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  Matix fall line at the ASR fashion show.

In my story yesterday, the general manager of Villains in San Francisco told me that Matix juniors has a great line for fall. I followed up with Matix to see what is new with the brand and if big changes were in place for the season.

I spoke with Sesi Altes, right, national sales manager for the juniors division. Matix is part of Podium Distribution in Torrance, also home to DVS shoes.

What are the key themes for the fall line?

For fall, we mixed femininity and masculinity together by using an assortment of materials and textures with floral prints and stripes. Tanya Corrao, head designer of Matix, also did an amazing job with detail such as pin-tucking, multi-needle stitching, topstitching and self-covered buttons to create a young sophisticate look for teens.

Can you provide a sampling of stores that are buying the line?

Being from the surf and skate industry we are in stores like HSS, Becker, Active, etc. But as we evolve as a brand I believe that the Matix girl can be anyone from surf and skate to your fashion-forward girl. To reach this market we have been opening doors like The Closet, Villains and other boutiques in LA, San Francisco and New York.

Do you have a new designer creating the line? If so, what is her name and where is she from?

Tanya Corrao has been involved with the industry over eight years and came to Matix in ‘07. Through this past year at Matix there has been a lot of positive change with the juniors program. I was hired on as the first junior sales manager at Matix. We also brought on Lori Epner to head the marketing department.

How does the female line relate to the Matix mens line?

The Matix juniors and mens lines relate with each other on two levels: Quality is No. 1 and detail No. 2.

Without this mix the Matix brand would not stand out from the rest of the industry.

Any new categories, product extensions for fall?

Since fall ‘07 to fall ‘08 Matix has doubled in growth.

So exploring our talents in other categories in the future is definitely in the cards.