Teaching Instinct a New Trick
Instinct, a South African surf brand launched by surfer Shaun Tomson in 1979, for years held its own against such core brands as Quiksilver and Gotcha before fizzling out in the early ’90s. Now, the brand is back with an entirely new and smaller focus.
The resurrected Instinct will focus on “groms”—boys who surf. “We didn’t feel like we could tackle the big guns,” said Tom Brown, Instinct’s vice president of sales and marketing, referring to the brands that dominate today’s action sports market.
But Brown is counting on the clout Instinct earned in its heyday to help it conquer a new market. “The guys who originally wore Instinct are now in their 40s and have kids,” Brown said. “We think they’ll see Instinct now and buy it for their kids. It’s our way of getting back into the market through the back door.”
Re-launched in Santa Barbara, Calif., in February by Tomson’s Solitude LLC, the new Instinct line retains its clean-living aesthetic and original logo but little else. Gone are the days of outfitting surf rats and sponsoring bigname pro surfers.
They’re also steering clear of the in-your-face aesthetic so prevalent among action sports brands. “Instinct is seeking a parent-friendly image—somewhat of a diversion from what is out there today. Our goal is to offer something that a parent would not feel guilty about their young grom wearing,” Brown said.
The brand focuses on logo-driven T-shirts, long-sleeve T-shirts, board shorts and hats for boys 6–14. Wholesale price points for the line range from $10 for T-shirts and caps to $20 for board shorts. For Fall, Instinct hopes to add polos and sweatshirts to its roster.
“We think the boys’ market is growing—it’s a great opportunity,” Brown said.
The line has been picked up by Beach House in Santa Barbara, A-Frame Surf in Carpenteria, Calif., Central Coast Surf Shop in San Luis Obispo, Calif., Hobie Surf in San Juan Capistrano, Calif., and www.wetsand.com.
But it’s not just core shops that are showing interest in the line. High-end specialty shops have also bought into the idea of surf gear for kids, including Malibu Kids, a division of the upscale Planet Blue shops, and Ron Herman- Fred Segal Melrose in Los Angeles.
“The kids’ surf market is definitely growing—there’s a lot of interest in it,” said Brett Harrison, manager of Beach House. The push, he said, is coming from the general hotness of the beach lifestyle.
In the last year, Harrison estimated the boys’ department had grown 10 percent. “We’re buying a lot more stuff. And everyday we have people in here asking if we have kids’ surf clothes,” he said.
Brands like Instinct, with their old-school clout, have the added benefit of nostalgia, said surfer Harrison. “Guys my age remember wearing Instinct—we see it as something we wore but now can buy for our kids,” he said.
