About Comune:
Comune was formed from the idea that there will always be people out
there who not only embrace the rawness and imperfections of every day
life but use it to creatively push the boundaries of what’s possible in
board sports, fashion, art, and music their own way, with complete
disregard of the consequences.
Our goal is to provide clothing that reflects this lifestyle of
carefree idealism and to support the people that choose to live it.
Story Behind Comune Clothing:
Novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald famously wrote “There are no second
acts in American lives,” but Frank Delgadillo plans to prove there are
second acts in the worlds of skate and active apparel.
Delgadillo started new men’s brand Comune after resigning on Aug. 1
as president of well-known skate label Ambiguous, the label he started
in his college dorm room in 1996. As president of the line, he
eventually placed it in prominent activewear boutiques such as The
Closet, Jack’s Surfboards and Active, as well as Nordstrom. Now he is
hoping to repeat his success with Comune.
The soft launch for the debut of the Fall 2009 collection is Oct.
17. He said he plans to exhibit at trade shows such as Agenda, Class
and the Project Global Trade Show.
Shortly after Delgadillo left Ambiguous, a significant number of the
brand’s design, marketing and sales staff— about 25 people—followed
Delgadillo in mid-August to his new venture. (Dave Patri, founder of
surf brand Split, became president of Ambiguous. A new leader is not
the only new direction for Ambiguous. In the past, it was funded by
Ray’s Apparel, which was recently shut down by owner Jim Stark.
Ambiguous will be owned by Patri’s Life Distribution company.)
Comune is headquartered in a 2,600-square-foot former medical office
in Costa Mesa, Calif., the heart of the surf and skate fashion
industry. Comune’s head designer is Jacob McCabe, a former designer for
men’s line Orthodox.
Delgadillo’s partner in designing the new brand is Los Angeles–based
manufacturer Komex International Inc., makers of juniorslabel Bubblegum
jeans. Delgadillo said the departure from Ambiguous was amicable but
declined to give further details about it. Delgadillo said the focus of
Comune will be the inspiration of his designers, and second-guessing
the desires of retailers and consumers will be forbidden.
“We want to make a space that is purely creative,” Delgadillo said. “Just as long as we meet deadlines and stay in budget.”
Making a new brand has been on Delgadillo’s mind for a few years.
Comune has been an experimental side project for Delgadillo since 2005.
It was an incubator for new fashion ideas; however, the only consumers
who got to enjoy the brand were Japanese skateboard aficionados and
shoppers at The Closet in Costa Mesa. Now he hopes to turn the
experiment into a lifestyle brand.
The new line’s retail price points range from $54 to $150. Items
will include a motorcycle- inspired trench coat as well as longsleeve
and short-sleeve buffalo plaid shirts. There will be seven styles of
jeans, including a few styles coated in wax.
While debuting a new brand is tough even in the best of times,
Comune is taking its bow in a market filled with minefields—and
opportunities— according to veteran surf retailer Dave Hollander. Surf
and skate boutiques have long been dominated by a handful of brands
such as Quiksilver, Billabong, Hurley, O’Neill and Volcom.
Traditionally, it has been tough for new brands to break in. Hollander
could only name a handful of brands— RVCA, Insight, O’Quinn and
Hinano—for which his six-boutique chain, Becker Surf, has made shelf
space in the past few years.
“This year is the easiest it has been in a long time for new
brands,” Hollander said. “Vendors are searching for something new. We’d
try anything new if there was an indication it was hot.”
However, the weak economy has seriously limited the merchandising choices retailers can make, Hollander said.
Comune will be able to carve out a space in any economy, according
to Chris Thomas, the brand’s marketing director. “There’s always going
to be the kid who is going to skateboard, and he is going to want to
dress a certain way. If we clothe that kid, we’re going to be all
right,” he said.