandals to and from the beach, and we’ve focused on offering unique benefits within our product assortment to achieve this goal. This has resulted in a great, balanced collection that is uniquely Rip Curl.
Additionally, several of our elite global athletes including Gabriel Medina for men’s and Nikki Van Dijk for women’s will represent the footwear category. Both of them have massive social media followings.
What are the features and retail price of the sandals?
Pepe Landa: In the leather category, we are offering “The Ultimate” and the “Trestles Sandals” that use fully waterproof leather, which is extremely versatile. They feature full rubber outsoles, and range from $40-$70.
In the molded category, we offer “The Game by Gabriel Medina,” which feature custom molded straps with vent channels for 50% less contact with the skin and fully molded footbeds with ergonomic arch support. These are incredibly comfortable and retail for $55.
We are also launching “The One,” a sandal that has a fully adjustable strap that allows for the perfect customized fit. This style will be available for women, men and kids, and ranges from $26-$36.
Any particular styles you expect to be best-sellers?
Pepe Landa: The majority of our marketing efforts will be dedicated towards “The Game,” which is the Gabriel Medina signature sandal. This is our pinnacle sandal, offering an extremely light, durable and comfortable fit.
What stores are picking them up so far?
Pepe Landa: We’ve received terrific support from Jack’s, Ron Jon Surf Shop, HIC, Hansen’s, Kokomo, and many more of our retail partners nationwide.
