80's Purple: Beyond Streetwear
The 80’s Purple Web site (www.80spurple.com) has been outfitting hipsters and b-boys since December 2004 and has generated a name for itself as a place for skaters and fashion forwards alike.
The Huntington Beach, Calif.–based company infuses a laidback O.C. attitude both in its site’s layout and product offerings.
While the company is known for carrying streetwear brands such as Insight, Hellz Bellz and Obey, co-owner Belle Nguyen also touts the fashion pieces for women on the site. “Women are not that big on streetwear, so we moved to more-contemporary and fashion-forward product,” Nguyen said.
80’s Purple has stretched its product reach by including brands such as Jenny Han, Free People, Monrow and Rojas for women.80’s Purple initially launched as an accessories site selling belts, sunglasses and jewelry. In 2005, Nguyen and her partner, Tuan Tran, expanded to tees and hoodies.
Nguyen, a graduate of the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in Los Angeles, has extensive background in retail and as a design assistant, and Tran has a background in Web development. The partners decided to go the online route when starting a retail business. “I’ve seen it work compared to [traditional] retail,” Nguyen said. “The only real difference is that the customer virtually walks through your door to search for something.”
Nguyen also said that they maintain the same level of customer service, warehouse inventory and buyer management as they would in a bricks-and-mortar store.
According to Nguyen, the site’s bestsellers include Obey for its quality and affordable price points, Converse by John Varvatos, which has had a following with customers, and emerging line Anzevino & Florence.
The site gets approximately 300,000 visitors each month, according to Nguyen, and 80’s Purple’s following is more than just the cool kids who know where to shop online.
Nguyen and her team are working on photo shoots for a magazine-like catalog and photo book to send out to their mailing list of 100,000 customers and vendors.
In lieu of a physical store, 80’s Purple also sponsors events to expand beyond its online presence. 80’s Purple curated the most recent Dress Right event on Oct. 23 with a fashion show held at the patio of the California Market Center in downtown Los Angeles and featured Orthodox, Hellz Bellz, Converse by John Varvatos and Han Cholo. —Connie Cho
