Trunk to Debut Expanded Brand
With its very first full-time designer in place, updated designs and a growing license portfolio, Culver City, Calif.–based Trunk Ltd. is set to debut its new direction at the Project Global Trade Show in Las Vegas.
Launched in 2005 as a maker of high-end, vintage-inspired concert and band T-shirts for men, women and kids, Trunk has undergone a year-long transformation that is meant to position the company for its next phase. Earlier this year, founder Brad Beckerman sold part-owner Live Nation (a Beverly Hills–based tour-managing firm and owner of music venues) the remaining interest in Trunk and left the company. Now, with a new owner at the helm, Trunk has put itself on the growth track and gathered a crack team to make it happen. In April, Trunk hired designer Henry Duarte, known for his leather pants and rock-star clientele, as the brand’s creative director and full-time designer. The end goal for the team is to position Trunk as a complete lifestyle brand.
Trunk—which sells its T-shirts at top retailers such as Barneys New York, Bloomingdale’s, Intermix, Scoop and Kitson—saw its market share dwindle as more brands jumped on the music-license bandwagon at lower price points. “The idea became more mass market,” said Marc Choper, Trunk’s chief executive. To compete, Trunk is changing its strategy.
The plan is ambitious: to morph from a licensed T-shirt brand to a contemporary brand packed with music-inspired sportswear. “We’re walking into it gradually; we don’t want to make a hard departure,” said Lia Fisher, Trunk’s director of sales. Each season, Choper added, buyers will see the brand evolve a little.
For Spring 2008, the first collection under Duarte’s control, buyers will get their first glimpse at Trunk’s evolution. Duarte’s first order of business was to dig up authentic, undiscovered art to take the brand’s graphics to the next level. That means Duarte tweaked classic band logos and scoured vintage tour flyers, album art and band memorabilia to find T-shirt graphics that other licensees won’t have at any price point. “The idea is to be true to the period. You can’t take a Pink Floyd [logo] and make it ’today.’ It was what it was, and we have to keep it authentic,” Duarte said. Even while he builds Trunk’s licensor base, Duarte keeps his designs looking vintage, washed-out and well-worn.
While still focusing on T-shirts for Spring, Trunk also added new silhouettes to its collection. Women got scoop-neck T-shirts with Peter Pan collars, sleeveless Western shirts and cotton blouses with billowy sleeves. Men got plenty of color-block T-shirts, contrast stripe and seam details, and updated crewstyles. For Summer, there will be another injection of new shapes and possibly new apparel categories. Wholesale price points for Spring will dip to $40 and top out at $68. “We lowered our introductory price point a bit to make it more accessible to some stores who just couldn’t reach us before,” said Fisher.
Eventually, Duarte will delve into leather pieces, outerwear, shirting and bottoms for Trunk—all things he found success with in his former rock-inspired contemporary lines: Henry Duarte and Duarte. “Those pieces won’t be licensed,” Choper said. “Trunk will be a music-lifestyle brand—not just a music licensee.” —Erin Barajas
