Burton Courts New Markets with Casual Apparel Launch

Burlington, Vt.--Burton is going boutique with its Korda brand of casual apparel, which will debut in upscale stores in spring 2003.

Having tackled the snowboard and footwear markets, Burton sensed the next step in balancing the company was a dressy casual clothing line, said Damon Morris, a pro snowboarder who is now heading up Korda's marketing and promotions department.

"The skateboarder, the snowboarder, whoever likes to go out and wear nice things--that's who we're hoping to reach," Morris said. "The age demographic is from 20 up to the 40-year-old, with the occasional teen who likes to go out and really search for the stuff."

Morris said the line is initially being positioned in upscale boutiques like Fred Segal and Naked L.A. to build the brand's image before tiering the line and possibly filtering it into mall shops like Nordstrom and Saks.

"We don't want to get pigeon-holed, like as an action-sports brand, which, in this industry, can happen really easily," Morris said. "We're a lifestyle brand. We have our heritage in action sports through the Burton name alone."