SWIM/SURF

Amuse Society: Fry and Rapp Announce Name of Their New Surf Brand

Surf-industry luminaries Mandy Fry and Summer Rapp made waves when they joined new fashion label Stokehouse Unlimited in January. They recently released a few more details about their project for the Costa Mesa, Calif.–headquartered Stokehouse.

The name of their new women’s fashion label will be Amuse Society. A website also was launched www.amusesociety.com, where the line is described as a collection of ready-to-wear, beach knits and bikinis that will be more inspired by fashion than surf.

The line will make its official debut in July at influential trade events SwimShow in Miami, Fla., and Agenda in Long Beach, Calif. It also will take a bow at Surf Expo in Orlando, Fla., in September.

Amuse Society also announced its first executive hire. Lydia Ballesteros was named the label’s vice president of merchandising. She most recently served as the head of merchandising and design at leading Costa Mesa fashion and active-sports brand RVCA.

Fry said she hopes her label will be a breath of fresh air for the surf industry. “We are currently building a team of individuals who offer a unique and modern way of thinking to our culture,” she said. “We want to bring newness to the industry from product design and merchandising to the way we sell our product.”

Fry and Rapp have long been leading designers in the surf industry. They worked together at Huntington Beach, Calif.–based Quiksilver Inc. in the 1990s. Fry later directed women’s fashions at Billabong International Ltd. (its Americas division is headquartered in Irvine, Calif.). The label was honored with the Surf Industry Manufacturers Association’s “Image Award” for “Women’s Apparel Brand of the Year” in 2010 and 2011.

At Billabong, Fry worked with Paul Naude, who founded Stokehouse and serves as its chief executive officer. It recently introduced new men’s surf brand Vissla and eyewear brand D’Blanc. Before starting Stokehouse, Naude served as the president of Billabong’s American division. He also made a bid to take over the surf giant during a proxy battle in 2013.