Nike Not Talking About Rumors It Plans O.C. Surfwear Division

Many companies have tried to expand by tapping into the county’s youthful extreme-sports culture, which centers on such board sports as surfing, skateboarding and snowboarding.

Now athletics-wear giant Nike Inc., which sells outdoor gear and skateboard shoes to the local market, is talking about zeroing in on beachwear. However, the Beaverton, Ore., company declined Tuesday to confirm rumors it is planning to immerse itself in the heart of the surfwear scene by setting up an Orange County division.

“What we are doing is looking into expanding into beachwear, surf-inspired wear,” said Dawn Leonetti, a Nike spokeswoman. “Nothing’s been determined about whether that’s going to be in Beaverton, Florida or Southern California. That remains to be seen.”

Among those three options, the choice shouldn’t be too tough. Orange County is where trends in young men’s surf apparel are launched.

“I can tell you, if it goes to Florida, it will fail,” said Court Overin, director of the Action Sports Retailer Trade Expo.

In fact, Nike’s representatives were swarming around the recent Long Beach trade show and used a room there to conduct market research, Overin said. The company may have its own booth at the San Diego expo in September, he said.

“They probably had 30 people . . . who came to walk the show,” Overin said. “They are looking to get something started in this market. If you want to be in touch with it, you get inside it.”

Nike has always been interested in the action sports youth market, Leonetti said.

“We’ve always had skate shoes, so it’s always been a market that’s important to us,” she said. “The possibilities of that growing and expanding are there.”

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Leslie Earnest covers retail businesses for The Times. She can be reached at (714) 966-7832 and at leslie.earnest@latimes.com.