Top Tv Shows 2004

NEW YORK -- Word on the street is that urban wear is one of today's hottest retail categories. And within this growing category, automotive-influenced urban looks have gained particular street cred into back-to-school 2004. The same athletic-influenced jerseys and track suits that have been selling well from Bloomingdale's to Wal-Mart over the past few seasons are now sporting logos and slogans that tie into some of today's hippest automotive entertainment properties.

Universal Studios' "The Fast and the Furious" and "2 Fast 2 Furious" helped fuel this craze over the past few years in both apparel and automotive accessories. However, the trend is stiff gaining speed in terms of consumer products. Now, MTV's hit television series "Pimp My Ride" is primed to make retailers' wallets phat, as a new apparel line launches this back-to-school season.

"We had such demand for product that we were actually approached by a number of vendors to produce a line, so we were able to pick and choose who would best translate the show into apparel," said Paul White, senior director of licensing and merchandising at MTV.

Tapping into the personalization trend that is still key at retail, this show takes less-than-fabulous vehicles from "not" to "hot" customizing each youthful participant's ride into a work of modern art.

"Pimp My Ride" apparel launches this fall in a 60-day exclusive with Hot Topic, with an initial focus on headwear and T-shirts. Many of these will sport the show's catchphrase, "You have been officially pimped." The full-scale juniors and young men's lines, produced by BC Ethic, are "selling into specialty stores and other retailers where the brand is a strong fit over the next three months," White added.

"Pimp My Ride," with almost 84 million viewers of its premier and repeat broadcasts, is the top-rated tuner/automotive television for the year for 12- to 34 year-olds, even outpacing the ultra-popular "American Chopper" on the Discovery Channel. The motorcycle brand behind the show. Orange County Choppers, remains a wildly successful apparel franchise as well. And the omnipresent Von Dutch line, seen on trucker hats and tank tops on a host of Hollywood celebs, is based on the hot-rod legend of the same name.

But even before assorted TV series put vehicle customization in the spotlight, the concept already had a loyal following. Primedia's Lowrider magazine has been a popular read for almost 30 years. Since the trend has caught fire, Primedia has expanded into new publications for fans of alternative rides, including Lowrider Edge and Lowrider Arte. Its apparel franchise has come up to speed quite quickly as well.

"I'm happy to say that the men's product has launched in about 200 Mervyn's stores and has been on shelf with strong sell-throughs and positive results," said Jackie Blum, president of Primedia Enterprises. "The company is also rolling out boys' apparel at Wal-Mart, produced by Canada-based manufacturer ADTN.

Blum also pointed out the importance of this lifestyle in the Hispanic market. And as an early adapter of grassroots marketing key to reaching the young men's customer, Lowrider holds events across the country throughout the year to heighten brand awareness. As with "Pimp My Ride" and "American Chopper," an extensive Web site also connects fans with each property.

While product is still primarily sold in the specialty channel, automotive-influenced apparel is accelerating into the mainstream, just like skate and hip-hop lines did before it.

COPYRIGHT 2004 Reproduced with permission of the copyright holder. Further reproduction or distribution is prohibited without permission.
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group

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