AMH Showroom to Distribute Australian Brands in America
Australian surf brands have a winning track record of resonating with the California market, as evidenced by Billabong, Ripcurl and Quiksilver, all of which started Down Under. In the same vein as boutique brands such as Insight and Ksubi from Australia, Andy Hori believes there is a niche in California for edgy surf/skate brand Afends, as well as The Academy Brand, a preppie young menswear line. Hori’s AMH Showroom in Los Angeles started distribution and wholesale sales for both lines in October 2011.
Hori explained that because Australia’s major cities are clustered along the coastline, the beach-meets-metropolitan culture is similar to Los Angeles’ range of cultural tribes. “All the cities are mini Los Angeles. You can live in downtown L.A. and still have that beach culture. The relation to that atmosphere socially translates through the designs,” Hori said.
Both Afends and Academy have flagship stores in Australia and teamed up with Hori to take their brand visions to the U.S. market. Afends began as two friends selling T-shirts to tattooed concertgoers in the small yet influential coastal town of Byron Bay, which is characterized by a creative hippy community of artsy, fashion-forward surfers, artists and musicians. Jono Salfield, brand manager of Afends, plans to apply the same outreach strategy in California.
“We had a big hardcore punk-rock scene, and a lot of the kids in the bands were our friends and liked to wear our gear. We have evolved a lot as a brand today, so for America—besides the fact that our quality of product is at a high standard—we will also be looking to collaborate with bands, DJs and artists in California,” Salfield said.
In the case of The Academy Brand, which was born in Sydney’s Bondi Beach, Hori felt the brand’s overall mood was “on trend with the preppie edge look of where men’s fashion is right now.”
Anthony Pitt of The Academy Brand said the brand is more classic style than breaking rules. “We pride ourselves on making it easy for guys to look good. Of course, great value is a large part of that, but clean styling and great cuts allow us to be flexible from season to season,” Pitt said. “Our marketplace is very similar to California. It’s funny because a lot of people here in Australia think we’re a California brand! So that may be a good start.”
Because of the opposite seasonal deliveries—Australia’s summer is during our winter, and vice versa—Hori will offer an edited, merchandised line for American customers. The taxes and duties will be included in the wholesale cost. The retail price points for both brands average around $50 for T-shirts, $79 for button-up wovens and $80 for boardshorts.
For more information, visit www.amhshowroom.com or contact Hori at andy@#8232;amhshowroom.com or (310) 938-7995.
—Rhea Cortado
