Oakley Plans a Splash at Expo With Proliferation of Products

With the size of its apparel line tripling this year and three new shoe lines scheduled to debut, Oakley Inc. will be one of the largest exhibitors at next month’s Action Sports Retailer Trade Expo in Long Beach.

The Foothill Ranch-based sunglass maker also plans in 2000 to quadruple its advertising budget, including placing ads in GQ magazine, spokesman Lance Allega said. The advertising campaign initially will focus on Oakley eye wear, shoes and watches.

Oakley, which did not have a booth at ASR last year, “is back in the show and in a big way,” show director Court Overin said. The company will occupy twice the floor space it has in the past, partly to showcase its new apparel.

Oakley will offer 90 clothing styles this year, compared with 30 in 1998, spokesman Lance Allega said. The line will include more jackets, pullovers, pants and golf polo shirts, he said.

The new shoes will include a street style called Pit, a laceless leather slip-on dubbed Flesh, and a hiking shoe called Nail. They are expected to be in stores by June and will retail for $65 to $115.

With so much going on, the company also announced last week that it has beefed up its senior management team, hiring Jim Stroesser as national sales director, a new position at Oakley. Formerly, Stroesser was footwear general merchandise manager for Nike Inc., Oakley said.