The tide is turning
It is difficult to determine exactly when the back lash against the traditional surf brand began, but I would say that it took place in the first half of the last decade.
These days the traditional brands are regarded with a degree of distain by a significant number of surfers, particularly those in the older demographical groups. This being despite these companies having made small inroads by making a return to the styles and designs that were esteemed previously. I think a key reason for this is that many of the brands took there eye off the core market when they went main stream in the nineties. Those who had worn the labels with an unwavering loyalty for many years were suddenly shunned in favour of the promise of increased profits that selling to the masses offered. Because all but a few of these companies were no longer run by surfers for surfers, instead they had become huge corporations, where the share holders called the shots, they were arguably out of touch with their core market. I wonder just how many of the chiefs knew exactly what was going on in the market? I mean I am sure that profits were up and stayed that way for a while, but going down the fashion route was never going to end well. Sooner or later trends would change, the market would move on, and when this did inevitably happen, many of the traditional surf brands were left high and dry. The fact is that many of them hadn't been in the water for years.
While all of this was going on, a small new breed of companies emerged to fill the gap that the traditional companies had left. Patagonia for example did an incredible job of moving in to the territory that had been neglected for years. They addressed the core market of board riders, and produced the type of clothes that the market craved. I say this because for a long time surf wear became street wear, echoing the mainstream fashions and trends of the time, skulls, paint splashes and weird cuts are all well and good when you are a teen ager, but as a grown adult male, not so much. Yes they did maintain a 'classic' line, but this was either very difficult to come by, certainly in the UK at least, or was somehow just off the mark. There are other companies too, in the UK for example, Howies and Finisterre both appeared at a time when the traditional brands were all at sea. Again, their designs were very much about quality, durability and projected the type of image that had been absent for quite some time.
Fast forward to 2014, and I can see that things are beginning to shift again, albeit slowly. The traditional surf/boarding related labels have obviously taken stock of where they are at, and have really made an effort to gain the support and loyalty of the market that had been neglected for quite a few years. There are some great designs coming through again, which are clearly being aimed at the older market. Reissues of old prints, the use of logos from previous decades and the over all style of these ranges is testament to that. This is great news, but the sad truth is that many of the genuine surf shops that stocked these brands have either closed entirely, or shifted their emphasis towards a different market.
Despite everything, I have remained loyal and true to the likes of Quiksilver, Rip Curl, O'Neill etc throughout. Although I think a major contributing factor in this is the fact that I am fortunate to travel to the US on a fairly regular basis and have therefore been able to get a hold of lines that were never available in the UK. But I am quietly stoked that there are some great designs coming through, and that while the brands are wholly different to how they were many years ago in terms of their size and structure, they clearly have people on board who are able to gauge the state of the market. In that they are producing some of the best lines that I have seen in years. They really do seem to have taken note of what is happening, and are aiming their ranges at the surfer once more. I just hope that this market is in a forgiving mood and embraces these companies into the future.
These days the traditional brands are regarded with a degree of distain by a significant number of surfers, particularly those in the older demographical groups. This being despite these companies having made small inroads by making a return to the styles and designs that were esteemed previously. I think a key reason for this is that many of the brands took there eye off the core market when they went main stream in the nineties. Those who had worn the labels with an unwavering loyalty for many years were suddenly shunned in favour of the promise of increased profits that selling to the masses offered. Because all but a few of these companies were no longer run by surfers for surfers, instead they had become huge corporations, where the share holders called the shots, they were arguably out of touch with their core market. I wonder just how many of the chiefs knew exactly what was going on in the market? I mean I am sure that profits were up and stayed that way for a while, but going down the fashion route was never going to end well. Sooner or later trends would change, the market would move on, and when this did inevitably happen, many of the traditional surf brands were left high and dry. The fact is that many of them hadn't been in the water for years.
While all of this was going on, a small new breed of companies emerged to fill the gap that the traditional companies had left. Patagonia for example did an incredible job of moving in to the territory that had been neglected for years. They addressed the core market of board riders, and produced the type of clothes that the market craved. I say this because for a long time surf wear became street wear, echoing the mainstream fashions and trends of the time, skulls, paint splashes and weird cuts are all well and good when you are a teen ager, but as a grown adult male, not so much. Yes they did maintain a 'classic' line, but this was either very difficult to come by, certainly in the UK at least, or was somehow just off the mark. There are other companies too, in the UK for example, Howies and Finisterre both appeared at a time when the traditional brands were all at sea. Again, their designs were very much about quality, durability and projected the type of image that had been absent for quite some time.
Fast forward to 2014, and I can see that things are beginning to shift again, albeit slowly. The traditional surf/boarding related labels have obviously taken stock of where they are at, and have really made an effort to gain the support and loyalty of the market that had been neglected for quite a few years. There are some great designs coming through again, which are clearly being aimed at the older market. Reissues of old prints, the use of logos from previous decades and the over all style of these ranges is testament to that. This is great news, but the sad truth is that many of the genuine surf shops that stocked these brands have either closed entirely, or shifted their emphasis towards a different market.
Despite everything, I have remained loyal and true to the likes of Quiksilver, Rip Curl, O'Neill etc throughout. Although I think a major contributing factor in this is the fact that I am fortunate to travel to the US on a fairly regular basis and have therefore been able to get a hold of lines that were never available in the UK. But I am quietly stoked that there are some great designs coming through, and that while the brands are wholly different to how they were many years ago in terms of their size and structure, they clearly have people on board who are able to gauge the state of the market. In that they are producing some of the best lines that I have seen in years. They really do seem to have taken note of what is happening, and are aiming their ranges at the surfer once more. I just hope that this market is in a forgiving mood and embraces these companies into the future.
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