Lost works to move to next level

He told me Lost's prebook orders for spring are up 53 percent driven by girls swim and guys boardshorts.

Lost wants to punch through to the next level where the five dominant surf companies operate - O'Neill, Billabong, Hurley, Quiksilver and Volcom.

Lost, with its rough edges, appeals to the hardcore surf guy, the Inland Empire guy and a fashion forward guy, Tim said. The company tries to make styles for all three.

Girls swim, launched for spring 08, has been "way bigger than we expected," Tim said. Orders were 45 percent more than projections. Lost came out with six groups of swimwear for spring and will add seven more for summer.

Tim credited Juniors Creative Design Director Mary King for solidifying her vision for the Lost Girl. Dresses have been doing well and printable T-Shirts are coming back a little, Tim said.

In guys, boardshorts are leading the way for Lost with Chris Ward's "Psychoward IV" style and Tag Art II selling particularly well.

In other Lost news, the brand has expanded into boys, which is currently selling in department stores, where moms like to shop. Kids and toddlers will debut in fall 2008.

Other trends include:

• The continuation of plaid walk shorts. "That's going to be around for awhile," Tim said.
• Crew T-shirts, though Lost and others are still working on getting the right price point.
• Woven and knits are still slow.
• Jersey hoodies are doing well in the skate world.
• Lightweight sweaters, while a small segment for Lost, are becoming a new trend.