Style West History

             In the fall of 1998, Kerri and David Sengstaken had a discussion about work, children and life. Dave owned a successful contracting business. Kerri recently had a baby and her marketing job was taking her all over the country. She loved her work, but it did not take long for the couple to realize that the time with their new daughter was passing them by. They decided that Kerri would quit her job and the two would form their own marketing and PR company; with the plan of running it from home. This would allow more time together as a family and satisfying work more on their terms.

             Originally named Kerri Marketing, the company started with humble beginnings. The business was operated in the couple’s spare bedroom of an old-style beach house near Oxnard, California. With a new flexible schedule, Dave frequently proclaimed he was going to attend a “board meeting” wearing a “black suit.” This was standard code for “I'm going surfing. Please cover the phones.”

             Board meetings wearing neoprene while holding a long board, soon turned into board meetings in designer suits, when the couple’s client list grew to include high profile fashion accounts. The company represented FreeStyle watches, Water Girl by Patagonia, Taryn Rose luxury shoes, Mario Valentino and Havaianas flip flops;  all up-and-coming players in the fashion or outdoor markets.  Dave and Kerri kept the list of clients select, in order to provide highly focused service with maximum results.

             Kerri Marketing became well known for placing their client’s products in high profile fashion magazines such as Wall Street Journal, Vogue, Elle, Glamour, Conde Nast Traveler, Vanity Fair and more. The company was also successful with work on the Oprah Winfrey show, Today show, Good Morning America, NPR, CBS Sunday Morning and other major reach programs. In public relations, placing products on such shows are the equivalent to winning gold medals at the Olympics—something for which many PR and marketing companies strive, yet few achieve. They routinely garnered maximum results for their clients—even those on a minimal budget. There was no shortage of work or requests from companies desiring the services of their team.

             By 2000, business was booming and the office was moved to an industrial complex. Dave selected a professional management team to design and implement an operations infrastructure with a solid plan for growth. The company added high tech capabilities such as EDI, a computerized warehouse inventory system and highly specific shipping preparation services to fill the needs of large retailers. The staff was increased to eight. The name of the company was officially changed to Style West; to reflect new offerings of services that went beyond marketing and PR. Sales, distribution and operations were added to the mix. With marketing, PR, sales, and distribution under one roof, the company was poised in a very unique position. It was rare for these services to be offered together by one company – especially a company that was becoming a powerhouse for brand building and marketing.

             That same year, Style West was awarded the United States distribution for Havaianas. At the time, the brand was a leader in Brazil, but was making small headway globally.  The product was an inexpensive flip flop and could have easily been placed in the mass market. Instead, Style West placed Havaianas at red carpet events, on celebrities and at high profile fashion events. Distribution was kept exclusive and only the most chic boutiques and high end department stores were allowed to carry the brand. Soon, Havaianas became iconic in the US and was featured in countless fashion editorials and television shows. Today, the brand can be found in over 2000 locations in the US.

             In 2003, Style West grew to over 15 employees and contracted with Cia. Marítima, the top beachwear brand from Brazil, manufactured by the textile giant The Rosset Group.  The company immediately applied top-shelf branding techniques and placed the products in the best swim stores nationwide. Today, Cia. Marítima has been represented at Olympus Fashion Week in New York and at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Miami Swim. Celebrities are embracing the brand which now graces the famous bodies of Karolina Kurkova, Marisa Miller, Denise Richards, Mel B and Katarina Smirnoff. The brand has also been featured in Sports Illustrated Swim Issue in 2007 and 2008, and countless fashion editorials in InStyle, People Style Watch, US Weekly, Seventeen, Surfing, Lucky, Muscle and Fitness, Fitness, Shape, Cosmo Girl.

             With an excellent reputation for sales and brand building, a solid infrastructure, and product placed in over 2000 accounts, the Style West company grew to over 40 employees and 108,000 square feet of distribution space by 2006.  Excellent managers and directors were positioned for the next phase of growth. Entrepreneur Magazine named Style West number 86 out of 100 in the Hot 100 issue, which salutes the fasting growing entrepreneurial companies in the United States.

             Dave and Kerri knew they had the perfect company ready to launch their own brands. World class marketing, PR, sales, distribution and operations were all in place, along with an international reputation for branding, impeccable ethics and hard work. They researched the fashion market in search for areas of opportunity.  They wanted to create an entirely new concept in the fashion industry. Not an easy task.

             By early 2008 Style West launched dav, a fashion lifestyle brand that focuses on rainwear and water resistant footwear and accessories. The line is designed in-house and fills a niche in the market. Until now, there have not been many choices in rainwear. With däv, there are high fashion boots with matching handbags, umbrellas and accessories, all designed to create a beautiful, pulled-together look for all types of weather.

             Proof of success emerged when däv was shown at its first trade show called MAGIC in Las Vegas, February 2008. Buyers filled the booth and said that they had never seen a collection like it.  The dollar amount and quantity of orders exceeded everyone’s expectations. Style West is now approaching the second showing of the line at the upcoming fall shows in Las Vegas in late 2008.

             In May 2008, Entrepreneur Magazine listed the company, again, on the Hot 100 list for the fastest growing companies in the US. This time, Style West jumped from number 86 to number 46. Inc. Magazine followed suit and named the company number 36 out of 100 for the fastest growing consumer products companies in the United States.

             By 2009, the däv line expanded to more than 500 accounts and continues to grow. Celebrities have started to favor the line and it has appeared in numerous fashion editorials in print and on TV.