L to R. Gina Turpel, Lydia Ballesteros, Karen Sarver, Kristy Michaels, Patricia Gianessi
STOKEHOUSE UNLIMITED ANNOUNCES NEW WOMENS SURF BRAND
(Aliso Viejo, California) JUNE 15, 2018 – Stokehouse Unlimited, the company that owns the brands Vissla, Amuse Society and D’Blanc will launch a new women’s brand for Spring 2019.
Welcome SISSTREVOLUTION: a modern surf brand for the new generation of female surfers.
The Sisstrevolution brand ethos will be expressed by aligning with a band of Sisstr surfers, creators, free spirits and adventure seekers. The brand name unmistakably feminine also evokes a feeling of empowerment, harmony and forward movement.
Paul Naude Founder + CEO of Stokehouse Unlimited said, “Girls collectively around the world have developed for themselves a strong female surf culture both in and out of the water.
What’s happening in women’s performance surfing and free surfing is amazing and we are excited about the opportunity to be a part of this growing movement.”
Recognizing the swell of talent that has surfaced in women’s competitive surfing the brand plans to sign a WCT title contender in 2019.The premiere collection composed of swim, apparel, accessories and wetsuits will debut first to buyers in September. The design is vibrant, young, real, modern and functional catering to surfers, beach lovers and eco conscious female consumers in the 12 to 25-year-old demographic.
Look forward to the brand market launch in late October as co-sponsor with Vissla’s ISA World Junior Championships, followed by the full collection release in December for the Australian market, and in February for North America and globally.
Under Naude, the Californian based team, (pictured above) will carry out the following roles: Gina Turpel (Marketing director), Lydia Ballesteros (VP Product development), Karen Sarver (Stokehouse VP Administration), Kristy Michaels (Design director) and Patricia Gianessi (Designer, Sisstrevolution)
The Business of Surf caught up Stokehouse Unlimited Founder & CEO, Paul Naude, and John Mossop (Head of Stokehouse Australia) to find out more about what this means for the respective US and Australian markets:
Paul Naude:
What happens with Amuse Society, the other Womens brand in the Stokehouse stable? Do they live side by side?
Amuse continues to grow from strength to strength and it’s now a contemporary fashion brand aimed at the 18-35 year old fashion-forward consumer. Our business is driven largely by premium retail, boutiques and top end surf and beach stores.
It’s a different market and a different channel so the brands will live side by side.
Not that this was deliberate, but research shows that women spend about 2.5 times more on themselves than men do, so we’ve probably got the company brand ratio right in a way!
Will you be looking at sponsoring team riders? World Tour athletes even?
Yes, we will build a strong, well-rounded team of female surfers and will have WCT representation.
Is this effectively Vissla’s sister brand?
Yes Sisstrevolution is Vissla’s sister brand but will be its own entity without any Vissla branding. Where we can leverage Vissla’s strengths to benefit Sisstr, we will.
Will Sisstrevolution be showcased in your current Vissla flagship stores once delivered?
Yes, Sisstrevolution will be carried in company flagship stores. Separate female only stores are also a possibility in the future.
John Mossop (Stokehouse Australia)
We are working towards a 1 December delivery with a hi-summer capsule collection. We will go to market with that in September, along with an autumn/winter ’19 range that will include a performance rubber collection.
Women’s surfing in Australia is in such an exciting phase and the launch here is in recognition of that.
What sort of wholesale distribution will you be looking at in this market?
Distribution will be unequivocally core surf, the same as Vissla, and the product offering is designed and priced for that market.
With your stable of brands you have now, will you be looking at opening any of your own stores in Aus?
The Stokehouse retail concept that has been introduced into the US market has definite appeal and I think it could be a compelling offer if we could partner with the right operator.
Will the same sales force you have for Vissla be looking after this brand?
We would love to think we could introduce Sisstrevolution through our existing Vissla reps and we are now beginning those discussions.
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