Z Supply Enters Retail Fray With Fashion Island Store
Z Supply LLC has opened its first store with plans of growing its retail footprint over time.
The 1,362-square-foot temporary store at Fashion Island in Newport Beach carries the company’s namesake basics brand and is also set to be used to test categories from the line.
The assortment includes the women’s collection in addition to some pieces from the Z Supply men’s line. The company will also sell items from its Zoo Supply line for pets, which launched last year.
The Fashion Island pop-up is scheduled to be open for a period of three to six months.
Z Supply chief operating officer Heidi Muther called the timing right to look at retail, as the company follows the game plans of a number of born-online brands or businesses with traditional wholesale models exploring direct-to-consumer through physical retail in a bid to learn more about their respective consumer bases.
Z Supply, the brand, has seen steady growth since its 2013 launch and is in more than 2,000 stores in the U.S. It’s part of a portfolio of brands created by Z Supply LLC that includes Black Swan, White Crow, Others Follow, Rag Poets, Icons of Culture and Pirate Surf. In total, the company closed 2017 with $50 million in revenue.
“This year we are really seeking to connect and engage with our customers like never before,” Z Supply marketing director Beatrice Rosu said in a statement. “This store gives us the opportunity to tell our brand story on a more personal level.”
The company has plans to expand the number of Z Supply shop-in-shops this year, of which it counts three — one in Chicago at E Street Denim and Sunny Days’ Newport Beach and Orange, Calif., stores. Plans call for the addition of 10 shop-in-shops this year at retailers throughout the U.S.
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