O’Neill Clothing Opens Flagship Store in Orange County, California

    IRVINE, Calif., July 15 /EMWNews/ -- La Jolla Group announced today

that the company is opening the doors to its first O'Neill Clothing

flagship store, located in Anaheim, CA in the popular Anaheim GardenWalk

shopping district. The 3,350 square foot store is a premier retail location

that displays the O'Neill brand message and features the latest O'Neill

clothing, footwear, accessory and wetsuit lines. The O'Neill GardenWalk

store integrates cutting edge technology and uses many unique ecologically

friendly materials, as well as explores a collaborative approach to the

design and shopping experience for the O'Neill consumer.



    "In designing O'Neill GardenWalk, we took the vision Jack O'Neill had

in the 50's when he coined the term 'surf shop' by opening his first store

in Santa Cruz, and molded it to the 21st century," said Toby Bost, Chief

Executive Officer of the La Jolla Group. "Every aspect of the store from

the surf hut, to the wave structure, to the reclaimed wood and fixtures,

O'Neill GardenWalk captures the heritage of the brand and showcases the

evolution of more than 50 years of product innovation. The store is a

definitive display of authentic surf retail and a story that can not be

replicated by any other brand."



    The interior design of the O'Neill GardenWalk store is a product of

Verdego Design. O'Neill's authentic surf roots, and the core essence behind

the brand founded by Jack O'Neill in Santa Cruz, CA, served as the

inspiration for the stores' design concept. The wood wall panels, floor

fixtures and frames within the store are made from recycled and reclaimed

wood materials.



    "By incorporating visually interesting and creative elements, we wanted

to produce a shopping environment that was the ideal platform to showcase

the depth and breadth of the O'Neill collections and heighten exposure for

the brand," said Erik Forsell, Vice President of Brand Development for the

La Jolla Group. "This store offers shoppers the chance to experience

O'Neill's 50-year heritage in one of the top shopping destinations in

California."



    FEATURES OF THE STORE:



    The central area of the store is known as "The Hut," where the

structure and design references the original Surf Shop opened by Jack

O'Neill. This feature creates a central area in the store with an eco resin

ceiling giving the feeling of being underwater. Frames that flank the hut

display historical images of the brand, as well as images of O'Neill team

riders.



    An element within the store that captures the surf essence of the brand

is called "The Wave Wall." This wall feature forms and curls over, giving

shoppers the feeling of standing under a peeling wave. The "Wave Wall" is

backed by a large underwater image of a kelp forest supporting the ideals

of the Jack O'Neill Sea Odyssey and underwater education programs.



    Other surf and ocean inspired elements within the store are: the custom

fitting rooms walls and cushions which are made of O'Neill neoprene wetsuit

material, lamps that made from thousands of drinking straws and embody sea

urchins, and the cash wrap that is covered in custom hand painted O'Neill

images.



    The O'Neill GardenWalk Grand Opening celebrations will be taking place

over the next several weeks, visit http://www.oneill.com to be up-to-date on all

store events, promotions and happenings. Store hours will be

Monday-Saturday 10:00 AM - 9 PM. For more information on Anaheim

GardenWalk, please visit http://www.anaheimgardenwalk.com.



    Photos of O'Neill GardenWalk are available upon request.



    O'Neill, the original Californian surf, snow and lifestyle brand, was

founded in 1952 when a young man named Jack O'Neill took his unstoppable

passion for surfing and used it to beat Mother Nature at her own game.

Pioneering the world's first neoprene wetsuit, Jack had successfully found

a way to extend his surf sessions in the bone-chilling breaks of Northern

California. He opened up the garage doors to his first surf shop in Santa

Cruz soon after.

    About La Jolla Group



    La Jolla Group Inc, a privately funded corporation, was formed in 1992

with the acquisition of the O'Neill Clothing USA license from Jack O'Neill

and family in Santa Cruz, CA. Based on the successful formula applied to

O'Neill Clothing, La Jolla Group has expanded its portfolio by acquiring

the licenses for Lost Clothing, Metal Mulisha, and Rusty.



    For more information on the La Jolla Group brands, visit oneill.com,

metalmulisha.com, rusty.com, and lostenterprises.com