Hard Tail Launches Denim
Casual activewear maker Hard Tail is reentering the denim business with a new line of jeans, which bowed at the recent Intermezzo trade show in New York. The company, based in Santa Monica, Calif., also announced plans to roll out a men’s line for Back-to-School.
“Hard Tail’s denim line is going to give our customers jeans for their lifestyle—in the same way that we gave them yoga pants that they can wear everywhere,” said Dick Cantrell, who founded the women’s and kids’ sportswear and activewear label 12 years ago.
This is the second time Hard Tail has launched a denim line. Three years ago, the company briefly licensed denim through a local manufacturer. Although the line was short-lived, Cantrell decided not to give up. Instead, he took a year to research the denim business.
“It’s not something you just do overnight,” he said. “It’s something that takes time to put together by finding the right sewers, dye houses and wash houses.”
Last year, Cantrell hired a five-person design team to merchandise the line, which the company will produce through various contractors in Southern California.
The initial collection offers classic low-rise, super-low and “Ho-rise” denim styles. (Cantrell said the “Ho-rise” silhouette is so low that when you see them, you say, “Ho, man, those jeans are low.”) With wholesale price points starting at $60, the collection is made with Italian stretch-denim fabrications. Silhouettes include five-pocket designs, lace-up denim, zip-front and trouser styles. Novelty washes include light, medium and dark basic tints; bleach-out; clean vintage; tinted denim; and dirty denim. The line uses novelty treatments such as baked resin, hand sanding, grinding, patchwork, cutout and fraying for a vintage feel.
With delivery dates beginning Feb. 28, the line will be tested at six specialty stores nationwide— including National Jeans in New York’s Long Island, E Street Denim in Illinois, It’s the Ritz in Detroit and Tupelo Honey in Miami— before rolling out to major department stores.
“We picked key retailers who specialize in denim to find out which styles and washes will sell in those areas,” Cantrell said.
First-year sales projections for the line are expected to reach $10 million, he added.
Hard Tail’s 2004 advertising campaign, for which the company is budgeting $1.5 million, will feature select denim styles.
Hard Tail will add denim skirts and jackets to the line for Back-to- School 2004. The company recently hired a menswear designer to launch men’s denim, knits and wovens for the same season.
In the early 1990s, Hard Tail produced some men’s styles, which it phased out as the women’s line got larger, Cantrell said. “We’re now focused on bringing back more men’s designs— from the gym to the streets,” he noted.
Cantrell said the company’s net sales have increased steadily by 40 percent to 50 percent during the past three years.
—Claudia Figueroa
