etnies FALL 2012 PREVIEW
While making our rounds through Riverside and Orange County on Friday, we stopped in to etnies’ Lake Forest headquarters and met with Joey Daroza for a quick tour and a glimpse at the upcoming moto-inspired shoe and clothing lines. As the Marketing Coordinator and Team Manager, Daroza is in charge of the surf and motocross segments and spent the summer traveling with the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross tour. Thanks again to everyone at etnies for the hospitality, and look for a more in-depth house call that will do the facility justice soon.
Sole Technology is the parent company to multiple brands (etnies, Emerica, Altamont, 32, and the now-shelved es) and their Lake Forest, CA, offices serve as the headquarters. We saw the main office area, which houses the designers, marketing execs, and products currently in the works for coming lines.
Products from the coming Fall 2012 line were on display in the massive showroom, including the new TwoTwo Motorsports Chad Reed kicks. They will be the first signature shoe for Reed and will go along with a full apparel line.
One of the most popular lines in the etnies catalog is the collaboration with the Metal Mulisa. Their latest design is much slimmer than the previous offerings and is on the “Barge” model.
Time and time again we have spoken of the slimmer shoe style, and it is clear that it is making waves. Don’t believe us? Deroza stated that it typically takes moto longer to catch on to the same trends and that is their next push to our market. An example is Jeremy Stenberg’s etnies/Famous combo, which is much trimmer than the Twitch 3.
As part of the team, FMXer Levi Sherwood is not forgotten. The New Zealander has a new model to replace the current Kontra, but will still have the orange and purple details.
Children’s television programming is taking every step possible to break into the action sports market. Last week we showed the Yo Gabba Gabba! partnerships with Volcom and Skullcandy, and then we saw Disney’s Phineas and Ferb on pint-sized etnies.
