Electric expands soft goods line

At Agenda, the Electric team gave me a preview of its expanded soft goods line.

Electric, whose primary product is sunglasses, first dabbled in soft goods with Ts, hats and beanies to help promote its brand, Co-President Bruce Beach said.

Two years ago, it moved into backpacks and bags, putting together a full range of styles. The quality of the bags, the different patterns and the full assortment led to strong sales, Bruce said, and Electric has cracked the Top 10 sales list for bags in some stores, he said.

An Electric denim jacket

Electric’s acquisition by Volcom provided the opportunity to further delve into apparel, and Volcom thought it was a good move given Electric’s “great logo and killer name,” Bruce said.

Electric Soft Goods Design Production Manager Matt Brodrick spent a year and a half at Volcom in a sort of apparel boot camp, learning about everything from sourcing to fits, Bruce said.

The expanded Electric apparel line debuts for fall with a “Factory Blue” tag line.

Another Electric jacket

Matt described the vibe as workwear and vintage Americana. He took inspiration from older styles and updated them with modern fits and fabrics.

For Electric’s plaid shirts, for example, the plaid designs were conceived in-house, and some of the colors were inspired from older styles, Matt said.

The line includes wovens, several different kinds of jackets, and Ts. Examples of price points include a windbreaker for $55, a down jacket for $220, and wovens from $50 to $65.

A vintage-inspired plaid woven

Bruce does not expect Electric to become a full apparel brand in the future, and has no plans to move into categories such as technical outerwear  or junior’s, he said.

“Volcom didn’t buy us for apparel – they bought us because we are an eyewear brand,” Bruce said.

Electric soft goods are carried in about 100 accounts, and the Electric soft goods department has grown from two to five people.