Reef To Cover Women’s Asses

After years of promoting their flip-flops with the shapely, faceless, g-stringed, “Reef Girl” asses, Carlsbad’s newest action sports neighbor Reef is finally going to sell suits, shoes, and sportwear to the women who have been appearing in their ads.

Launching Reef girls’ swim, shoes and sportswear categories has major implications for our brand,” comments Reef VP of Marketing, Kevin Flanagan. “We have evolved from a sandal company, to a year-round resource for footwear and apparel.”

So women’s asses are no longer simply sales props, now they are customers. Follow the jump for the rest of the news.

Carlsbad, CA (June 19, 2007) – Reef is thrilled to officially announce the launch of girls’ swim, sportswear and shoes. The spring 2008 line will debut at the upcoming Miami Swim Show, followed by ASR and Surf Expo. Catapulting Reef to unprecedented heights, the Reef brand’s first head to toe program for girls will first hit retail in late 2007.

The launch of the Reef girls line marks a major milestone in the company’s rich twenty-three year history. It is the first major category extension since the women’s sandal line debuted in 1998, and the men’s apparel line in 2003.

“Launching Reef girls’ swim, shoes and sportswear categories has major implications for our brand,” comments Reef VP of Marketing, Kevin Flanagan. “We have evolved from a sandal company, to a year-round resource for footwear and apparel.”

The Reef girls’ line will be positioned amongst other tier one, surf lifestyle brands with a design direction for the style conscious, 17-24 year old girl who is seeking a fresh take on surf fashion.

Reef girls’ Brand Director, Trish Hegg adds, “We want to reach the girl that is immersed in the surf and beach lifestyle, but doesn’t necessarily identify with the junior lines currently at retail. The styling is in tune with the Reef brand’s heritage with an added chic level of maturity and style that will pleasantly surprise our consumer.”

The girls swim program will anchor the new girls product lines. Silhouettes range from fashionable bandeau, triangle and halter tops using unique Reef prints, to more active geared bikinis, board shorts and cover-ups that showcase the new Reef girls logo. The line will be sold as separates in a ‘Brazilian cut’, as well as a more standardized ‘You-niversal cut.’

The sportswear program is filled with flirty sun dresses, dainty woven tops, jumpers and shorts. Versatility is key with pieces designed for layering, as well as styles that can easily be dressed up or down for the beach and beyond.

Closed toed footwear completes the third portion of the Reef girls’ launch. The line includes a smart mix of classic slip-on vulcanized shoes, ballets, mesh runners and espadrille trimmed casual walk shoes that instill the comfort and quality Reef is famous for.

As Reef launches girls’ swim, sportswear and closed toe shoes onto racks this year, Reef is also proud to announce the addition of Tandi South as the Reef girls’ National Sales Manager. South brings 20 years of surf industry sales experience to the Reef girls’ team. Her focus will be on assisting the Reef sales force during the launch, as well as managing the successful girls sandal business.

South brings a wealth of industry experience to Reef having handled key, west coast accounts for Warnaco’s designer swim divisions for seven years. Most recently, South comes from Roxy where she managed key accounts for the last five years.

See the Reef brand’s first head to toe girls program this summer at the following tradeshows:

Bread & Butter – Barcelona, Spain (July 4th – 6th)
ISPO – Munich, Germany (July 8th – 10th)
Miami Swim Show – Miami, Florida (July 11th – 15th)
ASR – San Diego, California (September 7th – 9th)
Surf Expo – Orlando, Florida (September 14th – 16th)

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About Reef
Reef is one of the premier action sports brands in the world, and exemplifies the cool and casual attitudes of today’s youth driven boardsport market. Our brand is defined by the elite class of athletes that represent Reef products, as well as our core consumers who identify with the Reef brand’s unique blend of surf, sensuality and irreverent sensibility. At the core of the Reef brand are authentic, stylish, and comfort engineered products for guys and girls that have appealed to the millions of Reef consumers around the world since the company originated in 1984. www.reef.com

About the Company
VF Corporation is a leader in branded lifestyle apparel including jeanswear, outdoor products, image apparel and sportswear. Its principal brands include Wrangler, Lee, Riders, Rustler, The North Face, Vans, Reef, Napapijri, Kipling, Nautica, John Varvatos, JanSport, Eastpak, Eagle Creek, Lee Sport and Red Kap.

VF Corporation’s press releases, annual report and other information can be accessed through the Company’s home page, www.vfc.com