By Kailee Bradstreet
Sun, Apr 8 2012 2:31 pm | 0 views | Comments
Contact: National Sales Director Mike Montemurro, or Product Line Manager – Eyewear Hillary Balch.
Phone (760)931-4900
Email – info@dragonalliance.com
Dragon's Viceroy
We sat down with Dragon’s Product Line Manager Hillary Balch to find out more about what the brand has up its sleeve for next season’s collection, how they’ve have seen the eyewear market evolve, and where Dragon is headed.
What trends will we see in next season’s line?
We’ll definitely continue with strong color stories and themes which have been a big differentiator for us, one being the Palm Springs Pool collection which was literally inspired by a trip we all took to Palm Springs last year. You will also see a variation on our top selling style, The Jam, hitting this summer that we’re all very excited and jumping up and down about. And of course, we will continue to support our Performance Polar technology which was launched earlier this year. We’re keeping it simple by offering one polar consistently throughout the line, and it’s the best polar Dragon has ever offered – premium injected PC polar lens, ultra scratch-resistant, hydrophobic and oleophobic coatings on both sides, available in ionized finishes – all the good stuff.
What changes are you seeing at retail/on the business side?
Retail has dusted itself off and gotten back on its feet, which has been refreshing. 2011 was a great year for us and I think it’s getting better and better on the retail front. Even with the spotty snow season we’ve had, retailers seem to be receptive to our new products and sell-thru has been great – especially on our new frameless goggle. But don’t tell our goggle PLM that, I don’t want to give him a big head. Enough about snow – our core surf accounts are excited about our new products, and especially excited about our #1 selling frame, The Jam – it’s been going nuts across the board.
What were your greatest successes in 2011?
Not to beat a dead horse, but The Jam was definitely a big success for us. Even though it was released in 2010, it really got legs last year with the addition of the Owen Wright Signature color we released. Also, the double-digit growth we had in 2011 I’d say was a high point.
What are your projections for next season?
More double-digit growth, strong partnerships with our retailers, awesome designs, and a new ping pong table.
What additions are you making to the line? what won’t we see as much of?
Definitely more color across the board. Also, a big focus on our Dragon design language and what works for us as a brand. We’re cutting out a lot of the unnecessary clutter and “noise” and getting down to what matters to us in terms of the sunglass styles and sku’s – the end result being a clean, consistent, and kick ass offering.
Where are prices and margins heading for you?
Pricing is staying consistent with a competitive mixture of price points based on the lenses, polar vs. non polar, and premium colors and designs. Maintaining margin is a top priority, so we do what is necessary to maintain a strong healthy one – lots of fruits, veggies, and protein shakes.
What is the breakdown looking like for men’s and women’s SKU’s?
We continue to add a lot of female-friendly colors in frames like the Jam, Fame, Experience 2, and Viceroy to keep the ladies (me) looking fresh at all times. Most of our frames are unisex so we want to make sure we have some feminine influenced colors like leopard print – perhaps a selfish addition for myself – to add a feminine edge to the line. We have found that most styles and colors we introduce in the line work well for both men and women, so we will continue to focus on that rather than segmenting the line.
Are the number of SKU’s in your line expanding, contracting, or staying the same? Why?
We have put a big emphasis on sku-count optimization, meaning every sku in our line has to have a purpose and isn’t just clutter. We want to keep it simple for the retailers with a consistent message across the board and offer them a digestible line that they can get behind. With that said, it’s our number one goal to release fresh, high quality, relevant, money making products each season all while maintaining a tight offering and not blowing up sku count to a nightmarish level.
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