News / Press

La Jolla Group (“LJG”), the premiere multi-brand apparel licensing company with a portfolio of prominent brands including O’Neill Clothing USA, Lost Clothing, Metal Mulisha Clothing, and Rusty North America, today announced the appointment of Jim Shubin as Vice President of Sales and Marketing for its latest acquisition, True Love & False Idols (“TLFI”). Effective immediately, Shubin will report to Toby Bost and Bill Bussiere, LJG’s CEO and President respectively, and will be based out of the company’s headquarters in Irvine, Calif. In his new position, Shubin will play a key role in solidifying the TLFI brand platform, overseeing development and partnerships, and implementing a global distribution strategy.

“Shubin is the perfect match for La Jolla Group and the right leader for the journey we are embarking on with True Love & False Idols,” commented Bost. “His understanding of the streetwear sector, combined with his business relationships, charisma, and overall positive spirit are all attributes that will make him successful in this position. We are excited for what will undoubtedly be a fun and successful venture.”

A Southern California native, Shubin has worked in the fashion and action sports industries for more than 20 years, and has become known by his peers as “the brand builder.” Most recently, he has consulted for CLASS and the Nielsen Group on the launch of CLASS@ASR in San Diego, CA; and managed various international apparel brands looking to expand into the U.S. market, most notably, WeSC. While at WeSC, Shubin conceptualized and implemented all marketing efforts and product launches, streamlined alliances and established a nationwide retail presence.

Earlier in his career, Shubin served as VP of Marketing and International Sales at Ezekiel, where he worked closely with the sales and design teams to reposition the brand and increased sales by 300%. Prior to Ezekiel, Shubin was the Director of Sales and Marketing at Dwindle Distribution, home to 10 of the most influential brands in skateboarding, including Almost, Enjoi, World Industries, Blind Skateboards, Tensor, Speed Demons, Darkstar, and Droors. During his tenure, Shubin’s non-traditional marketing approach and deep global network helped build Enjoi and then launch Almost Skateboards into two of the most recognizable names in action sports.

Shubin added, “I am excited about the challenge of building an emerging brand with tons of potential – especially one with as much depth and DNA as TLFI. La Jolla Group’s solid infrastructure provides a great foundation to further this brand’s growth and product evolution.”

TransWorld Business caught up with La Jolla Group CEO Toby Bost at Surf Expo in Orlando last week to talk with him about the recent news surrounding the company, its latest licensing deal with streetwear brand True Love and False Idols and O’Neill’s venture into eyewear. Watch the video at Transworld.

La Jolla Group (LJG) has entered into a long term licensing agreement with authentic streetwear brand, True Love and False Idols. In keeping with LJG’s diversification strategy and identifying the streetwear market as a core growth area, the company has taken on the master license for TLFI, recognizing it as one of the hottest “street couture” lines out of California.

“LJG has built a versatile company with strong operational and service capabilities. This acquisition presents an incredible opportunity to enter new markets and build a young up and coming brand. It also marks LJG’s commitment to partnership with its retail clients [and] bringing “newness” to the retail floor.” - Toby Bost, CEO, La Jolla Group.

Over the next few weeks, LJG will announce the addition of a sales executive to grow the brand’s national account base that includes high-end specialty retailers, boutiques, and other distribution channels, and tap into opportunities in the international market. TLFI will be based out of La Jolla Group’s corporate headquarters in Irvine, CA, effective Monday, January 11, 2010.

Group Y Panel Discussion & Gathering
“Inside the La Jolla Group”
presented by FUEL TV

Thursday, December 10, 2009
La Jolla Group headquarters

Executive speakers will include:
+ Bill Bussiere , LJG President & CFO
+ Steve Ward, O’Neill VP of Marketing, All Categories and VP of Sales, O’Neill Men & Boys
+ Michelle Devine, O’Neill VP of Sales, Juniors & Girls
+ Ryan Rush, O’Neill VP Men’s M&D
+ Michael Tomson, Design Consultant
+ Ryan Divel, Lost VP Sales & Marketing
+ Ryan Hagy, Metal Mulisha Marketing

Panel moderated by Jim Shubin

More info & upcoming events at www.groupYnetwork.com

group Y Panel Discussion & Gathering; “Inside the La Jolla Group”

Watch it LIVE at 6:30pm on lajollagroup.com/live

presented by Fuel TV

Thursday, December 10, 2009
6:30pm - 10pm

La Jolla Group headquarters
14350 Myford Rd
Irvine, CA 92606 map

A panel discussion on the inner workings of the La Jolla Group (Rusty, O’Neill, Lost & Metal Mulisha), presented by group Y and FUEL TV.

Execs from the company will discuss various topics including: the dynamics of having multiple brands under one roof, developing and designing a collection from A-Z, the importance of maximizing athlete relationships to engage & influence brand perception and purchase behavior, and more. Guests are encouraged to mingle outside the discussion and enjoy complimentary drinks and appetizers – and a holiday gift bag at the end of the night.

Executive speakers will include:

* Bill Bussiere , LJG President & CFO
* Steve Ward, O’Neill VP of Marketing, All Categories and VP of Sales, O’Neill Men & Boys
* Michelle Devine, O’Neill VP of Sales, Juniors & Girls
* Ryan Rush, O’Neill VP Men’s M&D
* Michael Tomson, Design Consultant
* Ryan Divel, Lost VP Sales & Marketing
* Ryan Hagy, Metal Mulisha Marketing

Panel moderated by Jim Shubin

Registration

$25 pre-registration, $30 at door (cash only) CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. Apps, drinks, beer and wine will be provided.

The panel discussion will begin promptly at 7:30 p.m.

group Y and La Jolla Group invite all those involved with the action sports, youth marketing, brand marketing, entertainment & communications industries to attend. College Students interested in action sports and youth marketing are welcome to join us.

PLEASE READ:
-Pre registration ends on Wednesday, December 9th at midnight. If you are not pre-registered and paid before it closes, you must pay the walk-up fee of $30–CASH ONLY–at the door.
-If you need a receipt for business purposes, please use pre-pay!
-If you have any other questions and/or problems with registration, please email us.

As CEO and Chairman of the Board at La Jolla Group, Toby Bost oversees the Metal Mulisha, O’Neill, Lost, and Rusty brands. When he lost one of his friends and best Metal Mulisha riders to an FMX accident earlier this year, he helped take the lead to establish the Lusk Legacy Foundation and signed on as a founding member of the Board of Directors for the new American Freestyle Motocross Association.

Full FuelTV Article here.

We caught up with Bost after the 1st Annual AFMXA Awards and amateur contest to find out more about his involvement with the AFMXA, his vision for the future of FMX, and the legacy he’d like to leave in honor of the life – and death – of Jeremy Lusk.
Obviously the Metal Mulisha is heavily behind the AFMXA, with you and Brian Deegan on the Board and Ronnie Faisst as the official spokesperson. Why was it important to you personally to take the lead as a Board member with AFMXA?

We all have a vested interest in the growth and evolution of freestyle motocross. Given the sport’s increased popularity, additional support was needed to keep it moving forward: i.e. structure and guidelines for organized events, corporate backing, better safety policies and procedures in place, attention to emerging talent. As CEO of a company leading the industry, it was important for me to be a part of the Association to help implement these things and support the future of the sport.

Is the AFMXA something that had been in the works previously, or did it fully spring from the death of Jeremy Lusk and the establishment of the Lusk Legacy Foundation?
Through Jeremy’s untimely death, we realized how little organization there was in the sport. We knew we could collectively make a difference in the areas of safety and education, and want to build a legacy that Jeremy and the sport can rest on.

What do you personally hope will be Lusk’s legacy in terms of the future of FMX?
The Lusk Legacy Foundation (LLF): a non-profit established to protect and support athletes and their families in the event of severe injury and/or death. It offers a support system that comes to the aid of riders that go through life changing experiences as a result of the sport. We can’t prevent accidents from happening, of course, but through the work of the AFMXA and the LLF we can cut down on the number of them and be prepared to respond in an appropriate manner when required.

Obviously there’s a lot of could’ve/would’ve/should’ve talk we could get into about Lusk’s death or any of the major accidents we’ve seen in FMX, but going forward, what do you see as the must-have goals to secure a future for the sport and the safety of the riders?

Short term: the goals are focused on better preparation in the event of an accident. This includes CPR/first aid training, medical consultation via a 1-800 number, and med evac insurance for all professional riders that join the AFMXA. Longer term: tackling the larger challenges that the sport faces. These may include standard equipment guidelines, race course standards, safety precautions at all events, and more stringent medical response requirements.

What was the thinking behind starting with an amateur event on November 7?
Freestyle moto is missing an amateur platform that nurtures and develops talent. To further advance the sport, it’s necessary to provide a safe environment where young international talent can compete. Through these competitions, we hope to develop professional athletes that move through an organized ranking system before going pro.

Now that the Dew Tour has essentially dropped FMX competition, do you see an opening for the AFMXA to bring its own pro events series?

I’m not going to rule out a pro event series. The AFMXA is dedicated to being “the voice of the riders,” so we will work with the athletes and sponsors to create the best possible scenario for everyone. There are definitely a lot of exciting possibilities down the road.
For the sake of shifting gears a bit…What’s on the horizon for Metal Mulisha? What are you personally looking forward to, in terms of the brand, riders, events, etc?

The Metal Mulisha is continuing to grow as a lifestyle brand. We have an authentic and extremely passionate audience that we want to continue to communicate with at the highest possible level via great products and content. There are so many things to be excited about going into 2010 – between freestyle moto, offroad trucks and MMA, the possibilities are endless. Look for a head-turning MM marketing campaign in 2010 that may be coming to a major city near you.

For more on the AFMXA, see our previous interviews with official spokesperson Ronnie Faisst, 2009 Lusk Legacy Rider of the Year Blake “Bilko” Williams, and founding member Nate Adams, and our complete list of winners from the 2009 AFMXA Awards.

CEO and Chairman of the Board, La Jolla Group and O’Neill Clothing
Age: 39
Fact: He was headed in the direction of becoming a third-generation orthopedic surgeon but went into the apparel industry instead.
How he chose his career path: “I knew in high school that I didn’t want to wear a monkey suit to work every day.”

Read the article here.

Toby Bost was just 36 when he became CEO of action-sports licensing company La Jolla Group, overseeing four wildly popular apparel brands – O’Neill, Lost, Rusty and Metal Mulisha. A sign of their success, and his: In July, the company’s headquarters moved into bigger digs. Still based in Irvine, the brands are now under the same roof, and the headquarters features skateboard ramps in hallways, basketball courts, a workout room, a retail shop and conference rooms named after popular surf spots.

“Growing up wakeboarding, skating, surfing, fishing – anything and everything outdoors – I knew it wasn’t my style to do something I didn’t have a passion for,” says Bost, who also serves as chairman of the company’s board of directors.

Bost landed at La Jolla Group in 1999, and by 2006, he’d been promoted to CEO. But he’s no newcomer to the action-sports industry – he’s been in it 15 years.

“No two days are alike, which is what makes my job entertaining,” Bost says. “It’s exciting to wake up and not know how the day is going to unfold. The more unpredictable the day, the more interesting it is.”

– Ashley Eliot

The Transworld Motocross Awards have concluded from the The Joint inside the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, and the winners have been awarded their trophies. Just in case you still don’t get our live updates via Twitter or Facebook and Brian Deegan receives the ROCKSTAR LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD!

Check out the article here.

SurfAid has launched an Emergency Response Appeal to help the people of Padang who were hit by a huge earthquake (7.6 on the Richter scale) on Wednesday 30 September.

Our Program Director, Dr David Lange, narrowly escaped death as he fled the Ambacang Hotel, which then collapsed, killing many and trapping others.

Any donations you can make are greatly appreciated.

Please donate here.

Thank you

By MATT HIGGINS
Published: July 30, 2009

LOS ANGELES — Two weeks ago, Cameron Sinclair, a professional freestyle motocross rider from Australia, crashed hard during a competition in Madrid, hitting the dirt head-first after failing to execute a double back flip on his motorcycle. With serious injuries, and with no one among his friends, family or support staff who were present able to speak Spanish, Sinclair needed help.

Full Story Here:

As he was whisked to a hospital in critical condition with bruising of his brain, a concussion, a ruptured liver and a fractured cheekbone and shoulder, members of the American Freestyle Motocross Association began to put plans into practice: Doctors in California who are fluent in Spanish soon called their counterparts in Madrid to consult on Sinclair’s care, and they translated for his fiancée, who was at the hospital.

Now that Sinclair’s condition has been upgraded to stable, a freestyle motocross association insurance policy will help defray the costs of a $190,000 air ambulance to his home in Melbourne, where he is expected to make a complete recovery.

“Those guys have been fantastic,” said Adam Bailey, Sinclair’s agent, who was in Madrid before returning to the United States last week to attend the X Games, where the freestyle motocross events began Thursday night here at the Staples Center. “Throughout the whole ordeal, we’ve never felt alone.”

In freestyle motocross, in which riders perform aerial maneuvers while soaring dozens of feet through the air while being scored by judges, competitors operate almost without a safety net, regularly flirting with danger and death. Although risk is a big part of the sport’s appeal, founders of the association are hoping to succeed where previous efforts have failed in trying to mitigate some of the risk by focusing on rider safety and assisting with medical care when things go wrong.
The association, a collective of riders and action sports industry figures, was formed almost six months ago after the death of Jeremy Lusk, 24, a top freestyle rider who won a gold medal at the 2008 X Games.

Lusk, of Temecula, Calif., died Feb. 9 after he crashed while attempting a Hart Attack back flip at a competition in San José, Costa Rica. Lusk failed to fully rotate while soaring more than 20 feet above the ground, landing on his front tire and crashing face-first into the dirt. He sustained severe head injuries and died three days later.

Riders say they believe he is the only professional to have died in competition.

Horrible crashes are part of the game in freestyle motocross. Brian Deegan, who has won more X Games medals in freestyle motocross than any other rider, lost a kidney — and nearly his life — after a crash in 2005 while filming a jump for a television program. He attributed the crash to windy conditions. He also said wind and a lack of adequate practice time were factors in Lusk’s fatal crash.

While mourning his friend in a Costa Rica hotel room last winter, Deegan hatched the idea of the American Freestyle Motocross Association. In addition to coordinating medical care, the association intends to create a unified voice to address safety at professional and recreational events and demonstrations.

“The sport of freestyle motocross is only 10 years old,” said Deegan, 34, who runs a freestyle team through his clothing brand, Metal Mulisha. “There’s so much money being thrown at it, but the riders are still on their own. There’s no voice for them.”

An offshoot of motocross, freestyle developed during the 1990s in Southern California when racers took to the hills to pull maneuvers while launching through the air. Soon small-scale competitions were organized. When freestyle made its debut at the 1999 X Games, the sport exploded in popularity.

Still, freestyle remained largely unorganized, with riders competing as independent contractors around the world.

Past attempts to unify failed, in part because of aggressive negotiating tactics by some athletes. Those efforts rankled promoters and cost athletes opportunities and money in a sport where many events are invitational. “At this point we’re going against the fact that a lot of people have tried and failed,” Deegan said.

The association hopes to build its membership through corporate sponsors and membership from professionals and recreational riders through its Web site, www.afmxa.com, while working with promoters.

Tim Reed, the senior director of sports and competition for the X Games at ESPN, said network officials believed that “we feel we have the proper stuff in place to make the athletes safe” at events like the X Games, like safe courses and proper medical care. But he said the association could help improve standards at smaller and newer events.

Travis Pastrana, who will compete Friday in the Moto X Best Trick event at the X Games, said a group like the freestyle association was not necessarily needed for the large, televised events, but was for smaller operations, where up-and-coming riders are pushing to prove themselves.
“This is a sanctioning body for the younger guys, who don’t have as much pull, and are afraid to speak up,” he said. “I think it’s a good time.”

At the 2007 X Games, Pastrana landed the first double back flip, leading to an exponential progression in tricks’ risk factor.

“It’s become more dangerous with people pushing the bar for the level of tricks that are being thrown now,” said Toby Bost, a member of the freestyle association’s board. “Somebody does a double back flip and then it’s, well, one-up that. Not only has it been dangerous, but it’s becoming more and more dangerous and that’s where we fit in.”

Bost is chief executive of the La Jolla Group, a licensing company for several prominent action sports brands. His involvement, along with that of an ESPN executive and two doctors on the freestyle association’s advisory board, should give the association the kind of credibility previous efforts have lacked.

The successful response to Sinclair’s injury, which occurred at one of the sport’s largest events — a Red Bull X-Fighters tour stop — has already demonstrated that the association can get things done.
“This is an example of what can go wrong,” Bailey said about Sinclair’s crash. “But this is a success story.”

NOTES
Two years after he made television highlights with a 45-foot fall from the mega ramp, Jake Brown of Australia won the gold medal in skateboard Big Air as the X Games opened. Brown and Bob Burnquist, the two time-defending champion, tied with a score of 94.0, but Brown won a tie breaker.