5 Of The Best Independent Surf Brands
7 year old me would have scoffed at the idea that I was in any way able to give an opinion on 5 of The Best Independent Surf Brands for 2021. Growing up in the middle of the UK, I was about as far away from the ocean as you can get and constantly wishing it were closer. I lived for the moment each Summer that we would pack up (what seemed like) half the house and make the epic 5-6 hour car journey to Cornwall, home to super cool surf spots, pasties and clothing shops unlike anything I had experienced in my wee market town.
Everyone and everything seemed a little bit cooler, as if the sea spray had imbued them with a unique surfer style that I could never hope to emulate. Of course I know now that the “unique” style they were sporting came from the big surf brands, like O’Neil, Roxy and Billabong. Back then I duly purchased a few cool items, a Roxy purse and Billabong t-shirt, but imagine my disappointment when I eventually made it to Australia, home of surfer cool and everyone was wearing brands that I had never heard of. The new up and coming independent surf brands were now way cooler than the larger well known names.
Since those early days I have made an unconscious decision to live as close to the ocean as possible, with my current destination a remote island in Scotland (Isle of Tiree), well known for its awesome beaches and year round surf possibilities - and a growing surf brand – THIRTY-SQUARE. These days it’s less about wearing the big name brands and more about searching for those independent brands. The ones that began with a great story, a whole lot of passion and a desire to create something meaningful, as well as cool.
One of the upsides to the past year (bear with me here...it has been terrible in so many ways, but I am desperately searching for a positive)! is that we have a little more time.Time for online research, time to really think about what we want from our surf brands and time to appreciate their stories. Which is why, on a wet and windy day, I am sat here pondering...who would feature on a list for 5 Of The Best independent Surf Brands for 2021?
THIRTY-SQUARE
Outerknown
Cariuma
Birdwell Britches
Nineplus
1. THIRTY-SQUARE
We could be coy, but let's be real, THIRTY-SQUARE are earning their spot on the best independent surf brands for 2021. What began as a beach board meeting on the Isle of Tiree in Scotland, has developed into a growing cold water surf co. The initial focus was on creating and testing a world class wooden bodysurfing handboard and from that sprung a collection of surf inspired clothing and accessories. [a bit about the good we are doing]. Mention a couple of cool ambassadors, e.g. Ben, Ella, Alex. The wooden handplanes are beautiful to look at - if you are not an avid watersports person you could easily buy one purely to hang on your wall as a piece of art.
I was never a great fan of bodysurfing (as my husband glided through the water with no board needed, I would just get turned over by the wave), but once I got the hang of the 30 Wood Handplane I was flying along and feeling pretty damn cool.
My other personal favourite is the Cold Water Co collection. The world is in a growing love affair with cold water therapy and although the science is only just catching up, there are some strong cases to show how true the Thirty Square Cold Water Happy tag line is.
One scientific study which has gained attention, was published in the British Medical Journal. “A 24-year-old woman with symptoms of major depressive disorder and anxiety had been treated for the condition since the age of 17. Following the birth of her daughter, she wanted to be medication-free and symptom-free. A programme of weekly open (cold) water swimming was trialled. This led to an immediate improvement in mood following each swim and a sustained and gradual reduction in symptoms of depression, and consequently a reduction in, and then cessation of, medication. On follow-up a year later, she remains medication-free."
So hang the board, hang tight with the board, take a dunk in the cold water, or rock the Cold Water Happy hoodie. There are many ways to be a part of the THIRTY-SQUARE collective.
2. Outerknown
Even if you aren’t a member of the surf community, chances are high that you will know the name Kelly Slater. Not only is he considered the most successful pro surfer of all time, he even managed to appear on 27 episodes of Baywatch with the Hoffman himself. Sponsored by Quicksilver since the 90’s, Kelly left them in 2014 as he wanted to start up his own clothing brand. Joining with designer John Moore, they created Outerknown. Moore says, "We're surfers who grew up with surf brands, but we grew out of logos. And we want to wear clothing that's made better and looks better." Kelly had sported Quicksilver branded clothing for years, but he knew very little about the clothing and how it was made. “I became interested in how clothes are made,” he told Vogue, “where textiles come from, the effects on the environment, social consciousness. . .
I thought all those aspects could be put together in one company.” “The surf world is not known for making great clothing and they don’t have high prices, so when we came out with really nice clothes at a higher price point, I got a lot of flack from people saying I’d sold out or just wanted to line my pockets. The ironic thing about that is, I took a gigantic pay cut to start a brand I believed in.”
The gamble seems to be paying off and Outerknown are really leading the change in terms of an eco conscious forward thinking brand. 90% of the fibres they use are organic, 100% of their trunks are made from recycled or renewable fibres and they give a guarantee for life on their S.E.A jeans. It is an inspiring approach and it will be interesting to see where they go and the effect they will have on other surf brands. MORE INFO
3. Cariuma
I am feeling like that uncool 7 year old again right now, as I had not yet discovered Cariuma, but having found them I think they will be a purchase for the future!
This surf brand is solely focused on sneakers. The company was started by two board sports loving guys based in Rio de Janeiro who felt that “the industry-standard “cool-classic” sneakers were really uncomfortable and that the big corporations weren’t socially responsible and didn’t really care about sustainability in an active way.”
They decided to reinvent the sneaker game and they appear to be succeeding. Described as “old school shoes meet new school ethics...offering 70’s skater vibes” the efforts that they go to in order to create a sustainable but cool looking shoe are quite something. The rubber used is gathered from the hevea brasiliensis tree through ethical “tapping” (removing a milky sap from its bark). “So, no trees are ever harmed in the production of our sneakers!” They also gather and reuse every excess piece of rubber on the next pair of shoes. Likewise their Cork is carefully scraped from the cork tree so that the tree remains intact and can form new bark.
This trend for surfers inspired by their environment and a desire to protect it, is something that I am seeing across many of the up and coming independent surf brands - which is something that we can all celebrate and support. MORE INFO
4. Birdwell Britches
In 1961 Carrie Birdwell Mann transformed her small southern California home into a sewing room and store, launching Birdwell Beach Britches. It was one of the first businesses specializing in surf wear, making her living room one of the first surf shops. Birdwell were all about slow fashion, way before there was a term for it and their shorts are said to last across generations. Apparently customers often send in photos of their father’s or grandfather’s board shorts, still going strong.
By 2014 the family had lost their love for the business and accepted an offer from a local surfer and Facebook exec (Matt Jacobson), who loved the company and wanted to grow the brand, but maintain the legacy. Jacobson has moved the company from wholesale to a direct to customer sales approach, engaging on insta and facebook to grow their community - and it seems to be working. One customer said “When you order online now, it’s still delivered in the same Birdwell box, same as the times when I would call up one of the sisters and buy it over the phone,” “It’s more efficient now, but, oddly enough, retains the same feel for me it had many years ago.” MORE INFO
5. Nineplus
Another company with a great story, Nineplus began in 1963, in St Agnes Cornwall. The founder Richard Balding drove around the UK and Europe in his VW, packed with stock, attending surf events and cajoling people into buying his products, which were packaged and dispatched by school kid workers back home. He later teamed up with a California surfboard maker to sell and produce surf boards and by 2003 they were operating from warehouses in Cornwall and France. The real turning point though, was their neoprene wetsuits, which revolutionised the design, including creating a shape that fitted and suited women.
Nineplus wetsuits are iconic today and renowned for their understated look and cold fighting warmth. They also created #warmclub and formed a charity with this tagline, which produces sleeping bags for the homeless. The company story highlights the good and bad times in the company and shows that a passionate and fierce approach is what you need to build a successful independent surf brand.
When I began this piece I was planning to feature more than 5 brands, but there were so many great options out there and each of them were so interesting and inspiring, that I think it warrants further investigation and a follow up article. MORE INFO
In the course of my research I was quite shocked to find that many of those cool and quirky surf brands that I used to love are now part of one large company. In 2018 Quicksilvers parent company Boardriders purchased Billabong to create a new super surf conglomerate which includes Roxy, DC shoes, Von Zipper, Element and RVCA.
Although I didn’t know that fact, I had already made a move away from larger brand names in favour of something independent and more authentic, which I think is something many consumers are doing. As I said at the start, we want more from our brands now. We want the story, the passion, the ideals and we want to be amongst the first to discover those brands and champion them using our own stories.
Independent brands aren’t created in a boardroom, they are created by a group of people with a passion to make something different, something real and the consumer wants to be a part of that journey. In choosing their new boardshorts from Outerknown, their new hoodie from THIRTY-SQUARE and their new kicks from Cariuma, they buy into that journey and document it on their own social media story. It is exciting to be a part of a shared journey and we all want to embrace something fresh and authentic. Based on the independent surf brands that I have discovered so far, there is a lot to choose from in 2021.