ROXY Unveils Third Sustainable Pop Surf Collection

Ever inspired by the oceans, ROXY presents its latest POP Surf collection, an eco-fabricated range of products from swim to wetsuits, designed to offer high-level technical products from the quiet waters of the Mediterranean to the Hawaiian shore break.

Style duality with sustainability at heart

Soft hues, tropical prints, athletic cuts… The new POP Surf collection ranges from vibrant designs to pastel tones, set in technical gear fit for a challenge. From bikinis and one-pieces to wetsuits, the collection is the perfect companion from the pool to the beach.

And at the very heart of the collection, ROXY’s sustainability efforts.

Nylon made from 100% regenerated polyamide in POP Surf swimwear, water-based glue, dope-dye yarn, neoprene made 100% from limestone and polyester made from recycled plastic bottles in the POP Surf wetsuits, production partners who take pride in sustainable and ethical efforts… The collection does not compromise.

What this truly means

–600 grams of solvent / VOC eliminated per wetsuit

–104L of water resources saved per kilogram of fabric

–25 plastic bottled recyled per wetsuit

-A step in the right direction

A perfect ambassador

For the 3rd consecutive season, 7x World Champion Stephanie Gilmore will be the face of the POP Surf collection. The Australian ROXY Girl has long been an ambassador for sustainability, urging supporters and partners to take the next step to care for our planet.

The POP Surf collection is performance-driven, stylish and sustainability-focused, a perfect reflection of the champion herself.

“We are surfers. ROXY’s DNA is the ocean. Ocean health is one of the most important and urgent issues in our Earth’s sustainability right now.” – Stephanie Gilmore, 7 x World Champion

Working together

The 2020 POP Surf collection is a proud partner of the Surfrider Foundation, an environmental not-for-profit organization that aims at defending the ocean and the coastline, waves in a sustainable manner.

ABOUT ROXY

ROXY, a brand of Boardriders, Inc., has been empowering female pioneers since 1990. The first and only exclusively-female global action sports brand, ROXY specializes in the development and design of trend-leading, technically innovative lifestyle and performance wear inspired by the Mountain & the Wave. By creating first-of-its-kind products designed for surfing, winter sports, fitness and yoga & cultivating a breed of female pioneers who changed the course of sport, ROXY has empowered all women to challenge the status quo in every arena of their lives.

ABOUT STEPHANIE GILMORE

Stephanie has dominated women’s professional surfing since she entered the scene in 2007 – winning a world title as a rookie and following with five titles in as many attempts – an accomplishment no other surfer, male or female, has achieved in the history of surfing.

Beyond her seven world titles, Stephanie has 32 elite World Tour victories. For her triumphs, Stephanie has also been awarded both the Laureus World Sports Award in 2010, considered the most prestigious award in action sports worldwide, and has received two ESPN ESPYs for Female Action Sports Person in 2011 and 2013.

ABOUT THE SURFRIDER FOUNDATION

The Surfrider Foundation is a worldwide not-for-profit organization dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of the world’s ocean, waves and beaches through a powerful volunteer chapters network. It gathers a community of everyday people who passionately protect their playground. Since its creation in the 80’s, Surfrider has raised awareness among thousands of citizens and had highly contributed to regulation enhancement regarding water quality, marine litter pollution and coastal planning.

Victoria’s Secret Sale in Jeopardy

L Brands’ deal to sell a 55% stake in Victoria’s Secret to private equity Sycamore Partners could be in jeopardy. In it’s annual report, filed with the Securities and Exchange commission on Monday, the company said there was a risk the deal might not close. “Assuming the VS Transaction is completed, there can be no assurance that we will be able to realize the anticipated value and benefits therefrom, and the VS transaction may adversely affect our business,” the company wrote. “The proposed transaction will result in a smaller, less diversified and more narrowly focused business than before the VS Transaction, which makes us more vulnerable to changing market and economic conditions.”

In an attempt to save money, as of April 5, L Brands is furloughing all in-store associates and anyone not needed for the support of the online beusiness until furter notice. “As circumstances change, we will make every effort to bring these associates back to work as soon as possible,” the company wrote in a statement Friday. “Furloughed associates will also be able to apply for unemployment benefits, if eligible.”

Land's End, Draper James pair for swimwear collection

Lands' End is partnering with Reese Witherspoon’s Draper James on a size-inclusive swimwear collection featuring Southern-influenced magnolia and gingham prints and Americana design details.

The Draper James Lands' End collection is made up of 23 swim, apparel and accessory pieces in sizes XS to 3X and 2 to 24 with prices ranging from $29.95 to $109.95, with new styles debuting throughout March and April.

A portion of all proceeds from the collection will be donated to Girls Inc., an organization that promotes service, advocacy and body positivity.

"Lands' End's approach to swim and dedication to fit-testing in all sizes was in line with our goal to deliver comfort, style and body confidence," Witherspoon said, saying the collection offers “tried-and-true fit to women of all shapes and sizes."

"At Lands' End we pride ourselves on fitting every body and focus on creating comfortable pieces for our customer. We strive to provide our customer with the best possible fit to make her feel stylish and confident in her everyday life." said Chieh Tsai, Chief Product Officer, Lands' End.

The collection will be available at LandsEnd.com, DraperJames.com, Amazon.com, Lands' End retail locations, and Draper James locations in Nashville, Atlanta, Lexington, Kentucky and Southlake, Texas.

Dodgeville, Wisconsin-based Land’s End (Nasdaq: LE) also announced this week it was forming a retail partnership with Kohl’s after exiting a nearly two-decades long relationship with Sears.

Online orders via Kohl's will be directly fulfilled and shipped by Lands’ End, and products available in Kohl’s stores will focus on seasonal goods, including outerwear in the fall/winter season and swimwear in spring/summer.

Select Kohl’s stores will feature a Lands’ End shop-in-shop, similar to a model used in Sears stores.

Asos pauses supplier deliveries

Asos has paused several incoming deliveries from suppliers and third-party brands as it makes adjustments to manage its stock throughout the coronavirus uncertainty. 

Like many other brands and retailers, Asos is adjusting its stock intake. As a result, the etailer is understood to be refusing shipments for spring 20 orders from several third-party brands and suppliers. 

Last week Monsoon Accessorize, Debenhams and M&Co extended their supplier payment terms, effective immediately. Meanwhile, New Look put a halt on all current and future production and Primark wrote to all suppliers asking them to put a halt on all current and future production and the purchasing of any materials for the retailer. 

One source close to Asos said: “They were one of our few hopes – our situation is dire at the moment. Surely, as one of the online giants, they have a responsibility to support smaller brands as much as they can?” 

Asos is continuing to serve its customer deliveries as usual.

Volcom Furloughs 75 Percent of Its Workers While Making Plans to Ramp Up

Action sports apparel firm Volcom LLC furloughed most of its staff, according to a report from Shop-Eat-Surf, after a statewide lockdown this week halted operations for many California businesses.

The industry news site reported 75% of its U.S. staff and all of its European workforce were furloughed. Volcom employes 270 workers in California and 890 globally.

Inquiries to Volcom and its New York parent Authentic Brands Group were not immediately returned Saturday afternoon.

ABG and Volcom management last year formed the operating company Liberated Brands to purchase Volcom’s operations from French luxury conglomerate Kering S.A. ABG, separately, acquired Volcom’s intellectual property from Kering to license back to Liberated Brands.

The furloughs follow California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s stay-at-home order this week. Businesses dubbed essential, such as grocery stores and pharmacies, can continue operating.

Volcom is currently running a "40% off everything" sale online.

Thinking About Canceling on Your Factory? Here’s What You Need to Know

The pandemic is proving that more than ever, stakeholders across the fashion supply chain have to figure out a way to “make it work,” as the venerable Tim Gunn would say.

As the global spread of the new novel coronavirus makes most operations unsafe at “non-essential” stores and thus clobbers consumer demand, retailers are finding themselves in the unenviable position of figuring out what, if anything, to do with all of the production orders they’ve placed with their suppliers.

Whereas the COVID-19 outbreak’s early days in China saw brands and retailers fretting over widespread store closures across Asia and shuttered factories that choked off their production, now apparel and footwear companies are huddling to brainstorm workable solutions for products coming off the factory line—with no stores to fill.

H&M and Zara made headlines last week when news broke that they and other fashion heavy-hitters were canceling orders already at their factories—a move that could jeopardize garment workers whose livelihoods often hinge on the mercy and whims of Western brands.

But the question of “to cancel or not to cancel” isn’t just on the minds of retail buyers—their wholesale counterparts are grappling with this conundrum, too, and some have pulled the plug on orders that haven’t yet been put into production. One financial agent advised a wholesale client to cancel a mass merchandiser’s order that was set for production in 60 days. The fact that manufacturing hadn’t started yet certainly helped in the wholesaler’s favor, but the larger, looming variable is there’s little clarity on when Western stores will be back online as the outbreak shows little sign of slowing down.

“Smart people are trying to get out of production and just get through this period,” the agent said. That, of course, means a headache for factories relying on the work, not to mention the cascading fallout on inputs from raw materials suppliers for everything ranging from fabrics and materials to trim like buttons, zippers, and embellishments.

Collaboration and negotiation will ensure that all stakeholders emerge from the COVID-19 crisis with their businesses intact—and prepared to seize on a surge in activity once demand returns to its previous level.

As apparel players navigate the outbreak’s choppy, uncharted waters, here are the burning questions on everyone’s minds. Is it legal to cancel orders, especially if wholesalers have already paid for the work and are awaiting payment from retail partners? And do firms have any recourse if they’re on the receiving end of a cancelation and are seemingly left holding the bag?

Avoiding a ‘fashion temper tantrum’

The long and the short of it: orders generally can’t be canceled.

In the fashion sector, purchase orders are considered binding contracts, according to Alan Behr, a partner at the Phillips Nizer law firm who specializes in fashion law. That’s true whether the buyer is the retailer or the wholesaler buying materials and inputs necessary for making finished goods.

“The business risk is on the purchaser,” Behr added. “That’s true for everyone anywhere along the chain.”

While it’s common for P.O.s to contain a “force majeure” clause outlining circumstances when the obligation cannot be met or executed—usually due to an ‘act of God’ like an earthquake or tsunami—“there’s not a lot of law written about diseases” like the coronavirus pandemic, Behr said.

So what to do? Consider the business relationship, he advised, and forge a resolution that offers a win-win for both parties.

“The legal argument should be the last result,” Behr said. “This requires a business solution based on ‘You need me and I need you.’”

Working through the crisis together is the best way to come out stronger on the other side, he added.

And while canceled goods are likely to spark a few lawsuits in the months ahead, “95 percent of all litigation filed is for vengeance, except matrimonial where it’s all 100 percent,” Behr noted. “Avoid getting into the vengeance mentality.

“This is called the fashion business, not the fashion temper tantrum,” he added. “Everyone needs to calm down.”

If parties really choose to bicker over damages, the aggrieved party has a duty to mitigate and find “some other place to sell the goods to,” Behr said, adding that the reality stands even for unfinished goods and inputs. “Even the button maker will have to find someone else to buy your buttons.” That obligation also mitigates how much can be collected in damages, which usually is limited to the difference between the original contracted amount and the total collected when sold to the subsequent second buyer.

Special orders, however, are subject to different rules. A brand that orders proprietary, logoed buttons is “obliged” to collect those goods, for example. “It’s the same rule as you move up the chain. The customer’s purchaser must honor the contract,” Behr said.

‘Panic mode’

Gary Wassner, CEO of top fashion factoring firm Hilldun Corp., strongly advises against the urge to cancel—no matter how dire the outlook might seem.

“Purchase orders shouldn’t be canceled as they are contracts—that’s why they are written up,” he said.

“Everyone’s been in panic mode,” Wassner said, describing last week’s “first couple of days” as “total panic.” Though some in the industry are still coming to terms with the new normal, by the end of the week, he noted, “most business owners have come to a realization of what they need to do, on what are the best practices.”

First and foremost? “You have to preserve cash,” Wassner said, urging brands and retailers to “reduce overhead as much as you can” even if that means making a tough call to lay off some employees.

“The unnecessary things are gone,” he said. “We’re looking at no revenue for three months.”

Wassner is also telling wholesale clients that “they don’t need to accept cancelations—at least not for orders already made and are ready to ship.” Because the P.O.s are binding contracts, “I tell them to work it out,” he added. “They need to come to some kind of agreement where everybody shares the loss. There are ways to do this. It can’t be all the way put on the shoulders of the brands. The goods are already paid for by the manufacturers, just not yet paid for by the stores.”

For goods that are not yet in production, Wassner advises clients to reach out to the factory and cancel the order. “They might be stuck with the fabric, but if it hasn’t been cut yet, it’s not a total loss,” he said, adding, “This is going to be a challenge for everybody going down the line from top to bottom.”

No pandemic playbook

According to Anchin’s Marc A. Federbush, there’s no easy way to wrangle the thorny issue of cancelations.

“If a retailer has placed a P.O. and the goods have not been shipped yet, the retailer usually can cancel,” said Federbush, a partner and leader of the fashion group at the accounting advisory. This scenario is playing out across the industry as “almost every major retailer has shut down” amid government and health officials’ mandates to contain COVID-19’s spread.

The real problem, Federbush said, is there’s no real business playbook for surviving a pandemic, and wholesalers are struggling to rehome canceled orders. “What if it’s made, but not shipped? Where do wholesalers store the goods?” he said. “Should they keep it overseas?  I’m telling clients don’t pay the duty because there’s nobody to accept them if the retailers’ distribution centers are not open.”

For replenishment orders, the solution is easy. “The factories have fulfilled their responsibilities [and you] tell them to hold it for core basic products,” Federbush said, noting that wholesalers can use the product for next year’s spring season, although trends might move on by then.

He’s advising clients to forget about now and to focus work future seasons. Spring 2020 is “lost,” he said, “and maybe part of the summer, too.”

Have strategic vendors? You’re in luck—maybe

Deciding to cancel an order requires “thoughtful negotiation,” according to Adheer Bahulkar, a partner and specialty retail lead in the consumer practice at Kearney, who says yanking production is “absolutely possible.”

“A lot of it also depends on whether the vendor has already bought the fabric or bought the trim, whether they washed or dyed it, did they already start cutting and sewing, and is it ready to ship?” Bahulkar said.

How negotiations proceed often depends on the quality of the relationship between retailer and vendor. “Strategic vendors will likely work with you in tough times and they expect you to work with them through their tough times, whether with financing, guaranteed future business or [other reasons],” said Bahulkar, who’s worked with retailers clawing their way out of distressed circumstances. “But purely transactional relationships don’t make it easy to easily cancel P.O.s.”

Retailers have a few options. When a vendor hasn’t yet started work or is holding finished goods that haven’t left for transit, the buyer can pay an amount equal to 1 percent to 2 percent of the value of the P.O. as an allowance for the cancelation. Another strategy is to cancel the P.O., but promise the vendor a higher or significantly more substantial future business.

“Depending on the situation, the vendor might see this canceled order as an investment in future business,” Bahulkar said.

Sometimes a P.O.’s original quantities can be whittled down to more manageable levels. “We don’t cancel the entire P.O., but reduce the quantities in the P.O.,” he said. “Maybe continue production on what is already cut, but stop the remaining [portion].”

It’s also possible for a single P.O. to specify multiple volumes to be shipped at staggered dates, enabling a split decision in which the brand or retailer might be able to preserve the first shipment but cancel the remainder, he added.

One course of action Bahulkar does not recommend? Canceling an order with a smaller vendor because its pint size likely limits its ability to take “meaningful action.”

“This can be very detrimental to your brand in the industry and you may have a tough time finding vendors who want to work with you in the future,” Bahulkar warned.

Gwyneth Paltrow Collaborates With Proenza Schouler for Goop

The launch of Gwyneth Paltrow’s collaboration with Proenza Schouler for G. Sport — Goop’s athletic line — may have been held off “if it was another category,” said Shaun Kearney, Goop’s general manager of fashion and home. “We discussed holding the collection.”

With the current climate, many brands are postponing launches and rethinking marketing strategies. As the world turns to life’s bare essentials, retail (particularly the extravagance of luxury) has taken a back seat and been impacted by store closures and a variety of cancellations.

It’s activewear’s connection to wellness and “the Goop community looking to stay healthy” that made this release “a right fit,” Kearney continued. As nearly 40 million California residents alone were ordered to “stay at home” until further notice by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday and other states are likely to follow to help manage the outbreak, wellness — from the mental to physical — has been a rising focus.

“We’ve been seeing an uptake in loungewear and athleisure,” said Kearney. (At-home workouts have been trending online, as fitness studios continue to turn to streaming.) The brand is looking to “alleviate stresses” at this time, he said, and “create a sense of normalcy in their environment.”

Paltrow and Kearney, who work closely, turned to Proenza Schouler designers Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez simply because they were fans. “We both love their DNA,” Kearney continued. “Their creativity is relentless.”

The limited-edition collection, out online on March 22, marks Proenza Schouler’s first effort in activewear.

“We’ve been lucky enough to know Gwyneth for some time now and are constantly amazed by the work she is doing at Goop,” McCollough and Hernandez, who founded the line in New York City in 2002, shared in a statement. “When she called and asked if we would be interested in working together, we said yes. We love everything about Goop and know so many Proenza Schouler customers who live in both brands. In many ways, we consider Gwyneth to be the ultimate Proenza Schouler woman.”

Made in the U.S. and Italy, the line offers seven women’s styles, ranging in cost from $125 for a sports bra to $895 for a jacket. There’s also a $125 T-shirt; $155 “short-sleeve cutout” top; $795 jumpsuit, and bodysuit and leggings retailing at $145 each.

The launch is also G. Sport’s first designer collaboration. For her part, Paltrow shared: “Tapping Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez’s relentless creativity and street-smart aesthetic brought an entirely new, cutting-edge feel to our G. Sport world. And the fact that this was their first go at a sporting collection made the collaboration feel even more special. I think the pieces truly speak for themselves.”

Playboy Magazine Ceases Print Edition After 66 years

Playboy is shuttering its print magazine.

The men’s magazine, launched at the end of 1953 by famed founder Hugh Hefner, said Wednesday that the economic disruptions from COVID-19, or coronavirus, were too much for its already strained print operations to bear.

“Last week, as the disruption of the coronavirus pandemic to content production and the supply chain became clearer and clearer, we were forced to accelerate a conversation we’ve been having internally: the question of how to transform our U.S. print product,” Ben Kohn, ceo of Playboy Enterprises, wrote in an open letter posted to Medium. “We have decided that our Spring 2020 Issue, which arrives on U.S. newsstands and as a digital download this week, will be our final printed publication for the year in the U.S.”

Playboy will now operate on a “digital first publishing schedule,” the company said, including its famed Playmate shoots. But it does intend to bring some kind of a print product back into the fold next year, Kohn said in his note. Likely an occasional special edition.

“It’s no surprise that media consumption habits have been changing for some time – and while the stories we produce and the artwork we showcase is enjoyed by millions of people on digital platforms, our content in its printed form reaches the hands of only a fraction of our fans,” Kohn said.

Asked about layoffs due to the end of print, a Playboy spokeswoman said there were no changes expected “at this time.”

The magazine last year went to a quarterly printing schedule, after making a number of other changes to its editorial output, including reducing nudity and starting to transition its content away from being solely for a male reader and gaze — even a few days ago saying it would no longer dub a “Playmate of the year.” It also revamped its online presence and social media channels, appealing to a broader audience and building out a video channel and a live events business. All efforts over the last few years to modernize the brand, which had become something of a relic and seen a related effect on its reputation and business.

But Kohn said the Playboy business as a whole is currently strong and generates $3 billion in global consumer spend each year. Video subscriptions are up 30 percent year over year, social media engagement is up 50 percent in the last six months, and Playboy has acquired a direct-to-consumer commerce operation. 

“Over the past 66 years, we’ve become far more than a magazine,” the ceo added. “And sometimes you have to let go of the past to make room for the future.”