Kelly Slater’s Outerknown Brand Opening First Store

Outerknown, the Los Angeles-based sustainable clothing brand started in 2015 by pro surfer Kelly Slater and backed by Kering, is stepping into retail, opening its first store at The Point in El Segundo, Calif., by the end of November. “We are opening our first retail shop…right before the holiday rush,” Travis Heard, the brand’s head of finance, operations and strategy, said at WWD’s Digital Forum. For 2020, Outerknown is also looking to expand its women’s wear and denim offerings. “Denim we launched a year ago. Initially, it was online only, but next year there will be more of a focus getting jeans into the marketplace in a bigger way. It’s a massive opportunity for us, but the touch and feel and omnichannel approach will be very important,” he said. Another growth market is international, said Heard, who was in conversation with Rob Keve, chief executive officer and cofounder of Flow, a business-to-business software platform that has helped brands including Outerknown go global, providing e-com, payment and shipping resources. Heard shared his brand’s journey to selling internationally, which included a failed start with a different platform resulting in customer dissatisfaction with pricing, duties and shipping fees, while Keve offered tips to U.S. brands on

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