BC Ethic's Shafer Joins Solitude
Carpinteria, Calif.-based Solitude, the sportswear line founded by Shaun Tomson, world surfing champion, and his wife, Carla, recently severed all ties with Chula Vista, Calif.-based American Fashion, the company that the couple partnered with last year to launch the line. Jeff Shafer, one of the founders of BC Ethic, who recently left that company, will become Solitude’s chief executive officer.
Shaun Tomson said the separation from American Fashion occurred because the two entities had differing objectives and differing philosophies during their relatively short relationship. The two broke ties in June and talks with Shafer began in July. He officially takes over the helm just before the Aug. 27–30 run of MAGIC International in Las Vegas.
With such upheaval, Tomson said he already anticipates a brief period of difficulty, which he believes will be mitigated by the installation of Shafer, who will have production and operations as his direct responsibilities.
“It will have a dramatic impact on the business,” said Tomson. “Since we’ve separated from [American Fashion], we’ve had a hiccup in delivery, and it’s going to be Jeff’s responsibility to get delivery back on track. [Shafer is] an expert in operations and I think it’s something that my wife and I have been looking for since we began the business. He’s someone that has a similar philosophy and concept of where we want to take the brand who will be working on the business with us on a day-to-day basis.”
Tomson said that the upheaval will only affect deliveries for Spring 2002 and a small Cruise line they will introduce at MAGIC for November delivery.
Shafer, who has been on vacation in Canada with his family for the last month after exiting from BC Ethic, said that a relationship with Solitude was compelling because he grew up surfing in Southern California when Tomson was a world-champion surfer. He added that he could relate to the line because it is relevant to men in his age range.
“Solitude is for guys 25–45 who work hard and like to find solitude in surf or being outdoors, and that’s where I’m at in my life right now,” said Shafer. “It’s not a trendy product; it’s already an established brand in 400 specialty boutiques, as well as Saks, Barneys and Bloomingdale’s.”
Shafer said that the new relationship is a perfect match, with each of the three principals having divergent skills.
“Shaun’s expertise is in sales management and marketing,” said Shafer. “Carla’s expertise is in design and merchandising. My expertise is operations, strategic financial planning and supply-chain management. [The relationship] will allow me to do what I do best and allow them to move forward and not worry about the back end of the business.”
Shafer said that he is coming into Solitude with a focus on his primary goals.
“All I need to do is make sure that we deliver product and keep the quality standards up and round out the business,” he said.
