How Hollister Co. Stole Surf: Eight Years After Abercrombie & Fitch Invaded The Surf Market, What Can be Done To Defend Against Them?
josh hunter
- August 07 2008
- 118 comments
In the latest issue of Transworld Business I wrote a feature about the impact Hollister has made on the surf industry and ways that the endemic market can defend itself against the fugazi “surf brand”/mega mall-based retail chain. We usually don’t publish such lengthy articles online—it’s around 4,000 words plus a sidebar—but having seen it referenced on more than one surf-related message board online, I decided to post it in its entirety. So here it is.
It’s no secret that Hollister Co.—the “surf-inspired” mall-based retail chain and brainchild of Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Michael Jeffries—is a threat to the surf market. While the surf industry has matured significantly since Hollister’s launch in July 2000, current economic factors such as a weak domestic retail environment have the biggest players in both the endemic and non-endemic market racing to build an international platform for their brands, and Hollister’s distribution network and deep pockets pose a much greater threat than ever. With international expansion of its own well underway, the stakes in the race for global brand recognition may be much higher than merely jockeying for position; the race could determine how the world defines “authentic surf company.”
What’s more, on the domestic front, Hollister’s success in the malls has directly affected the corporate strategies of its competitors, and PacSun—perhaps the surf industry’s most lucrative retail partner—is no exception.
So what is Hollister? Where did it come from? How much of a threat is it to the endemic market? Who is at risk? And what can the industry do to defend itself?
Sometimes Truth Is Stranger Than Fiction
Over the first few years of the new millennium, growing interest in surfing helped perpetuate mainstream attention though Blue Crush and MTV’s Surf Girls. The interest from mainstream America offered a significant up tick for manufacturers and retailers in the industry, but also gained the attention of outsiders looking to tap in to the trend. Where most failed, Hollister developed a concept that translated into rapid success.
“Everybody tried to knock off the surf lifestyle at all distribution channels—from Costco to Kohl’s to JC Penney,” recalls Dick Baker, Chairman Emeritus of the Surf Industry Manufacturers Association (SIMA). “Generally speaking most were not successful. Why? They didn’t have the consumer, the kids didn’t shop in there, it wasn’t cool, and they didn’t have any of the brands. What’s changed is that along comes Hollister and it does vertical surf better than most surf companies. To the average consumer that’s not a core kid, from a product and price perspective, and as an environment to shop, it has become a brand unto itself.”
The concept for Hollister was built around a fictional background story created by Jeffries (Shown here) to provide a more “authentic” atmosphere for the Hollister shopper. The fictitious story claims J.M. Hollister founded the company in 1922 as a “Pacific merchant in SoCal.” On its Web site, the company defines itself as “Inspired by the sun-drenched spirit of California, and the surf and soul of the Pacific Ocean, Hollister is a laid-back, aspirational lifestyle destination.” In reality, it was launched in 2000 out of Columbus, Ohio by Abercrombie & Fitch, which was struggling at the time to reach a younger customer.
“First they dreamed up this West Coast lifestyle concept, explains Mitch Kummetz, senior retail analyst at Robert Baird. “If you go back to 2000, surf was pretty strong and these guys wanted to play in that market. So they just dreamed up this business out of thin air. As far as a mall store goes, and who their customer is, which is the aspirational consumer, they couldn’t do a better job building stores that appeal to that consumer. If you compare them to a PacSun, a lot of it is contrived and pretentious to someone who is of the industry and participates in the sports, but to somebody who is in the mainstream and is aspirational, their stores are going to look more like the real deal than a PacSun or a Zumiez, or a core shop for that matter. Zumiez would never do that because that’s not who their customer is. Their customers would see through that in a heartbeat. But if you’re just some mainstream kid living in Ohio, or wherever, this seems as authentic as anything.”
When Hollister opened its first store in the Easton Town Center in Columbus, Ohio in July 2000, American teens immediately began to take the bait of the fugazi surf-lifestyle brand. Much of the store’s success is credited to its in-store experience; Hollister has invested millions into providing a “SoCal surf” atmosphere to both the interior and exterior design of its stores. The stores are meant to look like beach shacks. The interior is dimly lit with spotlights above the merchandise, and divided into two sections: “Dudes” and “Betties.” The company spent ten million dollars in 2007 outfitting its stores with flat screen TVs that play a live feed of the surf conditions at Huntington Beach pier. Stores are scented with the company’s signature SoCal fragrance, and there’s a corporate policy in place to play a controlled mix of licensed music—available for purchase at the register, of course—between 80-85 decibels. (OSHA requires employers to provide ear protection to employees exposed to decibel levels 90 and over.) In the middle of the store there’s a lounge area with chairs, surf magazines, and potted palm trees.
“They get an A in the romance,” says Quiksilver’s Executive Vice President of Strategic Brand Development Tom Holbrook, who recently returned from a retail tour in the Midwest. “I heard people outside the store asking if it was a restaurant. It doesn’t look like a typical store, and when you walk into a store everything is controlled—the smell, the lighting, the look of the kids that are working there. They’ve packaged the environment better than anybody, and I think that’s a lesson that a lot of people have learned ever since they launched.
“When you can sit in Michigan and look at the north and south side of Huntington Beach pier to check the surf, they’re basically connecting the dots to convey that they are pretty authentic.”
Holbrook says the company also executes well with its product offering. “They do a really good job on color, merchandising, and price points,” he says. “So the only thing they really don’t have is the real authenticity, but they do a really good job of convincing people that don’t know any better that they are the shit.”
Kummetz agrees, saying the store is able to use its product to further perpetuate its own false authenticity: “The concept has only been around for seven or eight years, but they don’t just roll out a concept called Hollister, they dream up this whole history behind it. They have shirts with a graphic that has something about a surf contest in San Onofre in 1962 or something. They make stuff up because their customer buys into it. They do a phenomenal job developing merchandise around the imagery of the stores and the history that they’ve basically invented.”
Some would say they’ve been too convincing in the past. In fact, Hollister’s parent company has overstepped the boundaries of what is legally acceptable on at least two occasions while trying to portray its authenticity to customers. (CLICK HERE to read the sidebar for more details.)
Merriam-Webster defines authentic in two ways: 1. Being fully trustworthy as according with fact; 2. It can also stress painstaking or faithful imitation of an original. Hollister has built its brand around the latter, and to say it’s been successful is a gross understatement.
Threat Assessment
In 2007 Hollister Co. did 1.6 billion dollars in sales with 450 stores open across the United States, and its popularity amongst its target customers has grown undeniably strong. According to a study by US Bancorp Piper Jaffray, the brand ranked first for four consecutive seasons as Teens’ Top Clothing Brand since 2007.
In eight years the store has been able to win over an entire demographic of American teen shoppers. How? By creating a retail concept around a fictitious brand history, manufacturing quality product, and selling an aspirational lifestyle. “To me it’s the most amazing record that exists in U.S. retailing, period,” A.G. Edwards analyst Robert Buchanan told reporters at the end of last year.
Perhaps what Buchanan refers to is the store’s strong retail performance. Although it has not entirely escaped the symptoms of the current economic conditions—Hollister comparable store sales dipped seven percent in May and eight percent in June—it is performing extremely well given the current retail climate according to analysts.
“There are typically two measures that we look at in terms of retail performance,” explains Kummetz. “One is productivity, which is just another way of saying sales per square-foot. They [Hollister] did 531-dollars a foot last year. That was actually a little bit down from the year before, but anything over 500-dollars a foot is pretty darned successful. [Chart shows comparision in productivity between PSUN. ZUMZ, and Hollister. PSUN numbers include demo stores.]
“The second thing is comparable-store sales performance. Last year they were actually down a little bit with a negative two comp for the year. I think that’s the function of a few things. We’re looking at a pretty difficult retail environment in general, so we’re not seeing a lot of the teen retailers comp positively,” he continues. “I think as they open up stores and kind of back-fill existing markets, some of the new stores cannibalize the business at existing stores, which also brings down their comp performance. Once you’re at a level where you’re doing over 500 dollars per square-foot it’s pretty hard to continue to generate same-store-sales increases because you’re already so successful. The way some retailers try to do it is to try and tweak the mix that they’re selling and they focus more on accessories because accessories tend to be a more productive category in terms of being able to jam a lot of goods into a small amount of real estate. Abercrombie is doing a little bit if that with Hollister on the fragrance side, but I don’t think that’s enough to really move the needle.”
Something that everyone seems to be able to agree on is that Hollister isn’t going away anytime soon. In fact, according to Kummetz its growth is accelerating at an alarming rate. “The scary thing about Hollister is that they were at 450 stores last year, and they’re talking about [expanding to] 1,200 stores,” explains Kummetz. “They already have three stores in Canada, and they’re going to have four stores in the UK by the end of this year. That 1,200-store count will probably consist of 700 to 800 stores in the U.S., which would mean 400-500 stores globally. Considering that as a chain with 450 stores they did 1.6 billion in sales last year, seven to ten years down the road it could be a five billion dollar business globally. That’s not all incremental business, that’s sales that are being pulled from somewhere.”
In early May Mike Kramer chief financial officer for Hollister’s parent company, Abercrombie & Fitch, discussed the company’s international expansion plans in its Q1 conference call. According to Kramer, factors such as the brand’s international direct-to-consumer business growing 78 percent over last year substantiate the need to expand. “We are benefiting from international tourists traveling to the U.S. to take advantage of a weak U.S. dollar. We were able to realize this benefit because of our global brand recognition,” Kramer says. “This is additional proof that there is global demand for our brand and it gives us further confidence that we can be successful with our international expansion initiatives. It also demonstrates the importance of owning a global brand during a difficult selling environment in the United States.”
While Hollister’s global expansion announcement may be the most recent, its parent company Abercrombie & Fitch is aggressively allocating resources to grow the brand’s recognition domestically as well. Out of the total capital expenditures for fiscal 2008 of A&F Co. (up to 445 million dollars), approximately 300 million dollars will be spent on new store construction and remodeling. This accounts for 67 new stores in the U.S. by the end of ‘08, including Hollister’s first flagship store to be opened in New York’s SoHo district in early 2009. Thomas D. Lennox, vice president of corporate communications at A&F Co. says the company believes the multi-level flagship location will be “a memorable and unique experience to customers, as well as an important step for the brand.”
The Effects On The Market
Hollister’s success hasn’t gone unnoticed by the endemic surf market. Mall-based competitors like PacSun have been directly affected by the store’s vertical approach and the appeal of Hollister’s in-store atmosphere. “I think Hollister is a threat to other mall-based retailers,” Kummetz explains. “It’s a major threat to PacSun and to a lesser degree to Zumiez. If you look at PacSun, everything they are doing as a company from a strategic standpoint is to try to steal market share away from Hollister,” Kummetz continues. “It’s funny, you would think that PacSun is the more legitimate action sports retailer in the mall and yet they are doing things to change their business to make it look more like Hollister because Hollister is the mall-based retailer that the average mainstream consumer would think is the more legitimate store.”
Kummetz also suggests that PacSun’s decisions to increase private label in its stores, walk away from its closed-toed footwear business, and refresh its in-store designs are all based on going head-to-head with Hollister. “Hollister is competing on fashion and price and PacSun is trying to compete against them,” he says.
PacSun CEO Sally Frame Kasaks chose not to comment for this article. Kasaks, who served as President and CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch from 1989–1992 says that she has made it a practice to never speak about competitive businesses that are not directly related to PacSun. “It is tough for me to speak to the strategy of PacSun in the context of an article on another brand or competitor,” she says. However, in a Q4 2007 conference call recorded on March 13, 2008 she offered this statement about PacSun’s strategy: “Our efforts have been focused on four key objectives; growing our juniors business, reconnecting with our customer, improving our customer shopping experience, and investing in the company to improve operating efficiencies. Each of these objectives supports our overarching goal of achieving results through improved store productivity … To put this in perspective, we achieved sales per square foot of approximately 350 dollars in 2007. This level of productivity is significantly below our competitive peer set that on average exceeds sales of $500 per square foot.”
Kummetz says the pressure from Hollister on other retailers hurts the brands that are selling through PacSun and department stores like Nordstrom and Macy’s West, and the top executives in the industry have taken notice.
“I think the environment that PacSun needed to upgrade was really manifested by the success of Hollister,” Holbrook explains. “I know they [PacSun] were compared to them [Hollister] a lot because they were luring the kid away, and their whole store is private label, and yet PacSun had all these brands. Unfortunately the brands got swashed by a lot of the private label that PacSun did. So they [Hollister] have helped influence a lot of the market both big and small, and I don’t think there’s a retailer out there that isn’t really aware of them.”
Volcom Chairman and CEO Richard Woolcott also identifies Hollister as a threat, and says the company is a serious competitor. “The reality is that they [Hollister] have the infrastructure, the muscle, and the financial backing to look at it on a global level,” Woolcott says. “I think their stores look really good inside, they’re well merchandized, and they make good product. They’re a good competitor. There’s no way to get around that.”
It seems certain that mall-based retailers and manufacturers are affected, but how much of an affect does Hollister have on specialty stores? According to Kummetz, it’s not as severe.
“I don’t think Hollister is a threat to the core guy,” he says. “If you’re Jack’s or HSS or Active then your customer for the most part is a participant in the sport, or at least a little bit more hard-core kid, and that kid probably isn’t shopping at Hollister.”
George Leichtweis owns Modern Skate and Surf, a five-store chain with two indoor skate parks located all over Michigan. He says that despite being in the Midwest, he doesn’t view Hollister as an immediate threat. “My customer wouldn’t shop at a Hollister,” says Leichtweis. “Being a core retailer, the thought of Hollister gives us a laugh. It doesn’t affect my sales, as my customers tend not to be mall shoppers.”
Leichtweis, however, believes Hollister has made an impact in other ways. “I realize that Billabong and Quiksilver opened vertical stores—as well as DC, Burton, and others—in order to compete against the Hollisters of the world. They didn’t do it to compete with core retailers, but this is a byproduct of that move,” he says.
Surfside Sports Owner Duke Edukas also attributed the increase in company owned stores and direct online sales to the impact of Hollister. “They are exploiting what we’ve built, and our lifestyles, and are forcing legit surf manufactures to open company stores in malls throughout the U.S. to compete for the dollars they are sucking away from our industry,” he says. “While the rest of us are bickering and arguing about which vendors are opening company stores, and which vendors are selling on line direct, or if a vendor is opening another retailer close to them, Hollister is not so quietly taking a huge part of our market.
“Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that the Hollisters of the world give the legit surf manufactures the right to open company stores at will, but, in an area where there aren’t quality surf, skate, or snow specialty retailer’s, and Hollister is getting a lion’s share of our pie, then I’m all for it.”
Self Defense Tactics
How can the endemic market defend itself against such a powerful opponent? The question generates an incredibly similar, simplistic response from manufacturers and specialty retailers alike. The general consensus: Work together and do a better job.
“These people [Hollister] are attacking our business,” says Bobby Abdel, an owner of Jack’s Surfboards. “We need to stand behind the surf business and sport and keep supporting the brands because these guys [Hollister] are jumping in and are having a free ride on our back.
Abdel says it’s vital for specialty stores to step up their in-store presentations as well. “We are really trying to keep our shops a notch higher than mall stores so that we can keep up with them. We are spending so much money to open our shops because we are the ones representing the surf market to the outside world, and if we don’t keep up with everyone then the surf market will be hurt,” he adds.
Edukas agrees, and says that aside from offering core customers the best in-store atmosphere possible, customer service is essential. “We have to compete with them at every level,” he says. “ Hollister, in my opinion, has some of the worst customer service. Customer service will set us apart. Long gone should be the time of ‘vibey’ shop kids at our front counters or doors. Long gone are the times when parents or insecure kids would feel uncomfortable coming into our stores. This is the new day and age of specialty retail.”
Holbrook says that from a manufacturer’s point of view it’s key to work closely with core accounts to make sure the message of the brands are reaching core customers. “The reason that most of our retailer partners got into this business wasn’t to make a buck. It was because they loved it, and they wanted to have a surf shop,” he says. “At the end of the day, that passion is something the Hollister’s of the world don’t understand. I think the people that really improve the service and really tell the story in the store for the brands will clearly be successful.”
He also thinks that there is a need for more specialty shops and company stores in areas that are not exposed to authentic action sports brands. “When you go into the heartland and really see the Hollister’s, you realize that we need some Surfside’s and some Jack’s and some Sun Diego’s out in the Midwest to tell the real story. There are a couple of guys out there that are really good, but there’s not enough of them,” he explains. “I wish we had more Quiksilver stores out in the Midwest. If we had a few more out there it’d be great to help tell the story.”
Woolcott says that strong competitors like Hollister should motivate the industry to collectively reevaluate how it does business and focus on improvements in all areas. “We’ve got to do a better job; we meaning our industry—from our retailers to our manufacturers,” he says. “We’re all in it together, and both groups have to raise the bar in order to compete with what’s going on out there. Whether it’s Hollister or somebody else. There are a lot of good people out there that know what they are doing from a retail end, a merchandizing end, and a product end. We’ve grown up. We’re at a different level now. We’re not a little cottage industry anymore, so we’ve got to compete with the best of them out there. I think that’s exciting, and we can.”
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August 7th, 2008 at 6:51 pm
The whole surf industry has become a fricking joke.
If they had to make every person in the industry paddle out and surf;90% of them wouldn’t show up; and the 10% who did;(50% of them) wouldn’t even be able to stand up.
WHAT A COMPLETE JOKE THE SURF? INDUSTRY HAS BECOME
August 7th, 2008 at 8:56 pm
WTF IS CORE NOW A DAYS ANYWAYS?
August 8th, 2008 at 4:08 am
There is an interesting connection between the terms “truth” an “fiction”. The question is: when marketing creates a reality in the customers head then it becomes true for him or her. So it doesn’t matter if it is made up or real at first blush.
But Marketing communication in the age of Web 2.0 means also: Welcome to a new age of authenticity. The virtual interaction possibilities of Web 2.0 force brands to strengthen the dialogue with the customers - like in former times on the material market place.(”Markets are conversations#”,cluetrain.com)
Authenticity today has an important emotional meaning.
The consumer looks for special information, which leads to a purchase decision, today less via brand-avertisement, but with like-minded people in a similar situation.Therefore traditional mouth-to-mouth-propaganda is one of the most important communication channels today. It is an illusion that communication can be controled by the brands. Is a brand still the container of the corporate idea, or isn’t it more developed in the head of the consumers?? Through developments such as Peer to Peer Media including virtual 3D-world-experiences this process immensely accelerates today.
With the web 2.0 it is possible to communicate in an honest dialogue between customers and offerers(similar to markets in former times). In order to take up this dialogue, it is not sufficient to fire messages single-railed over mass media to the consumer.
It is important to develop competence in new media!! Especially in informal forums, Communities and blogs. Blogs for example have the same value as articles in the guidance media, especially if it shows up within the first 10 results. From this standpoint Google results have as high value as the guidance media. Why?
Because it becomes a reality for the addressee.
August 8th, 2008 at 4:57 am
I think their stuff is bunk…Losing a customer to Hollister should not be see as a loss to the surf industry, maybe the gap, it’s the same shit but with surf boards on the wall. If it is such a threat, then maybe the surf industry should take a hard look at it self and really ask who their true customer is. If people are dumb enough to buy into the ficitional marketing image do you really want them as a customer?
August 8th, 2008 at 5:01 am
It doesn’t seem to be hurting quiksilver, they have diversified to cover their asses in lean times, opened an international retail chain and sell direct online, maybe you should be asking what one of there oun is doing to the industry. Can somebody say “Monopoly”
August 8th, 2008 at 7:38 am
Its buisness. Get over it. If any company sees Hollister as any worse than their own, dont go public (Volcom) dont grow stores (RVCA), become a non-profit and donate all your proceeds to the surfrider foundation. That would be a company to be respected.
August 8th, 2008 at 10:52 am
“Abdel says it?s vital for specialty stores to step up their in-store presentations as well.”
Here’s a thought Bobby…train your staff. I was in one of your “core” shops last weekend and this is what I overheard….verbatim.
Employee #1: “Hey (employee #2), there’s a guy in the back with a question about surfboards…do you know anything about boards?”
Employee #2: Uhhh, no sorry.
Hollister may not be an authentic surf brand but they’re doing a much better job convincing consumers that they are. It starts with your staff.
August 8th, 2008 at 11:36 am
Isn’t Transworld owned by Bonnier Corporation? They’re not a “core surf company”, they’re just trying to cash in on surfing, and the industry we built, and our heritage, and the “cool” factor.
Is that different?
August 8th, 2008 at 12:46 pm
Jim, your comment is so ridiculous I can’t believe I’m taking the time to respond. First of all, if you read this article you’d realize that the term “core surf company” is never used. A retailer refers to himself as a core retailer, but that’s it.
Way to be that guy…..that guy that sees an article like this and skims through it in a hurry to make some comment about how no one is “core” anymore and corporations are bad, and the industry “we” built is losing its heritage, etc.
Your asinine rhetorical question answered:
Hollister is a retail chain that uses a sport and lifestyle to sell its product without giving anything back. Transworld supports surfing?and a ton of other sports/ lifestyles?on every possible level…events, brands, retailers, athletes, etc.
So come on “JIm”… if you’re looking for your “cool” factor, you might want to start by reading an article from time to time…you’d seem a lot smarter…maybe.
August 8th, 2008 at 1:26 pm
Bonier Group; La Joya Group; all the millionaire Jewish families(nothing against Jewish people, but it’s a fact) in Panama Distributing Surf Brands - legally and illegally - to the rest of the region; Puerto Rican Reps handling Costa Rica claiming to know the territory; China partners of Surf labels selling the lifestyle for profit; etc. There is hypocrisy at all levels. It’s Business. In the end, public companies need to make $$ for their investors. Hollister is just on the sidelines doing the same thing, but not giving back to the sport they claim to represent - that’s the main difference!! When was the last time you saw a pro surfer sponsored by Hollister? When was the last time you heard about Hollister donating $$ to the Surfrider? Even if they did, they can’t buy their way into the industry. Enough rant…
August 8th, 2008 at 1:32 pm
How exactly does Transworld “give back” to support surfing? I like the mag, I read it all the time, but isn’t it all based on cashing in on surfing? Not giving back. Collecting advertising revenue, selling t-shirts, selling videos, all just exploiting surfing for your corporation’s profit.
How is that giving back? Yes, I see that you’re giving back to the surf “industry”, but how are you giving back to surfing? You’re not. You’re just trying to sell surfing to the masses, make it more popular, and if you really are a surfer, you know how infuriating the crowds are already. I’m sorry, but real surfers don’t want surfing to be more popular.
So if Hollister is selling the surf lifestyle to kids in Nebraska who will never surf anyway, isn’t that better for surfing itself then all of the Quiksilver surf schools popping up everywhere, trying to fill the line-ups more with potential consumers?
I’m part of the industry, I get it, but I’m also a realist, and I know as a surfer, filling the market with more consumables (and consumers) doesn’t make me any happier when I’m standing on a wave.
I just think you’re getting the terms “support” and “exploit confused a little.
August 8th, 2008 at 3:10 pm
Ok…the world’s population has doubled since JFK took office and approximately 212,000 humans are born every day. So that being said, if 1/100th of 1 percent end up surfing then that means there are 21.2 surfers born every day …crawl out of your cave jim and get used to the crowds. Plus, given the states above and the fact that 99.999% of all species that have ever existed on this planet have gone extinct …your line up shouldn’t be the big concern. But back to support/ exploit ….. have you ever been to watermans ball? what about liquid nation ball? Transworld, Quiksilver, Billabong, and all the other SIMA member companies raise millions to give back to the environment every year…so no, I did not confuse my words.
August 9th, 2008 at 5:42 am
Sorry but the amount that the surf industry gives back is miniscule compared to the money they make. I dont need a quicksilver t shirt to be a surfer. The mainstream surf companies and media have done more to clog lines ups with kooks than anyone else. Well they would, they need to grow their markets.
August 9th, 2008 at 11:20 am
This whole “more kooks in the water” thing is kind of funny. Look, you know as the population continues to grow as a whole, then the number of surfers is going to grow as well. It’s basic math.
However, for those of you out there making the call about all kooks in the water, well, you should be stoked that they are kooks. Can you imagine if surfing was as easy as, well, rollerblading? You should be thankful that on any given day you can go out to your local lineup and only have to deal with a couple of people that really have it down. Just imagine if every time you paddled out, you had to deal with an entire lineup of surfers that were top 45 level talents. Can you say “frustrating”? Imagine having to paddle battle with 3 Parkos, 3 Jordys, 2 Slaters, and 2 Wardos every time you wanted to catch a wave?
August 9th, 2008 at 12:29 pm
yeah bro, totally feel you, TW Surf is sooo exploiting a sport built buy rich people who live near warm sunny beaches in the top real estate in the world…
Seriously buddy, surfing isn’t some “at one with the wave, zen crap.” its a hobby for people who live by the beach.
deal with it and go move to Alaska so you can surf solo on pristine point breaks with nature.
August 9th, 2008 at 2:03 pm
The surf / skate and snow industries are growing . . . so what.
Did any one really expect these sports to remain tiny and un populated?
As for the greed of large corporation cashing in on these industries - well that is what large corporations do.
Go skate / surf / snowboard and remember why you got involved with all of this in the first place . . . because it’s FUN!
August 9th, 2008 at 8:20 pm
I had an extra big mac yesterday, and I tried to’give’ it to surfing but the prick would not even take it. I mean I could not find surfings phone number. I tried to find Surfing on Myspace, but Surfing does not even have a myspace(or facebook). How can I ‘give back’ to something that wont even return my calls, and as far as I can see does not even exist.
August 9th, 2008 at 8:56 pm
why does that matter at all anyway? you have to be able to surf to sell some kids some t shirts? you wouldn’t have an industry then
August 10th, 2008 at 7:37 pm
fuck hollister…fake as hell…fuck i give credit for dem bein smart gettn costumers(the whole dam teen population)but its sickening now…i really feel sick seeing their clothes on everyone every time i go out anywere….please oppose hco spread the word….plzzzzz!!!!!
August 10th, 2008 at 7:49 pm
Abdel is not his full name, and I bet Bobby wasn’t his first name either originally. And, they control the industry.
August 10th, 2008 at 8:41 pm
As the article (nice one Josh) alludes, the core kids or whatever we want to call the guy or girl who actually surfs, does not shop in Hollister. When i was a kid if you wore the gear and didn’t ride, we called you a poser. Now, we call you $$$.
Surfing, skating, etc., is becoming a lifestyle activity, similar to baseball or football. People wear the clothing, but don’t necessarily participate in the activity. Think every guy in Jordan’s or wearing a Yankees shirt still plays baseball or football? It’s similar to why the biggest brands in our industry, outside of Burton, typically manufacture clothing versus hardoods. When was the last time you saw aa kid in a Rawlings t-shirt? You’re more likely to see them wearing an Adidas t.
If brands want to sell more to the occasional or non-rider, they’ll need to push themselves harder with the non-endemics. Create more heroes that people can get behind. Push beyond Sheckler, White, Slater and Laird… give that kid who doesn’t surf a reason to buy your brand’s t-shirt or board short versus one from Hollister.
Or don’t. But then don’t bitch because sales to people who are not interested in surfing are down. Levi’s sells to people regardless of if they’re into surfing, baseball or tennis. As an industry, we’re welcome to do the same.
August 11th, 2008 at 3:43 pm
I can’t believe my eyes.
“i give credit for dem bein smart gettn costumers”.
Is THAT “core”?
August 11th, 2008 at 3:53 pm
Richard Woolcott made the smartest, most on-point statements in this entire article. As a veteran fan and shareholder of Volcom, I do a little double fist pump in air for Wooly.
If HCO is brilliantly executing and seeing huge numbers because of it, then perhaps the surf industry should take a closer look at their businesses, their in-store experiences, the taste-level & quality of the product they’re selling in the local shops… the whole brand experience.
Most of the local surf shops I go to (and love) are unfortunately merchandised so poorly that even the best product looks sloppy and uninviting. There is a ton to be said for the whole experience, and the A&F Brands have that down to a perfected science. That is undeniable.
In a surf contest, the endemic brands would eat the world of HCO alive. But in business, it’s currently a different story.
Time to stop hiring your Bros and start staffing up your ‘grown-up’ surf corporations with people who know what they’re doing.
August 11th, 2008 at 5:11 pm
Wow, first off, “Jeffries” is scary looking… do we even really want the kids that are buying ‘this stuff’ to buy ‘our stuff’?
August 11th, 2008 at 5:29 pm
It’s so easy to tell the responses by the author and transworld staff. That mag is a fargin’ joke, and occasionally funny too. Is that boogie board clown Sean Obrien still running TWbiz?
August 11th, 2008 at 6:54 pm
Great report: now let’s see if Transworld has the balls for the next one’s that are even better: What about Nike? That’s a great skate authentic skate brand. Favorite brand of the jocks who mocked skateboarders for decades. They are giving it back? They are about as authentic in skateboarding as Wrangler Jeans. (except they tried to buy authenticity when they bought Hurley) Oh yeah, that’s right VF Corp, owners of Wrangler Jeans recently bought Vans in the same spirit. But they are still authentic aren’t they? What about the president of Vans? I’ll bet he’s never been on a skateboard. Let’s see a profile on him and stack it up to any other owner of a skate shoe company - that would be an interesting story. But guess what, we are probably not going to see that story in Transworld - because those companies pay their advertising bills - Hollister doesn’t - which begs the question: who owns Transworld these days and do they Surf, Skateboard or Snowboard? Or are they just a publishing business trying to profit from Acton Sports?
August 12th, 2008 at 11:57 am
Well, I think one of the biggest problems were started by the “hard core” companies themselves…because they sold out. The kids nowadays do not even know or use the term “poser” which was used back in the day to discriminate authenticity vs. maintstream.
The consumers are confused with branding…and with that produces advantages by mainstream companies. For example, Quiksilver sponsors snowboarders?! Or VANS sponsors surfers?! A major influence is the integration of extreme sports, fashion, and music. Any kid can wear a Volcom shirt and not be considered a “poser”…he doesn’t have to skate, surf, or listen to the same music. They just happen to like the culture.
Hollister has just been more successful at marketing than the actual authentic brands…and branding is just perception.
My authenticity is gained by maintaining a core message which has helped me with my clothing company. It’s not about any particular extreme sport…but a sense of lifestyle. You can’t be perceived as selling out…
August 12th, 2008 at 3:42 pm
i like hollister cause it shows me who the d-bags are right off the bat. there is a lot of money in these kook markets. too bad they ahve to bring the surfing image into their money game.
August 12th, 2008 at 3:46 pm
this is the kind of people people i work with. great! i bet hollister employees can spell!
August 12th, 2008 at 6:31 pm
Well said Bill…
August 12th, 2008 at 6:35 pm
If Hollister wanted to start buying double truck ads in our industry rag TW Biz…..would TW take the $$? What about Surfer or Surfing? Do you think any of our endemic mags would have the balls to say no?
August 12th, 2008 at 6:48 pm
Thats thing I dont think kids are like the generations in 80s and early 90s, they dont care about brand or fell this loyalty to one brand or another, if they like it they buy it. To a forteen year old Vans or Convers, is the difference is between cherrios and mini wheats. They dont give a crap.
August 13th, 2008 at 9:28 am
Thanks og.
Something else that’s a by product of Hollister or the bigger guys going more mass (from my perspective) is people looking for smaller brands that not everyone else is rocking. Same thing happens in music… you become too big and people say you suck. You’re not a hidden treasure anymore.
It’s hard to be a global multi-million dollar brand and still have the same fans that supported you from day one. If you don’t have a strong affinity for that brand now, you’ll seek something else out.
And I agree with I Heart Wooly below too. Often shops are merchandised poorly and getting someone to help me find a certain size or answer a question is usually a hit or miss task.
August 13th, 2008 at 12:39 pm
For anyone to think that their is a connection between Hollister or a Quicksilver/Hurley brand is absurd. To be honest, I don’t think that’s Hollister’s intention. They target a young crowd (mainly tweeners) and it’s more derived on So. Cal/sun/beach…NOT to replace surf or core. DUMB ARTICLE.
August 13th, 2008 at 12:42 pm
In addition, to think that a core surfer/skater would wear Hollister is another joke…show me one who would. Hollister is geared more around young, cute girls and metro guys who want to look good in clothing. There is no connection between the two, rather a store doing a phenominal amount of sales based on the bleach blonde So. Cal kid.
August 13th, 2008 at 2:40 pm
You should probably read the article” Who Cares” before you call it dumb. It clearly points out that the connection between Hollister and endemic surf companies stems from both sides going after the same customer demographic and that Hollister has directly affected PacSun…….which is the biggest account of ALL the top five surf lifestyle brands (ie. Quik, Billabong, Volcom, Hurley, and O’Neill)…I’ve worked at three of the five and can tell you whatever PacSun does directly affects the lion’s share of those brand’s sales. So when the Ex CEO of A&F comes in to run PacSun, and then starts making strategic moves to compete with Hollister in the mall…there’s a connection dumbass. seriously…DID YOU EVEN READ THE ARTICLE?
August 13th, 2008 at 2:47 pm
Reading is hard “Who Cares” and leaving comments is easy ,,,
From “Dumb” article ….THAT YOU DIDN”T READ…..
It seems certain that mall-based retailers and manufacturers are affected, but how much of an affect does Hollister have on specialty stores? According to Kummetz, it?s not as severe.
?I don?t think Hollister is a threat to the core guy,? he says. ?If you?re Jack?s or HSS or Active then your customer for the most part is a participant in the sport, or at least a little bit more hard-core kid, and that kid probably isn?t shopping at Hollister.?
George Leichtweis owns Modern Skate and Surf, a five-store chain with two indoor skate parks located all over Michigan. He says that despite being in the Midwest, he doesn?t view Hollister as an immediate threat. ?My customer wouldn?t shop at a Hollister,? says Leichtweis. ?Being a core retailer, the thought of Hollister gives us a laugh. It doesn?t affect my sales, as my customers tend not to be mall shoppers.?
Leichtweis, however, believes Hollister has made an impact in other ways. ?I realize that Billabong and Quiksilver opened vertical stores?as well as DC, Burton, and others?in order to compete against the Hollisters of the world. They didn?t do it to compete with core retailers, but this is a byproduct of that move,? he says.
August 14th, 2008 at 4:03 pm
It’d take more balls to say yes … because all the other advertisers would pull out if any of those mags ran Hollister ads!
August 14th, 2008 at 4:08 pm
Yeah … ten bucks says FOR REAL? did not get an A in English class! But let’s give the guy the benefit of the doubt….maybe he/ she is Brazilian?
August 16th, 2008 at 11:36 am
pacsuns for fags any way but one time i went in there so i could buy the transworld suf that was out side i felt like such a fairylicker walking in there never again
August 16th, 2008 at 11:38 am
i mean hollister i love pacsun and zumies my bad hollisters for fags
August 16th, 2008 at 11:45 am
look at all these no-balled wussy losers defending hollister its as easy as this your a guy and you shop at hollister or defend it your pretty friken weak
August 16th, 2008 at 11:49 am
shut up faggot ever heard of analog or billabong or hurley there all big and the same thing as quiksilver so thats not realy a monopoly is it
August 16th, 2008 at 12:02 pm
shut up faggot last july there was something called honda us open of surfing so transworld surf sponserd that and not only that they have sponserd many others not only do they give back to surfing but surfers as well by interviews reviews and by just being straigt up lagite or la jit or however u spell it
August 16th, 2008 at 12:20 pm
but the ones people buy give back to surfing or snowboarding or what about well granade gloves they dont make boards but they make dang good gloves and jackets and other stuff or special blend or neff or holden or celtek you dont have to make boards to be in the buisness expecially in snowboarding which you got into by saying burton i mean there is a million stuff to but for snowboarding gloves hat first layer boots boards bindings helmets socks so ya i think your wrong
August 16th, 2008 at 12:25 pm
good point i think they should stick to american eagle or whatever stores they would go to
August 16th, 2008 at 12:29 pm
so um transworld staff is a magazine or what i dont get it
August 16th, 2008 at 12:35 pm
actually im 15 and ive been called poser called others poser and was once a poser so poser the word is still very much used taday and ill respect a poser a whole lot mare then a hollister wearin chump
August 17th, 2008 at 6:42 pm
If the surf/skate/whatever industry made better products then perhaps other companies wouldn’t be a threat.
Go to any action sports shop and find t-shirts that are uncomfortable, generally poor fitting, cheaply made and expensive.
Make a better product, get more sales.
August 17th, 2008 at 9:06 pm
When the “main-stream” market started looking ‘our’ way, many ‘core’ brands were to busy being ‘core’. Others like Quiksilver/Roxy, saw that Hollister noticed and acted immediately to not loose their piece of the pie…because, “if you don’t use it, you loose it”. They wanted to make sure the “main-stream” understood “authenticity” before kooky brands got to them. They had no choice. Thanks to efforts like that, the industry continues to strive; but now competing with the big boys in retailers such as Nordstroms, Macy’s, Dillards, The Buckle, etc. The surf industry grew up and continues to mature. We are victims of our own success. People want to look and dress like us; be like us all over the country/world!
August 18th, 2008 at 2:42 am
?I realize that Billabong and Quiksilver opened vertical stores?as well as DC, Burton, and others?in order to compete against the Hollisters of the world. They didn?t do it to compete with core retailers, but this is a byproduct of that move?
That has got to be one of the most naive quotes I’ve ever heard. BBong’s, Quik’s and Burton’s opening of vertical stores are absolutely being done to compete with core retailers. Same with Quik’s launching of its online store this year.
Those companies would like nothing more than to go consumer direct. Drop wholesale margins altogether.
Talk to anyone at BRA (the SIMA for Surf Retailers) and they’ll tell you the same thing.
August 18th, 2008 at 6:47 am
shut up faggot ever heard of costum fit, just because you bought a volcom shirt once two years ago at a rumage sale that wasnt comfy doesnt mean you know every thing dip
August 18th, 2008 at 8:50 am
Its a bummer. Especially in tuff times. Companies want to grow. It just sucks they don’t care about their brand image. All these surf brands being in lame stores! They remind me of Airwalk. I hope the specialty stores scale back their buys on the greedy sluts that sell everywhere and search out the new volcoms. They are out there you just have to take a leap, like you did when you opened the store.
Good merchandising is important, but if everything you have is in a department store, then your store sucks
August 18th, 2008 at 11:44 am
A lot of surf shops I know like Jack’s Garage, Surfside, have it down in terms of merchandising. The problem I think is when the average kid walks into one of those stores, they will be intimidated by the prices. Clothing from “Core’ brands like Quiksilver and Billabong are not cheap. $40-$50 for boardshorts, $20-$30 for tshirts jeans for $60-$80 and there are hardly ever any sales. Mall stores like Hollister always have stuff marked down.
August 18th, 2008 at 6:06 pm
I’m never heard of “costum” fit, fruitcake.
Maybe you meant costume, like the one you wear to bed when your momma diddles you?
Custom fit is not that great either, I think if the industry put a little bit more money into materials as a whole and with specialty lines it would help.
e.g. 60-70$ sweatshirts that look like they are fruit of the loom, either put better quality materials in there or maybe some zippers and such for little baby’s like tuck3000 to play with
August 19th, 2008 at 4:28 am
hmm… than maybe Pac Sun and affiliates are the evil?
August 19th, 2008 at 1:03 pm
The clothes do suck I get alot of free shit from different snowboard companys It all sucks. I would never buy that crap It shit quality and way to much$$.
Your job as rep’s is to sell the image to make jake burton rich.
August 20th, 2008 at 1:35 pm
HCO=POSERS!!!!
It is more sad than other companies, becuase even quicksilver and other have a lot of cooks to, but they grow with the surf not in the fakin mountain!!!!
any way its market, its a bitch and its funny to see posers on the street!!
August 21st, 2008 at 11:56 am
You have to look at the industry like this. If quiksilver, billabong,jacks and hss and other top brands and stores didnt exist. Hollister wouldnt exist, the surf industry wouldnt be what it is if it wasnt for the true brands and stores ,people wouldnt surf as much and the sport would be dead or like it was 30 years just a fab. We have to support the stores and these brands ,because without them surf wouldnt be what it was today. Hollister doesnt support surf ,its in the business to make money. Everybody is in it to make money,but everyone brings something to the market and helps surf grow,but Hollister doesnt do that. We have to create an awareness about hollister, it is an evil that will kill surf just not brands and stores but surf as it is. Am i right or am I wrong? reply to me,thanks
August 21st, 2008 at 9:37 pm
There are a lot of good points made here. But what a lot of people are missing is this: go to Ohio, Iowa, Georgia — there are no Quik, Billabong or Burton stores. So what do the kids have? they have Hollister, PacSun and Zumiez. And since these kids don’t surf primarily due to geography - they don’t know any better. This is all they have. So until Quik, Bong and the like open up stores in ‘middle america’ they can’t complain. Address the ‘demand’ side of the market with authentic product, and they’ll sell product. Hollister has a great formula: they’re part of the limited brands company, who basically invented market segmentation (look it up if you don’t have a biz degree) 25 years ago - and they leverage that experience to the hilt. Great looking stores, hot girls telling you the gear looks great on you, and a good price point.
Short on-the ground research study: i’m from Ohio originally (now live in San Diego) — i go home from xmas and go to the mall (which has a PacSun, hollister and Zumiez). Crowded because its the holidays. What did i see? a couple of Quik hats, maybe one hurley hoodie, and 5,000 hollister hoodies, hats and tees. No quik, burton or billabong stores — no product on the kids. Its simple supply and demand. The demand for authentic gear is there — the supply isn’t. Step up Ol’ School or get left in the economic dust.
August 21st, 2008 at 9:52 pm
Yea jim — Bonnier is not a core surf company. They’re a privately held publishing company built to make money. So what? They also own fishing, boating, skiing, science, hunting and wakeboarding magazines as well — do you hear core fisherman complaining that non-fisherman are chewing skoal? Get a life and a real POV.
August 22nd, 2008 at 6:25 am
So Transworld is upset that Hollister is not paying big $ to advertise in the mag. Look at all the products currently advertised in the mag. Over half of the advertised products have nothing at all to do with surfing. Boohoo…
August 22nd, 2008 at 7:33 am
Real orginal come back you homophob, did your daddy touch you in the no place when you where a kid. Anyway I was talking about monoplizing the distribution chain dumb ass.
August 22nd, 2008 at 9:20 am
Dude…do what i do, you can buy quik, billabong, hurley, lost…etc…t shirts and baggies at marshalls…just go to marshalls and let all these corpos figure out their own problems…
August 22nd, 2008 at 1:10 pm
If all the core surf brands went down the tubes this year, do you really think your average core surfer would give a sht. The sport has always been about riding waves. Is this article supposed to be a rallying cry for all hardcore surfers to stand behind and support a clothing company.Who cares. How exactly does this affect me? I won’t be able to buy certain brands? They don’t pay my bills. They won’t help me get to my next surf trip. The ones really complaining are the people that make a living of the sport. How does sponsoring a contest entitle you to represent surfing. There was a time when contests were totally lame to be a part of. In this day and age the wct and only the wct surfs them in incredible conditions. The competitive side of the sport is only a small part. Most surfers realize that they will not be the next Kelly Slater. A lot of current surfers didn’t start surfing until later in life. They can do that. Just like some kid in Milwaukee can wear an Rvca shirt, even though he is only trying to be cool and get laid. Sorry, but it is laughable at a time of war and tough economic times that this is an issue that you feel is so important. If the core companies don’t like competition get out of the business.
August 22nd, 2008 at 1:29 pm
Yse, I think the average surfer would care because the progression of the sport, all of its funding, and many of the things that the “average surfer” enjoys would not exist. Surf shops would go out of business (they all but did when Grubby started selling blanks to any tom, dick, or Harry) and retailers that used to only sell boards had to adapt. That’s where the whole apparel side came from “The Man”. this site is targeted for professionals that earn a wage in a specific industry….so the brands that are competing with Hollister DO pay the bills of most of people who have an interest. If you had to write: “How exactly does this affect me?” then you shouldn’t have had any reason to comment, or care, or read the article in the first place.
Do me a favor and keep putting that tie around your neck everyday. Enjoy water cooler talk with all your lame ass co-workers, buy your kids a bunch of Hollister gear, and work your ass off all year so you can get a couple of weeks off to take them to Disney Land where you (and them) will look like everyone else.
Surf brands won’t help you get on your next surf trip huh? Unless you’re shaping your own boards, making your own wax, pioneering new spots, and making functional boardshorts out of bamboo in the jungle somewhere then I think it’s safe to say you’re a shit head….shit head.
August 22nd, 2008 at 1:30 pm
“Dude?do what i do, you can buy quik, billabong, hurley, lost?etc?t shirts and baggies at marshalls?just go to marshalls and let all these corpos figure out their own problems?”
Exactly, they all sold out a long time ago.
August 22nd, 2008 at 1:40 pm
Thanks for revealing that you indeed do work in the industry( read , paid shill or actual employee for Transworld) Let’s say for arguments sake that I did put a tie on everyday and work my ass off. I’m not cool enough to enjoy the sport? Some people in ties help you pay your bills at your magazine. I think maybe you should learn to read the article you keep pointing out to everyone under various screen names that the whole point was about “clothing brands”. They are not responsible for the hardware that helps people perform the actual sport. Sorry your such a kook and you think “clothing” makes the sport of surfing go round. My shapers don’t care about the clothes much either. The chinese brands definetly, but the market sorts that out. This is a free market, right?
August 22nd, 2008 at 1:48 pm
If there was an industry full of incestuas whores the surf “industry” is it. Sorry you might have to get a job with a tie. Ha Ha. No wait you’ll come back with how this whole clothing merchandising issue will shut down the airlines. Oop no more surf trips. That damn Hollister. Sorry, I should give more respect to you bra, your local right?
August 22nd, 2008 at 2:02 pm
If Simon Anderson wasn’t wearing that Billabong shirt he would have never thought of the thruster. Thank god he did.
August 22nd, 2008 at 2:46 pm
Look, I’m not trying to be a total ass, but seriously the clothing is the problem. The sport is very self involved by it’s nature. Most surfers want waves to themselves. We don’t want anymore hardcore surfers in the lineup, although that is not going to happen. When companies started spewing the “lifestyle” to everyone and anything to make a buck it hurt things. The truly dedicated to this sport like the fact that it is unique or was. I mean what is the difference between someone with no geographic access to decent waves who wears the Hollister brand to some kid who likes Volcom and lives in the same area. He ain’t surfing anyways.The whole idea is very subjective. Like the article states, they don’t know any better. It is the sense of entitlement that kills it when a lot of it comes down to luck. i.e. I live where I can surf. What if Hollister started to contribute massively to surf culture. Do they turn them away. They created a brand in a very unique way. Do you not eat at Outback Steakhouse because it isn’t authentic even though they make and serve excellent steaks at an affordable price with consistent excellent service. I have no problem with anyone trying to make a living, but when you insult our intelligence then you put yourself out there. I mean is the purpose of the article that Hollister is not cool enough to sell the surf lifestyle. That teens should by the other brands and not theirs. The average teen that it is marketed to does not care and is totally unaware. To wear a certain brand does not make you more hardcore than someone else, plenty of kooks in the latest greatest that can’t or do not surf. The hardcore brands still want them to wear their clothes. How does that help the local shaper.
August 24th, 2008 at 12:01 pm
FUCK HOLLISTER AND ALL THE FUCKING POSERS WHO SHOP THERE
August 24th, 2008 at 1:18 pm
LOL
August 26th, 2008 at 10:03 am
youve never heard of a custom fitted tee wow what a flamming fairy ya maybe i ment costume fit that doesnt even work but then you talk about a custom fit so you have heard of it. besides one that wares a custom tee wouldnt get abused they left that to hollister queeers
August 26th, 2008 at 10:51 am
naw man my dad is a christian but if your talkin about direct online stares as monopolizing the distrabution chain then every other store and the grandma is a monopoly like all them candles or rug stores in the boonies i guess there a monopoly too or what
August 31st, 2008 at 9:05 am
I agree completly with this article. When they are refering to “core” shopper, they are the ones who can look right through all Hollister’s bullshit and realize that it is not a legit surfing shop. They market to teens who don’t know the difference between a real surf shop and a fake one such as Hollister. The worst part is, they are great at it, this article should be required reading in every landlocked state.
September 2nd, 2008 at 12:15 am
Inland landlocked states don’t have access to surf, so yea, they don’t know what a real surf shop looks like. They do want clothes that are reasonably priced. I think a teenager in Missouri will wear Hollister over the so called “core” brands because Hollister is trying to sell the beach lifestyle not surf-waterman lifestyle. That is something they can relate to along with the price , not some dude getting shacked at pipe.
September 2nd, 2008 at 7:21 pm
hell naw fuck that shit its not shit quality you dont kno wat the fuck your talkin bout!!!
September 2nd, 2008 at 7:22 pm
FUCK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
September 2nd, 2008 at 7:23 pm
HOW THA FUCK AM I SUPPOSED TO KNO!!!
September 2nd, 2008 at 7:24 pm
WTF IS GOIN ON HERE!!
SHIT!!
September 2nd, 2008 at 7:25 pm
JIM YOUR A DUMB ASS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
September 2nd, 2008 at 7:28 pm
NO ONE GIVES A FUCKN SHIT WAT U THINK ABOUT HOLLISTER SO FUCK YOU BRITTANY!!
September 2nd, 2008 at 7:31 pm
TELL HIS ASS JOHN NOT NICE IS FUCKIN DUMB!!!
I LOVE FICTIONAL SHOPPING!!
September 9th, 2008 at 7:31 pm
SHUT THE FUCK UP BITCH!!!!JK
September 21st, 2008 at 7:13 am
u guyz need to calm down i love hollister its cool and relaxing and hot so take a chill pill wit dis crap damn
October 28th, 2008 at 8:57 pm
the thing i hate about hollister and abercrombie is it brings along alot of posers from the valley and landlocked states. i see all these tourists from bakersfield and freakin oklahoma and shit wearing all these hollister shirts that are surf related. and they act like they shred gnar. and also it takes away from all the local shops. i dont buy any quiksilver or hurley i like to support my local shops
November 18th, 2008 at 8:02 pm
Abercrombie & Fitch, Hollister Co., American Eagle = preppy.
Quicksilver, Billabong, Element, etc. = surfer/skater.
Hollister’s theme is Southern California, not necessarily surfing.
Also, the preppy brands are better IMO.
November 21st, 2008 at 9:06 am
i love hollister
November 21st, 2008 at 4:33 pm
Holliser & Abercrombie = ?LOVE?
November 29th, 2008 at 9:57 am
Okay, we all know Hollister Co. is not an “authentic” surf shop. And they dont claim to be. They state that they are INSPIRED by surf and Cali. As for the fictional backstory, all of A&F’s spin-off brands have one.
If your gonna buy a shirt from Hurley or Billabong or any of those brands, then you might as well buy one from Hollister. The only difference is the seagull.
These brands stepped on A&F’s teritory when they started selling everyday clothes, so they came up with Hollister.
November 29th, 2008 at 10:29 am
Andrew, those brands arent prep. Thats an assumption that is made because sad high schoolers dont know what prep is.
Prep is Lacoste, Polo Ralph Lauren, Burberry and such.
It is plaid, clean cuts, tucked shirts, khakis, slicked back hair (guys). Loafers(sp?) for shoes (guys). Even school uniforms ( prep as in prep school) Think high-class private schooler. Or just watch Gossip Girl and youll know what i mean.
December 3rd, 2008 at 2:40 pm
nope its preepy as a polo
December 12th, 2008 at 7:23 am
wow! all the stuff i read was very true but i never really looked at it like that but i love hollister and after reading this and made me thing diff about hollister thanks
December
January 11th, 2009 at 2:07 pm
why are you replying to everything? Dude get a life, seriously! lol Your stupidity has made my day, thanks!
January 29th, 2009 at 1:50 pm
I LOVE HOLLISTER AND ABERCROMBIE AND FITCH!
AHAH, I WAS JUST SEARCHING PICTURES AND THEN I ENEED UP ON THIS GAY ASS SITE!
oHH WELL.
lOVE yAHH
.XOXO.
January 29th, 2009 at 1:56 pm
Megan,
Light yourself on fire. No one loves you … not even your parents.
Nice use of caps … you are obviously at least 12. Shouldn’t you be chatting with creepy old men in chat rooms or something?
?SF
January 30th, 2009 at 5:29 pm
I WILL ALWAYS WEAR HOLLISTER TIL THE DAY I DIE!!!!!!!!!
February 14th, 2009 at 11:00 pm
i bet u like sukin dick too
July 14th, 2009 at 3:47 pm
all I care about is being able to buy a decent surfboard for under 700 bucks at a retail store. Fuk all that other kook shit, who cares? I do competitive grappling and deserve to wear a tap out shirt. Every kook that wants people to think he can fight wears one. The forces that be determine whats cool. I started surfing in New England way before it was cool. Fuk it, who cares. Surfboards r 2 expensive. I have six.
FattyZ
July 15th, 2009 at 6:10 am
21-13.com…………… custom made, just for you. $400
July 21st, 2009 at 1:14 am
My comment is this, Im with Woolcott (Volcom). I own a brand called Liv2Rip and I personally surf and have been an action sports guy since I was 9; I did it all and lived for the lifestyle and came up with my own brand. The main factor here is, times move fast and regardless of the deep pocket corporate wanna bees; we have to keep pushing the reality of authentic action sport brands. These guys, (Hollister) are just leverage for us to understand how everybody wants to be part of the action sports life style even if they are posers. I have been in their stores and they still, do not give a vibe of the real deal. Everything is to commercial and looks the same! nothing is outside of the box and most of all looked fake to me from the first time I entered a (Hollister) store. I noticed this right away when I walked into the store for the first time. I stated to my self, who are these guys can they really do this? and get away with it?. My belief is, yes they can but they are more like a high performance OLD NAVY. I still print and design all my own stuff right here in the Mecca, Southern California and regardless of our sales we still believe in the authentic brands and will take it to our grave, why? because we live the life style.
Keep an eye out for the Liv2Rip brand standing for authenticity and always supporting the brands that inspired us from the start. I remember HSS in the 80's and surfing HB cliffs and never leaving with out buying something from one of the shops on main street Huntington Beach. It's a real feeling and to be part of it from the early days is what keeps us going!
July 21st, 2009 at 1:28 am
You have a good point, but it's good Competition and when you want to really sum it all up it's the overseas manufacturing that screwed it all up. if it was not for overseas manufacturing given it all away brands would still be more exclusive because they had to really work for it. Lets face it America sold out to people who will work for $30 a month just so they could bombard the American market with China made apparel and stand behind the curtain hoping Americans would buy into it. it was the kid who wore a Quiksilver shirt in the midwest because he went to California for vacation. Times change and we have to roll with the punches and I know this first hand.
August 4th, 2009 at 5:10 pm
(:
August 4th, 2009 at 5:39 pm
Charlie Anerson Is one COOL DUDE Congrats brother.
By the way quit texting me about the Buc.Beach Cafe
August 4th, 2009 at 5:41 pm
..really now? did you take the time to think that whatever Hollister does to boost their money affects PacSun?
September 8th, 2009 at 4:06 am
Unless you got stake in it (own a shop), anyone who whines about hollister is just a friggin poser anyways. Who gives the fuck? Before hollister I never went to the mall; I wore the same clothes for several years all from walmart or thriftstore. I used my money on what really matters boards and food! The only thing my quivers missing is a gun. Hollister has comfortable clothes and it represents life, surf and girls. Screw the posers who say "hollister dont surf", why do you give a fuck anyways; where you buy your clothes doesnt make you legit and it means absolute shit. For people who are worried hollister is bringing more people into surfing (more crowded); thats bullshit! I'm president of UML surf we offer surf lessons to students…. 99 percent are too weak/lazy/lame to keep surfing anyways. Those who surf surf and those who pretend come in with their bics once a year; big deal!
October 7th, 2009 at 4:09 pm
I don't think that we are talking about a surfer going to but some board shorts in a surf shop. This industry has grown by influencing main stream kids to want to be apart of or look like a part of the surf industry. The surf shop have become all to aware that the mainstream kid accounted for a lot of sales now he is going somewhere else and he can't figure it out?
Look at the above response from Noel the industry has not done a great job talking to the mainstream kid. At Vans the things that worked the most in the turnaround was my understanding of the mainstream kid and how to communicate to him. Back then we spent 1 million dollars on MTV and they help us with music by bringing big rock bands to our skateparks. It drove sales through the roof! Now the internet can be used to do the same. If the surf industry had done a better job of education as to who the surf brands really are then maybe Hollister could never have happened. Best Jay
November 30th, 2009 at 4:59 am
who cares about brands anyways, wear no name stuff. that way your not a bill board for some company.
January 5th, 2010 at 8:29 pm
i lik3 d1$ $t0r3 @lot, it m@k3E$ m3 h@ppy