Retail Buyer’s Guide: Men’s Surf

RETAIL BUYER’S GUIDE

MENS SURF APPAREL FW 22

More than ever, the boundaries between surf clothing and outdoor equipment/outerwear are blurred. For fall/ winter 2022/23, brands are picking and choosing from the best of two worlds, coming away with ultra-versatile pieces aimed at all audiences, from confirmed surfers to Sunday adventurers. By David Bianic.

RUSTY

One man’s joy is another man’s misery. Such was the destiny of men’s surf clothing in the last two winters. While the outerwear category felt the full force of the pandemic in the winter sports sector with the total or partial closures of ski resorts, many people turned towards surfing in winter. So with the 2021/22 snow season looking like a return to business as usual (with additional masks and health passports) and bookings and sales taking off, will winter surf apparel suffer as a result and return to its “normal levels” of 2019? According to Sofia Diaz, Brand Manager at Lightning Bolt in Europe, retailers are showing caution, preferring to order there and then rather than going for pre-orders. In addition to this we can see big differences between regions, confides Dilan Lambert, Men’s Brand Manager at Rusty who reveals “there were shortages of stock in certain places and in others major oversupply”. The situation is sometimes really chaotic, says Sam Coombes, Founder of The Critical Slide Society (TCSS) between “supply chain issues, unseasonably warm weather, lockdowns”. But in the last two years everyone- brands, distributors, retailers- have learned to live with this commercial volatility and are “making do”.

WINTER 2022 WILL BE…

Without further ado, let’s look at what surf apparel will lean towards out of its various influences from outdoor/outerwear, streetwear and traditional surfing. Dakine define themselves as a brand whose world extends “from the water to the mountains and lifestyle in between”, which translates into a strong influence from “outdoor and riding activities”, explains Rémi Chaussemiche from Surf Marketing. For others like Hurley, it’s about adding more fashion and streetwear pieces “so our audience can grow” explains Product Manager Manon Jouanine, as well as continuing to push their Surf Heritage collection. It’s also worth mentioning that Hurley are preparing to launch an outerwear collection, clearing new ground in the mountains. We should also highlight an interesting route taken by Lighting Bolt who wish to “to deconstruct gender labels” by offering more unisex products. In the same spirit of fluidity, Brakeburn aren’t talking about surf apparel for the winter but about outerwear, a term normally reserved for snow.

THE KEY PIECES OF FW22

More specifically, here are the pieces that you’ll have to stock in your shop. The big winners are undoubtedly fleeces, puffer jackets and overshirts. “Layering is becoming more and more prevalent”, assures Dilan at Rusty on the subject of overshirting. Quilting at TCSS, insulated Thermore Ecodown flannel at Dakine, stretch flannel from …Lost, the big shirt is a sure-fire hit. When it comes to polar fleeces, it just keeps evolving like at Hurley with their sherpa liner or at …Lost with their tie-dye. Their thermal properties and comfort (normally at a reasonable price) make them timeless must-haves. More daring, Lightning Bolt are going for a long-sleeved polo in brushed fleece. We often forget to mention the lower half but as it happens, influences from workwear are apparent, especially in the twills and cords from TCSS. As for colours, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it, so most of the brands are rolling out their clothes in either a natural, earthy palette or in really bright tones.

MATERIALS FW22

The last paragraph was riddled with spoilers about the materials and fabrics of choice for next winter. Synthetics have incontestable heatretaining properties and Hurley are employing them on the Windchill and Thermique fleeces while O’Neill are swearing by Polartec. Nevertheless, others such as Rusty are exemplifying a trend that diverges from classic fleeces in favour of fabrics like “cord, wool and lots of terrys”. Sam from TCSS confirms the rise of cord, “you’ll find corduroy in every category now”, sometimes mixed with elastane for more comfort and freedom of movement. Another retro-modern mix comes from Brakeburn who are combining a Borg liner (fake fur) and Rip Stop exterior. Beyond recycled polyesters, there are other eco-friendly materials to be found: bio cotton (Better Cotton Initiative) from Hurley, some treated with EcoWash (reduced water consumption) while at O’Neill 80% of the collection is Blue Label certified (made of at least 50% sustainable materials). O’Neill have also thought about their products’ end of life with the highly innovative Bio-Field jacket that’s 100% biodegradable, even the inks, manufactured from a derivative of seaweed!

Patagonia are calling on the use of waste plastic for their Down Sweater puffer made of NetPlus, a ripstop nylon recycled from used fishing nets and stuffed with an RDS (animal welfare standard) down. We can’t really say that the surfwear sector is resting on its laurels with such a good selection of innovations, now can we?

“From the water to the mountains and lifestyle in

between” Rémi Chaussemiche, Dakine

HIGHLIGHTS

Visit our website to see in depth brand previews of this category.

BOARDSPORTSOURCE.

1 Fleeces, Sherpa liners, overshirts 2 Corduroy combined with tech fabrics 3 Workwear (trousers) 4 Biodegradable Materials