Keith Hufnagel 談及與私人股權公司 Altamont Capital 的合作

人氣街頭品牌 HUF 自 2002 年成立起，便憑借著簡約精致的圖案設計，以及不隨波逐流的設計風格而在街頭領域站穩腳跟，如今更發展成爲一個在全球範圍內都小有名氣的國際化品牌。爲了更多的推動品牌發展，最近 HUF 接受了私人股權公司 Altamont Capital 的投資，而這家公司今年已經接連收購了 Billabong 和 Quiksilver 兩大品牌的部分股權。最近 HUF 創始人 Keith Hufnagel 便接受了《Transworld》的專訪，談及了此次收購的相關質疑，並表達了將 HUF 在品牌價值和零售體驗上都更進一步的希望。下面便帶來此次專訪的節選內容，完整內容不妨點擊這裏查看。

How did the deal with Altamont Capital come about? How long has it been in the works?

The team at HUF wanted to bring in a partner to help us as we grow. The business became increasingly complicated as we added product categories and expanded geographies. We feel like we have a lot of momentum and a real opportunity that we want to make sure we grab – and so we decided that if we could find a partner that could help bring experience and outside perspective then this was the time to bring them on board.

These things take a while – and we wanted to be really careful to get to know people we’d potentially be bringing into our business for the long term – so it’s been since spring from start to finish.

Why did HUF see working with Altamont and Scott Olivet as the best fit?

They have been working in the industry quite a bit and, as we got to know them, it was clear that they understood the brand and where it’s coming from. We really respect what Scott did at at places like Converse and Oakley – and thought that experience and the experience of others on the team could really be helpful.

What specific goals or initiatives have you set for the brand within the next 12 months?

We want to really build on the momentum in footwear. We are excited about what we’ve put into the market so far – and are appreciative of the positive reception.. So we definitely want to take advantage of early success. We also want to invest with our retailers in the store and make sure retail brand support is where it needs to be. Other than that – we are going to keep doing what we’re doing and hope we keep getting the great support we’ve been getting from the consumer.