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  Rusty President Charlie Setzler. Shop-eat-surf file photo.

Rusty has a hit on its hands with the Wired Series of hoodies that come with machine washable headphones as drawstrings. We caught up with Rusty President Charlie Setzler about the success of the product and how the brand is evolving the Wired Series for surf and skate.

 

What was the response from the Wired Series last year?

Rusty’s new Wired H2O Series for Spring 2012

The response was overwhelming. We felt confident that it was going to be positive and took a pretty aggressive position on inventory at the beginning. Little did we know that when we shipped our first order in June, we’d be sold out before the fourth of July.

 

I was getting calls from retailers about how our fleece was selling out in July and August in 90-degree weather in Florida. Even our accounts in Hawaii were selling fleece. It was a frenzy.

 

How has it changed or evolved since its launch?

The Wired Series has evolved quite a bit. In addition to traditional hoodies, we’ve launched Wired Series jackets, hooded wovens and flannels and even snow apparel, which we introduced in Canada this year.

 

The Wired Series is also what led us to partner with Joey Brezinski and create So RAD, a Rusty division specifically for the skate market.

 

Rusty’s new Wired H2O Series for Spring 2012

Additionally, there have been constant improvements in the technology and sound quality. The Wired Series is something that is unique to Rusty and we are just scratching the surface with it.

 

What styles are the absolute must-haves?

The go-to styles for everyone are the Wired fleece, which is a basic solid that we offer in a bunch of colors, or the hooded flannel. For the stylish, we have the Archive and Stealth, which are military inspired.

 

How are you topping it for next season? 

We just launched a new category called the Wired H2O Series: a collection of rashguards and neoprene tops that feature machine washable headphones that are salt water tested and approved. Each style comes with a removable waterproof pouch for your mp3 player that was designed to fit in a pocket on the garment.

 

We are introducing a short and long sleeved rashguard, a hooded poly mesh surf shirt, and a pullover neoprene and zip neoprene top. We’ve been working on this for a year and will be introducing into the market this month, and they will be available at specialty stores that sell surfboards and wetsuits.