Roller skating brand Flipper’s World names fashion insider CEO

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Dive Brief:

• Roller skating brand Flipper’s World has appointed Eddie Bromberg CEO, according to a Monday press release sent to Fashion Dive.
• In his new role, Bromberg will oversee strategic initiatives and be responsible for “bringing in key new partnerships while increasing the brand’s footprint in the lifestyle space,” per the release. He’ll work with the company’s founder and creative director, model Liberty Ross, along with Ariel Elazar Storch, the brand’s president, and Courtney Teller, SVP and global head of operations, planning and marketing.
• Bromberg’s hire “signals the company’s commitment to apparel and continuation of roller-skating events and experiences,” per the release. The upcoming apparel collection will feature women’s, men’s and unisex performance, leisure and lifestyle pieces including active sport and casual basic items, a spokesperson for the company said in an email.

Dive Insight:

Bromberg will report to the board of directors, which includes Ross and co-founder Kevin Wall as well as Michael Rapino, Maverick Carter, Joseph McCoy and advisors Andrew Rosenfield, Don Thompson and Ross’ husband Jimmy Iovine, per the release.

Prior to joining Flipper’s World, Bromberg spent more than three years as COO of independent luxury fashion brand Fear of God and its spin-off casualwear line Essentials. Prior to that, he was CEO of now-defunct California-based lifestyle retailer Planet Blue for nearly three years. He was also president at Cotton Citizen, EVP at Rock & Republic, as well as an executive at various fashion companies including James Perse and Industry Concepts.

“Flipper’s has experienced incredible growth stemming from a global movement that has taken shape with a community that is engaged, fashionable and brings the party to wherever we show up across the globe,” Ross said in the release. “Eddie’s hire underpins our ambitions to make Flipper’s World as accessible as possible, with a dedicated approach to apparel and experiential events that resonate with our roller-skating family across the world.”

In addition to its initial apparel launch, the company plans to eventually add children’s clothing, per the spokesperson. Most pieces will be priced between $40 and $200 range, with luxury items also included “as well as collaborations with strategic partners yet to be announced,” the spokesperson said. A launch date has not been announced.

The Los Angeles-based company, originally called Flipper’s Roller Boogie Palace, was founded by Ian “Flipper” Ross in 1979 and relaunched in 2021 by Ross’ daughter, model Liberty Ross, and co-founder Kevin Wall. The company currently operates a reimagined version of Flipper’s Roller Boogie Palace in London, and has previously hosted a popup version of its roller rink in New York, Los Angeles and Las Vegas.

Musician Usher is a partner in the brand, per the release, and Flipper’s World was on display during his 2024 Super Bowl halftime show, which featured the musician wearing custom-made roller skates.

“It’s incredibly exciting to be joining Flipper’s World at a moment of rapid expansion and to partner with Liberty and USHER, having witnessed them take this legacy idea and transform it into a global brand,” Bromberg said in the release. “We have the opportunity to build long-term strategic value for our community with apparel that is authentic to their lifestyle, one which transcends roller-skating, and to build experiences and events that celebrate the art and culture of the sport in all its glory.”