PARK CITY, UT (Nov. 27) – The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) is taking advantage of the Sochi Olympic season to roll out a host of new merchandising programs. In addition to its longstanding partnership with Huge Brands USA, the USSA is launching three new programs designed to broaden its market reach and diversify the product offerings for fans. Among the new licensees are Outerstuff, Ltd. featuring a co-branded partnership with the U.S. Olympic Committee; Tailgate, offering a vintage line in top-line national retail outlets; plus New Era, producing a unique line of signature baseball caps.
HIGHLIGHTS
- The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association is taking advantage of the Olympic season to launch three new merchandising programs in addition to its longstanding program with Huge Brands USA.
- The partnerships will expand the reach of the USSA’s noted U.S. Ski Team, U.S. Snowboarding and U.S. Freeskiing brands.
- Outerstuff, Ltd. will feature a co-branded partnership with the U.S. Olympic Committee, offering Olympic branded U.S. Ski Team and U.S. Snowboarding merchandise.
- Tailgate will offer a vintage line in top-line national retail outlets such as Gap and American Eagle Outfitters.
- The U.S. Ski Team and U.S. Snowboarding brands will be featured at retail bigger and better than ever before. Thousands of units will be on sale at key retail outlets across the nation like Gap, Baby Gap, American Eagle and more.
- The USSA is the national governing body for Olympic skiing and snowboarding with its athletes competing in 50% of the Olympic events in Sochi this February.
MERCHANDISERS
Huge Brands USA
Salt Lake City-based Huge Brands USA, a leader in the custom apparel industry, is a longtime USSA licensee offering a wide range of products including t-shirts, hats and sweatshirts through its network of retailers and the USSA’s online store including all three USSA brands – U.S. Ski Team, U.S. Snowboarding and U.S. Freeskiing.
Progressive, strategic designs and product offerings has led Huge into partnerships with major organizations such as the U.S. Ski Team, Charles Schulz's iconic Peanuts brand, Sundance Film Festival, Sprint, Audi, Kellogg’s, Pop Tarts, Nature Valley and Camp Woodward. Its custom apparel is also sold in over 2,000 premier resort stores around North America including Deer Valley, Park City, Beaver Creek, Copper Mountain, Jackson Hole, Breckenridge, Keystone, Snowbird and Killington.
www.hugebrandsusa.com
Outerstuff, Ltd.
Outerstuff, Ltd. is a mass distribution partner that brings a unique opportunity to create Olympic co-branded merchandise with both the U.S. Ski Team and U.S. Snowboarding brands. Outerstuff was largely responsible for the USOC's record-setting London 2012 sales and is the exclusive distribution arm of the USOC. Outerstuff successfully partnered with USA Swimming in London and this is their second partnership since.
www.outerstuff.com
Tailgate
Tailgate is well known in college merchandising for its retro designs and largescale distribution. Tailgate will offer a line of vintage U.S. Ski Team and U.S. Snowboarding t-shirts, including a look back at the old U.S. Ski Team logo that was replaced in 1999. The unique retro designs will be available in Gap, Baby Gap and American Eagle.
www.tailgateclothing.com
New Era
New Era, an international lifestyle brand with an authentic sports heritage that dates back over 90 years, will offer a limited-edition collection of U.S. Ski Team X Spyder X New Era caps that will be worn exclusively by U.S. Ski Team members. The collection features the brand’s iconic 59FIFTY fitted cap styles as well as a downflap 59FIFTY–perfect for the cold temperatures of Sochi. New Era encourages people to “FLY YOUR OWN FLAG™”–to truly express their personal style and individuality through its products.
Best known for being the official on-field cap for Major League Baseball and the National Football League, New Era is the brand of choice not only for its headwear collection, but also for its accessories and apparel lines for men, women and youth. The brand is worn as a symbol of self-expression by athletes, artists and some of the most interesting people around the globe.
www.neweracap.com
QUOTES
Michael Jaquet, Chief Marketing Officer, USSA
The Olympic season gives us a great opportunity to expand on our very successful partnership with Huge Brands to increase our merchandising footprint with more unique products and expanded national distribution. We are a Best in the World brand and our new partnerships with USOC partner Outerstuff, Tailgate, and New Era will help us push our brands to fans nationwide through new channels. Having our brands at mass retail is a great step for us in an Olympic year and something we hope that with good sell-through will allow us to continue.
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