Soldiers launch clothes line

The name that has become synonymous with Lake Tahoe snowboarding will launch its own clothing line this month in Las Vegas, and the franchise doing it, in part, has Playboy magazine to thank.

Southshore Soldiers, a snowboard group with rock star flair who can fly better, faster, farther and harder than your average circus performer, will offer their own brand of hoodies, pants and other winter gear this winter and spring.

In other words, you may not be able to ride a snowboard like a Southshore Soldier, but you may be able to look like one.

"We're hoping to pick up accounts nationwide as well as international distribution for our brands," said Robert Crosby, Soldiers' co-founder. "If snowboarders and skiers around the world are rockin' our products, life will be really good."



How it came to be

In 2002 pro snowboarder and South Lake Tahoe local Jimmy Halopoff and Crosby started Southshore Soldiers Snowboard & Ski Camp, an adult spring break gathering for restless snowhounds at Heavenly Mountain Resort.

In the first two years the group gave away about $15,000 of homegrown clothing products they developed to promote the camp. It wasn't too long until the men knew they were on to something. They began seeing athletes, musicians, and celebrities wearing the apparel on ESPN and MTV.

In 2003 Playboy magazine appeared at the camp for a weeklong photo shoot. The men's magazine fashion director was impressed with what they designed - T-shirts, hoodies, jackets and hats - to promote the organization.

"These products were pretty basic, but they seemed to think our logos, our name, and our image, had potential to work well as a clothing line," Crosby said.

A year later Joseph DeAscetis, fashion director at Playboy, called to see if Crosby and Halopoff had taken his advice to launch a full-fledged clothing brand. Crosby told him not really.

DeAscetis told him to "get samples on my desk in 72 hours because I want to feature Southshore Soldiers in our fashion guide," Crosby recalled.

"I would have been crazy to turn down Playboy Magazine for anything," he said. "They have been very instrumental in convincing us that we have potential to succeed in the clothing and outerwear industry."

Doing it differently

The Soldier's brand will be primarily outerwear and snowboard- influenced apparel and accessories as well as streetwear. Southshore Soldiers brand will enter into a market with only a handful of companies offering similar clothing.

What makes the brand especially unique is the men who designed the line are actually snowboarders, with Halopoff taking home a gold medal in at the 1997 Winter X-Games. Few companies can claim that.

The brand also will have a bit of an edge, choosing to use logos and graphics others may shy away from. Nothing offensive, Crosby said, "but possibly a little controversy here and there.

"We're not a corporate brand with standards and approvals. If we like it, it goes to production. This is a liberty few other companies can claim," he said.

The outfit also has a plan to benefit real soldiers. Crosby has developed an idea where Soldiers' will donate proceeds from the sale of their version of a M65 Military Field Coat to a charity that supports the families of U.S. soldiers killed in action.

"Hopefully we will have the specifics for the charity deal worked out soon," he said.

The line will debut in two week at the Snowsports Industries America trade show in Las Vegas. Snowboard clothing will be in shops after Jan. 25. Outerwear will be available at ski and snowboard shops by September.