A Seattle-based luxury sportswear company is moving to Arizona.
WOW Studios announced on Oct. 19 its decision to relocate its headquarters to downtown Tucson. The company will lease a 17,474 square foot facility at 1 East Toole Ave. and will make room for both retail space and office/design studios. It is scheduled to open in January.
The big move is expected to add 50 jobs in design, marketing, sales and engineering with a $252 million economic impact in the next 10 years.
“Arizona continues to attract innovative companies that are advancing new technologies and groundbreaking ideas,” Gov. Doug Ducey said in a release. “Thank you to WOW Studios for choosing to relocate their headquarters to Tucson and creating more new jobs in Southern Arizona.”
WOW Studios is led by established industry executives Joey Rodolfo and Stacy Bennett.
"My vision is to establish Tucson as the next hub of innovative design not just in fashion, but in health/wellness and wearable tech," Joey Rodolfo, co-founder of WOW Studios, said in a release. "Tucson is business-friendly and offers incredible partnership opportunities. I want to see how we can build a new industry in Tucson, attract suppliers and create the next generation of health and wellness products that make lives better. The environment is important to us -- we believe in slow fashion with ethical production."
The project is partnered by the City of Tucson, the University of Arizona, Pima County, Rio Nuevo and Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA).
“Tucson continues to attract emerging tech innovators and WOW Studios is a very exciting addition to the Southern Arizona innovation ecosystem,” ACA President and CEO Sandra Watson said in a release. “We’re grateful to Joey Rodolfo and his team for choosing Arizona and excited to see them succeed in our state."
The Buki Collection is the company’s signature brand that offers luxury technical wardrobe essentials and outfits. It is made for comfort using sustainably-sourced marine collagen fabric and state-of-the-art Japanese fiber.