ON THE CREST OF A WAVE

WORDS Nick Nicols PHOTOS Vissla

Gold Coast-based surf brand Vissla has been quietly making waves with the surfing set globally, and it's not afraid to make some noise about the environment either.

Australian-born companies Billabong, Rip Curl and Quiksilver have long held the mantle as icons of surf culture.

Their roots stretch back decades to a time when surfing was all about hitting the road with a board hanging out the back of the ute or panel van, and then spending the weekend scoping out the coastal breaks.

towards sustainability is driving a new era in the industry.

These days the essence of a surfing brand is

just as immersed in ethical production as it is

in the latest gear or board shape, and that’s

been a strong point for emerging Gold Coast

based surfwear company Vissla.

Not much has changed there, except that surfing these days is less subculture and more mainstream.

It’s a business with a global reach, founded in 2013 by Paul Naude, Derek O’Neil and John Mossop who are respectively based in the US,

become one of the largest privately-owned surfwear groups in Australia.

Vissla isn’t a brand to take a softly, softly approach with its message and it has been highly active in creating clever video campaigns to promote the brand and its ideals.

The latest campaign appeared to be taking the sustainability mantra to a new level with the launch of the Rising Seas wetsuit to its surfwear collection. The Vissla creatives had their tongues-in-cheeks when mapping out the campaign, although the message was sombre and thought-provoking.

Vissla and the Surfrider Foundation latched onto an apocalyptic theme for the faux campaign. Set against a dark and foreboding backdrop, the video opens with US pro surfer Cam Richards donning the wetsuit and a protective mask complete with a respirator to tackle the waves in his goofy-foot style.

The Rising Seas wetsuit was billed as a ‘bio-defence system to face the emerging ecological crises’.

“It’s one of those campaigns that creates the conversations we have to have,” says John Mossop, who controls Vissla’s Australasian operations from its Burleigh Heads headquarters.

“The future of the natural environment is at the forefront of every one of us who loves surfing and loves being out there on the water. The concept for this campaign was to give us all a bit of a reality check about where we are heading.”

The collaboration with Surfrider Foundation is among many that Vissla has undertaken since signing up in 2015 to become a Surf Industry Coastal defender, which is a coalition of industry brands working towards ensuring our waters remain clean and our beaches are healthy for future generations.

It’s not that Vissla wants to ram home some environmental crusade, but it’s typical of a brand that was born to be different. The name itself has puzzled many.

“The SS stands for seven seas and, if you look closely at the stylised letters of the name, you’ll notice the L is the number seven upside down. Each of the other letters, such as the V which is actually a calliper used in the shaping of a surfboard, also have meaning to us and keep us focused on our brand values,” says John.

“When we established Vissla we wanted to take a different approach to the products we brought to the market and to the way we engaged with the surfing community at large.

“We’re obviously commercially driven but we’re also a company that wants to drive meaningful change in the way the industry operates.

Vissla is renowned for the quality of its wetsuits, described in some quarters as fitting like seaweed on a sushi roll. However, it’s also

being noticed for its use of recyclables in the manufacture of many of its clothing lines.

In 2017, Vissla introduced upcycled coconut boardshorts, putting to good use the mountain of husks from some of the 20 billion coconuts consumed globally, along with the countless billions of plastic bottles discarded each year. The result is a boardshort that blends Cocotex yarn with recycled Repreve polyester to create durable, stretchable and odour-resistant surfwear.

Vissla is parent company to D’Blanc eyewear and the women’s brand Amuse Society, but more recently it introduced a new brand, Sisstrevolution, with a new focus on women’s surfing gear. The seven seas are again embedded in the name.

“Some of the most exciting progression in surfing is happening on the women’s side of the space and we are keen to recognise that and give this new generation a brand it can call its own,” says John.

“A lot of what we do is driven by what surfers look for in their gear,” says John.

“That starts with choosing sustainable options across the fashion lines as much as possible, but first and foremost it has to be functional.

“We’re seeing this happening so much more across the board with so many innovators in the industry seeking ways to keep surfing culture true to its core principles including its intimate connection with the natural environment.

There’s fun in the animated ‘protect and surf’ campaign which highlights how the surfing industry globally, from shapers to scientists, are looking at ways to enhance sustainability.

Retro is also in Vissla’s DNA, harking back to simpler days of a surfing subculture that has since opened up to a broader demographic.

“Whereas Amuse Society is more for women and girls who love the beach life, Sisstr is more about girls who really love surfing.

“The brand obviously is leveraging off our existing infrastructure to create product that is sustainable, and especially with our wetsuits which have really made an impact in the industry.”

The strategy is embedded in the roots of the founders of the brand. They all love surfing and still get out there every chance they can.

Vissla Telephone: 5606 7375 Email: info@visslaau.com @ visslasurf @ visslasurf www.vissla.com