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TheBuzz Erika Engle |
From car trunks to its own store,
'U Down' merchandise is on the riseTHE days of having to know someone to get a "U Down" shirt or sticker end at 2 p.m. today. Justin McCoy, Micah Kaaihili, Kanoa Somera and David Lau have been working day jobs and toiling by night in suite 201 at 337 Uluniu St., preparing to open a new store.
The "U Down" stickers, shirts and caps now familiar on Oahu's Windward side will be in the store as will infant wear, visors, beanies and thong unmentionables.
McCoy's "Tree Guards Hawaii" line bearing "U Down" designs will also be offered, Monday through Saturday from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.
The roots of the partnership go back more than 10 years, while the then-boys were in high school.
CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM
A group of four are taking their "U Down" clothing and sticker designs and starting their own store. From front to back, Kanoa Somera, David Lau, Justin McCoy and Micah Kaaihili are pictured above.
"We just started hanging out in school, getting into trouble," laughed McCoy.
They would watch underground skating videos, including one called "Whiskey," in which participants would do crazy stunts. They would make up their own. "That was one of our dreams to go out and have fun and film it, but we didn't have cameras. So when (MTV stunt show) 'Jackass' came out, it inspired us, cause we saw them making it and we thought, 'we could do that'," McCoy said. The foursome's name was born of the stunts they did.
A stunt would be suggested, such as jumping on TheBus -- meaning on TOP of TheBus -- and the question would be asked, "You down?" McCoy said. Kaaihili noticed the "you down" consensus-building question was asked after each preposterous idea was floated. The question, "Why don't we just call it 'U Down?'" also brought consensus.
Three incarnations of the logo were a "u" with a downward arrow on the tail, an upside-down doghouse and the most popular "U" with the downward arrow in the center, chosen as the favorite by majority vote, the way the team makes its decisions.
"It was a good thing, because they were right," McCoy said.
Stickers came first, to mark the pinnacle-points of their stunts, such as on highway signs, overpasses and the like. "The shirts came right after," McCoy said.
In 2000, as the stickers popped up all over and with select people wearing shirts and caps, youthful consumer interest was piqued.
Merchandise was sold out of the guys' homes and car trunks, as is the case with many start-ups in the local surfwear industry. More designs would be turned into merchandise as the foursome raised revenue to do so.
Efforts to get "U Down" into retail stores never panned out. "We wanted to do that and things started happening, it just never worked out," McCoy said.
Financial terms of such deals were not attractive to the partners either. A shirt that cost the "U Down" crew $7 to produce would be purchased for $9 by a retailer who would sell it at $18. "They'd be making $9 and we'd be making $2," McCoy said.
Retail markup will become "U Down"'s own reality, selling shirts at $18 to $22, but the partners feel strongly about a more favorable return for its consignment partners.
One of them is Big Island retailer Davelyn's of Kona, specializing in crocheted swim wear and beanies. The Kona store also carries "U Down" merchandise. Other consignment partners may include Critical Curves and INK.
Priding themselves on being underground versus mainstream, the step into retail space is likely the "U Down" crew's toughest stunt to date.
"It's not that easy to keep going without money backing you," said Donna Asuncion, long time buyer for Hawaiian Island Creations Inc.
HIC's willingness to accept a new line "depends on what we're looking for and how they market themselves."
Lines come and go for several reasons, mostly economic.
"To do things domestically, it's not that cheap. You can do things overseas or in California but by the time you pay the freight, minimums are much higher. It's not that easy to start doing the volume," she said.
Local party-promoter-turned- clothing-manufacturer Alika Winter and the urban Hawaiian wear line he calls "Soljah" had what it took to get into Liberty House and its successor, Macy's.
"The popularity came from the fact that he did radio advertising for his club promotions and people got to know his name through that," said Kent Reisdorff, a young men's and men's island wear buyer for Macy's.
Retailers understand that small operations such as "Soljah" or "U Down" don't have large advertising budgets, "but on the other hand, it's not unrealistic to get your name out there through club promotions or a radio campaign, word-of-mouth or stickers," Reisdorff said. "If you can get your name out there, that makes all the difference in the world."
Winter, a city firefighter, has been producing "Soljah" apparel and merchandise for more than 10 years. "Soljah"'s client list includes a core of local surf shops.
Of the "U Down" foursome, he said, "I hope those guys do well. I'm always down for local companies doing well."
See the Columnists section for some past articles.
Erika Engle is a reporter with the Star-Bulletin. Call 529-4302, fax 529-4750 or write to Erika Engle, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., No. 7-210, Honolulu, HI 96813. She can also be reached at: eengle@starbulletin.com
