Killer Profits In Velcro Valley

Surf- and snowboard-clothing firms give radical new meaning to the term core business

It's about respecting the stone, about being absolutely core. The stone, according to Volcom president Richard Woolcott, 33, "represents the buzz from a good skate session or riding a 10-ft. wave at pipe. The stone represents the euphoric state of riding."

Core is core, bro, as in hard-core. Right now, in the Orange County, Calif., coastal-wear industry, the Volcom stone--a diamond-shape logo sewn onto shirts, shorts and pants--is totally core, commanding huge respect within the genre of attitude-drenched brands that cool 15-year-olds crave. "Whatever they put the stone on is gonna rock out the door," says Joe Luzzia, owner of Identity...

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