Gone are the days when the traditional surf brands dominated the market and most competitors on the CT donned a Quiksilver, Rip Curl or Billabong sticker. Most of the dominant surf apparel brands from the past few decades are owned by parent companies now and while the impact of this on the culture is seen as predominantly negative, it’s paving the way for surfers to get creative when it comes to deciding on who they work with.
The first way is through the introduction of a number of surfer-owned brands, which many believe is the key to a lasting future in our industry – brands owned by surfers who care about our sport, culture and want it to be safe and thriving for generations to come. Kelly Slater was one of the first to start the movement with Outerknown, Dane Reynolds and Craig Anderson have found their niche with Former, John John Florence and his brothers Nathan and Ivan are hoping to create a lasting legacy with Florence Marine X, Julian Wilson is combining his love for surfing, golf and motorsport with Rivvia Projects and even Kolohe Andino, the once poster child for corporate America’s introduction to surfing when his board was stickered up with brands like Nike 6.0 and Target, has changed direction and is keeping it core and helping to nurture a new wave of San Clemente talent through 2 Percent.
Another way in which surfers are beginning to branch out is by partnering with brands outside of the surfing world that are traditionally involved in other areas of fashion or sport, but are looking to make their mark on the surf industry.
The most recent example is San Clemente heartthrob and powerhouse Cole Houshmand who recently parted ways with Vissla after an 11 year relationship together. The goofy footer, who won his first CT event at Bells last season during his rookie year on tour, has now partnered with Santo Studio which is described as ‘an authentic luxury design studio, creating the bridge between fashion and performance’.
In an Instagram post from Bear D’Egidio, the creative brain behind Santo Studio, he wrote: “Santo Studio will be launching the Surf Division in 2025, led by professional surfer Cole Houshmand & will be looking to innovate and support the culture of surf, locally and internationally with events and partnerships behind Cole and the team of athletes as Santo Studios looks to innovate collectively with Cole leading the design flow in new water specific developments – As the brand builds a culture of design and innovation disciplined by creating meaningful and honest pieces, we aspire to align Santo Studio with our athletes’ aspirations of becoming better today than they were yesterday.”
While Cole’s flair comes from his backhand attack and unique hair styles, he’ll be applying that personal touch throughout the design process for Santo Studio’s new surf division range. Houshy joins an eclectic star studded crew of athletes that have partnered with Santo Studio including skateboarders Nyjah Houston, Ryan Sheckler and more recently UFC fighter Khalil Rountree Jr.
That’s not the only brand which can count a professional surfer and a number of other high level professional athletes on their team. Earlier this year bodybuilding brand Darc Sport announced its intention to plant their flag on Oahu and stake their claim in surfing and a number of other sports. They did this by building a team of Hawaiian powerhouses including Bruce Irons, Koa Rothman, Alessa Quizon and her husband UFC BMF Champion Max Holloway. Darc Sport also counts father-son duo Peter and John Mel as members of its team too, who all now rep the wolf logo sticker on the nose of their boards.
The brand, which was founded by the Civil brothers, was established in 2015 as a bodybuilding brand but has since seen rapid growth and ventured into the world of fitness influencers, before branching into MMA and surfing. Their mission statement ‘NFGU’ (Never Fucking Give Up) has now been plastered over a range of surf related apparel which is being worn by their team and has recently gone on sale to the general public.
While Santo and Darc Sport are the most recent examples of brands outside of surfing beginning to dip their toes in, they are not the first and they won’t be the last. Other notable ventures include Leo Fioravanti’s partnership with French brand K-Way who are a leader in wind and waterproof jackets. The Italian stallion has also been an ambassador for high fashion brand Gucci. The partnership has seen him land shots in magazines such as Vogue and Rolling Stone.
Through every cloud is a silver lining and while many surfers’ sponsorship deals with conglomerate companies like Quik, Billabong, RVCA are dropping like flies, a lot of pros continue to prove that there is always different methods to reinvent yourself. That may be through creating your own brand in order to try and have a lasting impact on an industry that has been on its knees for years, or it may be through getting in touch with your creative side and working with brands outside of the norm.
