Photo: Greg Roebuck
The last time we checked in with Vivo Headwear back in July 2009, the company was just getting its start in the snow market. Now, founder and New Zealand native Anthony Leffelaar, who has spent the past ten years in the industry as a pro rider and business owner, has expanded Vivo worldwide, developing his brand with pro riders such as Canadian skater Corey Sheppard, who now doubles as the company’s creative director and skate team manager. We caught up with the 26-year-old entrepreneur Leffelaar to find out how business has been and what the brand has in store for the future.
What’s been going on for you and Vivo in the last couple years?
We’ve developed the brand a lot since then; we base Vivo around quality and premium fabrics, as well as putting together the most elite skate and snow team that’s around. We’re now worldwide, in 19 countries, and we’ve been lucky enough to do collaborations with Yes Snowboards (Japan), Push.ca, The Source, Red Bull, IS design, and Blue Tomato (Europe). Thinking back to all the tough start up times, it’s crazy to think we’ve made it this far. It’s really been a blessing to start a company when the economy was in such rough shape because from here on in it’s nothing but up.
So you’re a Kiwi, running a Canadian company, with a Mexican name. How’s that work out?
[Laughs] Well, creating a good company name is key to success; it’s got to be memorable. The word Vivo means “I live” in Spanish, which reflects on our lifestyle as a company. We all relate to it on a daily basis. We live and breathe snowboarding, skating, art, and music, and the people behind the brand are as grass roots as it comes. So there you have it, a Canadian company, founded by a Kiwi, with a Mexican name. Pretty sure there was some good tequila involved.
Leffelaar. Photo: Greg Roebuck
You guys have jumped into the game with a seriously heavy-hitting team. Who’s on your roster now and how important has your team been for getting things running?
Having an amazing team backing your product is everything. Corey and I come from a professional skate and snow background, so we’ve both seen from personal experience how much work and love goes into the riders backing your product. You have to listen to your team’s feedback from marketing to design; it’ll only help us grow in areas that we might have not seen from an outside perspective. We’re lucky to have such awesome riders backing Vivo and it shows in our quality of products.
Skate: Mark Appleyard, Ronnie Creager, Wade Desarmo, Corey Sheppard, Spencer Hamilton, Grant Patterson, Paul Trep, Shinichi Ito, Brandon Del Bianco
Snow: Kale Stephens, Marie France Roy, Andrew Geeves, Markku Koski, Tadashi Fuse, Helen Schettini, Ryan Tiene, Kevin Griffin.
Artists: Matt Brevner , Kai Sky Walker
Mark Appleyard beanie, Vivo Headwear. Photo:Randy Ross
How much of your business is skate these days and how much is snow?
Since Vivo is still so young, it’s hard to determine which is more skate or snow on the business side. When we first started, it was launched based off winter products, but then a few months later we ventured into caps. Right now there seems to be a higher demand for our winter products, but we’ll see where we end up now that we’ve ventured into the U.S.A. Things are always changing around here.
You guys have been really proactive on the PR front. Give us a few quick lessons on what you’ve learned in this arena.
I really enjoy the PR and marketing side of the business. I found coming from a background as a professional athlete, the marketing side came a lot more natural to me than say accounts, logistics, cash flow management – stuff like that. That being said, I definitely work hard in my weak areas so that things are strong across the board in all aspects of the company. I’ve also learnt that you don’t need to invest into some million-dollar marketing campaign in your upstart years of a company, there are so many other ways to get yourself out there. You’ve just got to network with your resources and think outside the box. We have been very lucky to have a huge amount of support from the industry helping us get a lot of press out there. Artists like Bun B have even been rocking our hats on tour and Red Bull athletes wearing our hats. That’s the great thing about headwear, it’s a product that’s marketed to all aspects of life.
I do believe in investing money into marketing campaigns, they are key. Being a very grassroots company that is rider driven and rider owned, we do have our advantages of being able to put ourselves on the map just because of who we are and what we come from. But now, two years later, here we are looking to invest heavily into our future marketing so we can take Vivo to the next step. We want to give back to all the people and magazines that have supported us from the beginning. It’s all about timing and being patient, which is something I am not so good at from time to time. (Laughs)
Of all the checks you’ve written since founding Vivo, which have made the biggest difference for your company?
That’s a tough question. One thing that comes to mind is when I first sat down and received our first big sample invoice and was like, “Holy crap, how am I am going to pay for this venture—it’s bigger than I originally thought?” It quickly turned into me having to spend a good six weeks, night and day, re-writing our business plan. I then had to apply for a loan at the bank, just so I could come up with the extra capital to fund our sample bill. I remember going to the bank and thinking this crazy idea better work and here we are two years later with amazing clients worldwide. I was so happy and relieved being able to write that check.
You just signed a distribution agreement with Charlie P. What are your goals in the U.S. Market and why did you feel it was key to work with a domestic distributor?
We launched the brand in January 2009 when the U.S. market was still recovering from being hit really hard from the stock market crash. So we decided to hold back on launching there, and instead started to further establish our brand in Canada, Asia, and Europe. I really just wanted to jump into the market year one, but the risk factor was a tad scary and the timing was just not right. The U.S. market can pretty much make or break your brand over night, so insuring the right people are in place is crucial. An opportunity arose with Greg Hughes, who was the vice president of sales at Mervin Manufacturing at the time, and now founder of Charlie P Corp. based out of Salt Lake City. While Greg was with Mervin he increased worldwide revenue from $10 million in 2003 to $25 million in 2010, as well as developed and managed 30 worldwide sales representatives. So signing a partnership deal with someone who had accomplished so much, and the team behind it was very exciting. I can’t wait to work closely with Greg from his office in Salt Lake City and grow Vivo in the U.S.
Photo: Greg Roebuck
In these tough times, why should retailers roll the dice on bringing in Vivo?
Well gambling’s always fun if you have high odds of a win. Vivo offers more than just a product, we offer a team of people who believe in what we do every day. We design products we actually like to wear. We don’t look or compare ourselves against other companies, we just focus on our ideas that will bring us outside of the box. We are fresh, young, and innovative. Vivo’s pricing and quality are amazing, and have great sell through.
We offer so many options, price point products to high-end premium products. We even have hats made from Recycled plastic bottles.
Are you having any difficulties with Chinese production for this season’s gear? How are you handling this?
Last year I decided to invest into a trip off shore for Corey and me to visit our manufacturing facilities and production managers in person. It was an eye-opening experience to see how their culture and economy was run. It’s a very fast paced place, with lots of exciting opportunities for business. We got to discover firsthand how they do business and went into the fabric markets, finding anything in there is like trying to find a needle in a haystack to say the least. Meeting our partners in person has really helped our relationship on a personal level, they’ll always help us out when we face a tight timeline or are looking to try out ideas outside the box.
Like any upstart business we came across a few hurdles with minimums, and being the small guys, we faced a couple of time line issues with samples for our first spring collection. That trip that we took over there showed them how serious we were and because of that when it came to crunch time they pulled through for us.
Photo: Greg Roebuck
What’s on the horizon for this season?
The next 12 months will consist of hitting the road, skate and snow shop tours, getting to know our retailers first hand, and spreading the word. I plan to head back to Asia to develop certain parts of production and logistics, and then Europe to expand our sales network. Definitely looking forward to a busy year and expanding our team of staff and office space.
Anything else you’d like to add?
I would like to say a big thanks to Tian Waters, CEO of Flat Fitty, and their team for bending over backwards for us this Spring, Corey Sheppard, Max Jenke, Dave Bestwick, Murray Fraser, Ry Guy, Greg Roebuck, Randy Ross, Kenton, and Joanne Sayer, all our sales reps and distributors, our skate and snow team, all our business partners, and friends and family for supporting Vivo to help execute the vision I have always dreamed of.
The best part about being an entrepreneur is seeing your dreams become reality, so keep the dream alive kids!
