When you buy your next swimsuit, chances are it`s a Backflips! A

A novel idea, swimwear in Realtree camo, brings fashion to
the outdoors and outdoors to fashion.
Backflips, Inc., a division of A & H Sportswear Company, Inc., is one
of the largest swimwear designers, manufacturers and distributers
of swimwear in the US and internationally. It is widely known for its
power brands including Miraclesuit, Magicsuit, Reebok, and Realtree
(Realtree Girl, Team Realtree, and Realtree).
a division of A & H Sportswear Company, Inc.
Annandale, NJ
Backflips, the swimwear division of A & H Sportswear, is
one of the largest designers, manufacturers and distributers
swimwear in the US and internationally. The company
sells its swimwear through all retail tiers from upscale
(Bloomingdale’s and Saks Fifth Avenue) to midtier (J.C.
Penney’s and Sears) to discount stores such as Wal-Mart. It
“
When you buy your next swimsuit, chances
are it’s a Backflips!
Approximately 10 years ago, two executives, one from Wal-Mart and
one from Backflips got together to brainstorm new opportunities.
Both were avid hunters and it occurred to them that hunting camo
might work on swimsuits. At the time, the only available camo on
swimsuits was military style and it wasn’t at all popular. But hunting
camo was entirely different. Just as Wal-Mart is a powerhouse bigbox retailer, and Backflips with its Miraclesuit is a power brand in
swimwear, Realtree is the power brand in camo. So, they decided to
approach Realtree with their idea.
“
Fashion and the outdoors were a natural. Wouldn’t it
be fun to bring fashion to the outdoors and outdoors
to fashion? – Derold Zimmermann, President of Backflips, Inc.
According to Derold Zimmermann, President of Backflips, Inc.
“Fashion and the outdoors were a natural. Wouldn’t it be fun to bring
fashion to the outdoors and outdoors to fashion?” They met with the
Realtree team and Realtree swimwear became the next new thing.
also retails through outdoors and sporting goods retailers
both in-store and online.
Ten years ago two executives from Backflips and WalMart pursue an idea to put Realtree camo patterns on
swimwear… and it’s a hit.
Sales of Realtree swimwear are comparable to Backflips
megabrand Reebok.
Backflips intends to expand the Realtree lines to
underwear, sleepwear, lingerie, and yoga/active wear.
01
BACKFLIPS CASE STUDY
Initially, Wal-Mart didn’t embrace Realtree swimwear.
Undaunted, Derold and his partner from Wal-Mart knew a
winner when they saw one so they took the swimwear to the
major outdoor retailers (Cabela’s, Bass Pro Shops, Gander
Mountain and Academy). It became an instant success. Once
Wal-Mart saw how well the swimsuits were selling, they
decided to reconsider and give them a try. For the last three
years, Wal-Mart has been carrying all of the lines of Realtree
swimwear for women, girls and men. According to Derold,
“Wal-Mart has been doing a big business across all of the
Realtree lines.”
From a volume standpoint, Realtree swimwear is performing
at an extremely high level. So far it’s on par with Backflips’
“Mega Brands”. As a licensed brand, its sales are comparable
to Reebok, one of Backflips’ top brands.
The fashion industry discovers Realtree and Realtree
discovers the fashion industry.
When Backflips approached Realtree, Realtree hadn’t ventured
much beyond hunting and products associated with the
outdoor sports. It hadn’t yet realized its fashion potential.
Backflips changed this forever. Realtree Girl, swimwear for
women, juniors, and girls has been enormously popular at
outdoor retailers while Realtree men’s and women’s bathing
suits have been a top seller at mid-tier stores such as Sears
and Kohl’s.
The success of Realtree camo in swimwear demonstrated
that the fashion industry was ready for camo. So Backflips
introduced Realtree to various connections in fashion paving
the way for new licensing agreements for apparel and
accessories such as handbags and portable chargers.
“
“
Deb Ferraro stated, “Items offered in Realtree have seen
double-digit growth over the past 2 years. Carhartt has
experienced high growth across the board but the Realtree
products have outpaced its standard products significantly.”
Camo helped Backflips obtain placement in
retailers it wouldn’t have ordinarily gone after
since we are a fashion house. – Derold Zimmermann,
President of Backflips, Inc.
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BACKFLIPS CASE STUDY
The licensing agreement with Realtree was among Backflips’
first and as Derold notes, it is one of its most unique. Derold
indicated, “Camo helped Backflips obtain placement in
retailers it wouldn’t have ordinarily gone after since we are a
fashion house.”
Through cooperation, top-notch fashion design &
manufacturing, and marketing finesse, Backflips and
Realtree have created a unique fashion statement
that’s here to stay.
Realtree has thrown its marketing muscle behind the
swimwear. Realtree provides swimwear to women celebrities
to help showcase the brand. 2 Steel Girls, a Mother-Daughter
music duo has signed on to be Realtree Girl ambassadors,
modeling Realtree Girl swimwear. Tiffany Lakosky, TV show
host of The Crush has also been featured in Realtree Girl
swimwear. The swimwear is also featured in Realtreelife
catalogs and promoted on Realtree’s Website.
The licensing agreement with Realtree was among Backflips’
first and as Derold notes, it is one of its most unique. Derold
indicated, “Camo helped Backflips obtain placement in
retailers it wouldn’t have ordinarily gone after since we are a
fashion house.”
“
Realtree helps our product do better. They have
so many different things going on in the outdoor
retailers, they have such a large family of brands,
they play off of each other. Realtree has created
a department within a department. All of the
licensees are working together strategically to
make the brand and products successful. The
swimsuits are seasonal so they are a great accent
piece in the summer. – Derold Zimmermann, President
“
Clearly, Backflips has opened the door to Realtree in the
fashion industry. Backflips throws all of its fashion knowhow into the design of swimwear specifically for Realtree’s
various camo patterns to showcase them at their best. The
combination of top-notch fashion design and materials
coupled with Realtree’s camo patterns has created a product
that remains popular year after year.
of Backflips, Inc.
Realtree has taken the marketing of the swimwear a step
further. Because of the breadth of products offered in Realtree
patterns at retail, Realtree camo swimsuits are offered
in concert with a wide assortment of products creating a
Realtree camo section within outdoor retailers. It’s been very
03
BACKFLIPS CASE STUDY
“
We have had the license for 10 years which is very
rare in the fashion industry. Realtree is a power
brand that seems to transcend all of the retail
categories; it has gone beyond one retailer’s
refusal to carry a product because another retailer
carries it. All of the retailers are carrying Realtree
because it resonates with their customers.
“
– Derold Zimmermann, President of Backflips, Inc.
“
“
Everything else tends to come and go but the
Realtree brand seems to stick around. The full
camo products have really survived. – Derold
Backflips sees more fashion in Realtree’s future.
Backflips has been very happy with the relationship with
Realtree both in terms of the success of the swimwear lines
and the closeness of the partnership.
“
We cherish the relationship with the people at
Realtree. We see a lot of growth potential for this
relationship. We’re both powerhouses within our
respective industries. When you have the right
people working together with one common goal it
works. We think of them as our family. I see a lot
of great opportunities in the future together.
“
effective in drawing consumers to the section and boosts
sales across all camo products including swimwear. This
has been very beneficial to Backflips because of the seasonal
nature of its product. It slips right into an existing array
of products drawing instant attention. Derold summed it
up best by saying, “Realtree helps our product do better.
They have so many different things going on in the outdoor
retailers, they have such a large family of brands, they play
off of each other. Realtree has created a department within
a department. All of the licensees are working together
strategically to make the brand and products successful. The
swimsuits are seasonal so they are a great accent piece in the
summer.”
Derold also indicated, “We have had the license for 10 years
which is very rare in the fashion industry. Realtree is a power
brand that seems to transcend all of the retail categories;
it has gone beyond one retailer’s refusal to carry a product
because another retailer carries it. All of the retailers are
carrying Realtree because it resonates with their customers.”
– Derold Zimmermann, President of Backflips, Inc.
Zimmermann, President of Backflips, Inc.
In the fashion industry, especially niche products such
as camo swimwear tend to come and go. However, the
consistency of the Realtree brand has been very unique in
the industry. According to Derold, “Everything else tends to
come and go but the Realtree brand seems to stick around.
The full camo products have really survived.”
Derold stated, “We cherish the relationship with the people
at Realtree. We see a lot of growth potential for this
relationship. We’re both powerhouses within our respective
industries. When you have the right people working together
with one common goal it works. We think of them as
our family. I see a lot of great opportunities in the future
together.”
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BACKFLIPS CASE STUDY
Derold indicated that Backflips’ focus for the next two to three
years is to expand the Realtree lines. Backflips is currently
in the design phases of Realtree underwear, sleepwear, and
lingerie. Derold noted, “We think it will open a whole new
category. We may take it to the specialty store market and
create a whole new demographic.”
For more case studies and information on developing a
business relationship with us, please visit:
BUSINESS.REALTREE.COM.
About Realtree
Realtree is the leading licensor of camouflage patterns in
world, with 70 percent market share. We are partnered with
more than 2,000 manufacturers who produce 18,000-plus
products utilizing our camouflage patterns and brands.
These products are offered by 35,000 retailers, resulting in
$4 billion in annual sales. Realtree is more than the world’s
most effective camouflage. We are a media company with
television shows, DVD titles and web properties that extend
our reach into millions of households nationwide. And we are
a marketing company with 30 years of experience in using
integrated marketing strategies to keep Realtree patterns and
brands at the forefront of the outdoor industry.
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BACKFLIPS CASE STUDY