Street Beat: Atwater
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From: SurfSalad.com July 29, 2010 |
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Photo: Atwater
Mike Quilliam, Marketing Manager for AtwaterIn 2006, industry veterans Dean Bradley and Scott Madison set out to create their dream brand. Shortly thereafter, Atwater was born. Drawing inspiration from fashion, art and California beach culture, Atwater clothing combines surf style with a street edge. They call it "City Surf."
Based in Newport Beach, Atwater has a team of 10 who convey the company slogan - "The Good Life." After winning the 2009 SIMA award for Breakthrough Brand of the Year, Atwater is on a roll. Scott and Marketing Manager Mike Quilliam were happy to provide some a's to my q's. Enjoy!
- Danny Spyra
Photo: Atwater
Atwater's attention to detail is second to none
BNQT - SINCE 2006 ATWATER HAS CREATED CLOTHING CHANNELING CALIFORNIA HERITAGE. CAN YOU GIVE US AN OVERVIEW OF THE FALL 2010 LINE?
Mike - For Fall 2010 we are growing our line to fit the needs of our specialty retailers as well as our core majors. We always continue to fill our mantra that is classics with a twist and "City Surf." Atwater's twist on a classic silhouette such as flannel woven's and denim jeans is fit, fabric, and function. We have expanded our denim line and are also offering some cool lightweight jackets that are perfect for late summer and fall nights. Another category we are excited about is sweaters. We have a stylish solid lightweight sweater with military patches called Airborne.
Photo: Atwater
The Boehene, inspired by vintage flannels
BNQT - THE FALL 2010 LINE FEATURES MANY FLANNELS AND VARIATIONS OF FLANNELS. I DON'T THINK I'VE EVER SEEN SOMETHING LIKE THE "BOEHENE." DO YOU TRY TO MIX IDEAS UP?
Scott - Well I have been shopping vintage my whole career and I found the Almighty of all thrift stores. It is a vintage warehouse that is categorized by classification. Their flannel section has some unique and different plaids and colors. I get inspired off some crazy stuff and I might try to mix a classic flannel but change the colors from an old Hawaiian muumuu that I found at another Thrift store or Garage sale.
Photo: Atwater
The Check boardshorts, with 4-way stretch
BNQT - ATWATER HAS A GREAT VARIETY OF BOARDSHORTS. WHICH ARE GEARED MOST TOWARDS PERFORMANCE?
Scott - I was lucky enough to work below one of the best boardshort Designers in our industry. She brought me under her wing while I was at Billabong when Bob Hurley owned the license for Billabong USA before he launched Hurley. I also have designed snowboard outerwear, which is very technical. All my past experience and also being inspired off all of the new materials that we have in 2010 that we didn't have when I started designing boardshorts has helped me to be a better designer. The Atwater Spring 2011 boardshorts that we are about to launch are going to be able to compete with the big dogs and we are also price competitive. Atwater's 4-way stretch fabric is so comfortable. I have been testing it and I have been so happy with the performance. I can't wait to launch at ASR / Class and Surf Expo.
Photo: Atwater
Atwater sponsors music groups like Slightly Stoopid,
shown here with the one and only Snoop Dogg
BNQT - ATWATER SPONSORS A SOLID TEAM OF MUSIC GROUPS & ATHLETES, WHO YOU CALL THE ATWATER "WHITE TIGERS." WHO ARE SOME OF THESE BIG CATS?
Mike - Our Music team is solid; we have been sponsoring The Dirty Heads, Slightly Stoopid, and Face to Face. Our Hawaii surf team is growing with Noah Johnson, Jamie Sterling, Sage Huls, Matt Gorman, Rory Parker, Kelli Everett, Ricky Clark, and Kapu Ping, James Labrador and Peter Labrador.
On the West Coast we have Layne Harrison, Max Mcilwee, Marty Weinstein, Paulo Prietto, Sean Tully, Darshan Gooch, Cully Chestnut, Antoine Alain, Drew Snyder, Casey Langvot and Jack Belli.
On the East Coast we have Luke Ditella, Shane Murray, Tom Petriken, Jake Kirshenbaum and Scott Posner.
Our Skate team is James Reed, Frank Atwater, Jerry Haffner, Chris Mumma, Dusty Anderson, Isidro Vargas, Devin Briggs, Pat Daniels, Mikey Mosa and Kyle O'Neill.
Photo: Atwater
The CDM polo, inspired by the OC area
BNQT - AS MANY KNOW, ATWATER IS BASED IN NEWPORT BEACH, CA. DOES YOUR LOCATION INFLUENCE SOME OF THE NAMES OF SKUS? FOR EXAMPLE, THE "LA CAVE" OR "CDM" SHIRTS.
Scott - Every season I design all the pieces and I name them based on past experiences or landmarks that represent the Atwater lifestyle. I like to name the styles off places or team riders to give each piece a personal touch that fits our culture. I grew up in Newport Beach and Corona del Mar, so yeah most pieces are based on local places or team riders that help support our brand.
Photo: Atwater
The Vineyard v-neck
BNQT - ATWATER WAS CREATED AS A DREAM BRAND. WHAT KIND OF DREAMS DO YOU HAVE FOR THE FUTURE?
Mike - Atwater is our Dream Brand. We worked for a lot of the big names in action sports and when we launched Atwater we wanted to create our dream brand and work with our best friends and do the things that are in our wildest dreams. We see Atwater being the go to brand for people that share our same core values.
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damn, they sponsor stoopid & dirty heads? haah nice!!!