Bluestar outlines plans to expand Hurley into full lifestyle brand
13/02/2020
The plan expands upon Hurley’s original focus on surfing and aims to be “the epicenter of all things Surf, Skate, Snow, Art, Music & Culture”, Blue Alliance said.
"When we acquired Hurley we outlined three priorities," said Ralph Gindi, chief operating officer. These were changing the trajectory of the overall surf brand, expanding the marketing strategy to include skate, snow, music and art, and establishing lifestyle partners to become a full lifestyle brand.
Hurley has a licensing partnership with United Legwear & Apparel Co. (ULAC) in the men's apparel, underwear, legwear and flip-flops categories, which have been at the core of Hurley for many years and remain a large part of the new strategy. Some Hurley employees have been retained by ULAC to ensure continuity.
Hybrid Apparel, which as also absorbed some members of Hurley’s team, will grow and elevate the women's apparel business. Another significant move is the acquisition of Hurley's operations in Barcelona, Spain, by David Meire and Javier Carrera, who will operate under a new distribution agreement for the EMEA territory.
Blue Alliance will not change the Hurley distribution model. "Honoring the better retailers is our number 1 priority," says Gabbay. "The quality of the product will continue to be the best in the market, and the retailers we work with will remain within the scope of the current Hurley customers. While the plan is to grow the more broadly and diversify the product categories, the intent is to have Hurley remain a premier resource in Surf and beyond."
The Costa Mesa site, where Hurley was born, remains the hub of surf design and development, and will still employ 90+ people in design, production and sales.
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