POLLS: As Billionaire Boys Club Changes Strategy, What Are Your Thoughts?

Billionaire Boys Club recently celebrated its 10th anniversary, bringing together many high-profile supporters of the brand. With somebody like Pharrell Williams at the helm, it’s difficult to find a reason to hate — that perhaps is about to change. A recent WWD article (gated) made mention of their changing strategy that was necessitated primarily by its earlier Japanese-made approach which essentially incapacitated many brands reliant on Japanese-produced goods over the past few years. Despite the high-quality offerings, it simply didn’t translate from the business side.

However, with a shift towards countries undoubtedly less “romantic” towards the production process such as Pakistan and China, a wider distribution has been a highly documented outcome moving from 30 to over 100 rather quickly. Readers of these pages no doubt have seen it, making comment after comment about its impending demise. The numbers have provided reasonable cause that it was the right move as both BBC and ICECREAM are looking to rake in between $25 and $30 million USD (split evenly) between both brands — a far cry from the $12 million made by both brands at their peak. In spite of the quick growth, there’s been talks to curtail the expansion according to Roc Apparel Group CEO Michael Prendergast saying, “We could double it next year, but we are holding back on the growth. We are approaching it as a slow burn over a multiyear period and we want to grow it organically. There’s been a pent-up demand for the brand but instead of doubling it each year and then seeing volume drop, we want to create a nice, healthy growth path over the next five years.”

Of course the flipside of any brand is its perception and how the consumer views it. As the accessibility of BBC and ICECREAM grows, there’s still Bee Line/BBC Black to contend with which may do just enough to keep the diehards interested. There lies an interesting dynamic here. Pharrell still maintains a strong presence as the face of the brand. One has to think, BBC is but one of Pharrell’s high-profile gigs and for the most part; everything he’s touched has garnered much praise whether it’s eco-minded fabrics, his unparalleled abilities at musical production and performance, or his desire to give back and continually inspire creativity in the youth — and the inexplicable fact he doesn’t age. Can the well-received efforts of Pharrell’s other gigs provide enough residual interest to longstanding fans of the brand? We’d be inclined to say yes as long as he keeps himself relevant and on point.

Disclosure: HYPEBEAST Store stocks Billionaire Boys Club