Surfing

John John Florence Goes VivoBarefoot

by The Editors on November 3, 2023

We’ve always laughed when someone claimed to “love barefoot walks on the beach,” but lately we’ve discovered that putting our bare feet on the earth each morning for a couple of miles makes a huge difference in the rest of the day. Apparently, John John Florence agrees and he’s added his name to a line of “barefoot” shoes from VivoBarefoot. ”

“Nature is where I find myself getting the most enjoyment out of life. Being in the ocean, surfing, sailing, or in the mountains exploring just feels natural. It’s where I choose to spend my time,” 2John says. “It all starts with getting moving, using your feet.”

Friends who have run barefoot for years say it improves balance, foot strength, and creates a more positive connection to the world around them (among other health benefits).  We’re going to try John John’s shoes for a while. If you’re interested, click the link and check out them out for yourself.

[Link: VivoBarefoot]

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

Arena Group Launching Zombie Channels

by The Editors on October 4, 2023

From the “wonder what The Arena Group is going to do with all their zombie magazine brands” files comes news that Arena has partnered with AcTVe to launch five FAST (stands for free, ad-supported television) “channels” with their action sporting brands, according to story on Deadline.com.

Powder Mag, Surfer Magazine, Transworld Skateboarding, Bike Mag and Snowboarder will provide the backbones for the new channels, which will debut globally this fall. The channels will be available on free, ad-supported streaming platforms like SportsTribal, FreeMovies+ and FreeCast, as well as via Roku, Vizio and Samsung. More distribution platforms will be added in 2024, the companies said.

We have absolutely no idea what these “platforms” are, who watches them, or what this means for the brands. Nor, do we believe they will spend any real money on content. So what is going to be on the channels (aside from paid advertising against no viewers)? If you understand any of this, please let us know in the comments.

[Link: Deadline.com]

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

Authentic Brands Group Liberates Boardriders

by The Editors on September 27, 2023

Today (September 27, 2023), Jamie Salter’s Authentic Brands Group announced that they have chosen Costa Mesa’s Liberated Brands as the licensee for several of their recently purchased Boardriders brands.

In the deal, Liberated will run retail and e-commerce ops for Quiksilver, Billabong, Roxy, RVCA, Honolua and Boardriders in the US and Canada. They will also act as the official licensee for the Billabong, RVCA, and Honolua brands. The press release makes it seem like they’ve reached outside Authentic Brands to do a licensing deal, when it’s actually more of an inside play. ABG owns a rather large chunk (officially a “minority stake”) of Liberated Brands so they’re basically licensing the brands to themselves while building in a little distance. Here’s how Nick Woodhouse explains it:

“We are thrilled to expand our partnership with Liberated,” said Nick Woodhouse, President and CMO at Authentic. “As evidenced by their focus on the growth of Volcom and Spyder, Liberated’s unwavering commitment to innovation and community engagement makes them the ideal partner to take on Billabong, RVCA and Honolua, as well as the retail operations for the best lifestyle brands inspired by skate, surf and snow. Together, we look forward to implementing our strategic vision for growth and expanding the brands’ presence in the US and Canada.”

Yes, your own business usually makes a great “partner.” Sorting out the facts of this announcement are well above our pay grade, but let’s just say it is always entertaining to see how these businesses shuffle things around. Side note: if you’re a graphic designer, Liberated is looking for a few good people to shape the vision for the brands moving forward. For the official release, click the link.

[Link: Authentic Brands Group]

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

Dawn Patrol Updating App For WatchOS 10

by The Editors on September 7, 2023

Our long running love/hate relationship with the Apple Watch surf tracking app Dawn Patrol continues. It is, by far, the most elegant solution to putting a tide chart on the Apple watch, but when it comes to actual live tide data it falls way short.

Dawn Patrol gives the high and low tides along with the local time of each event, but for current tide measurements, and/or what the tide will be tomorrow or the day after, Dawn Patrol offers nothing at all. Some of this will reportedly change soon.

In our next release you’ll get a short term forecast on the Apple Watch! Stay tuned for the update, it will come alongside the release of watchOS 10.

In the meantime, we’ve found that by adding the free Ocean Watch app to our Apple watch we now have the live tide (lower right complication) and forecasting that we need. Ocean watch also has a tide chart complication, but it’s clunky. Dawn Patrol for pretty graphics and moderately close water temps, and Ocean Watch for real tide data.

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

Jamie Salter Closes on Boardriders Purchase

by The Editors on September 1, 2023

Authentic Brands Group has officially completed its purchase of Boardriders (parent company to most every action sports brand you remember from your youth) for the alleged sale price of $1.25 billion and added a reported $1.4 billion to its annual sales totals, according to a blurb in Women’s Wear Daily.

In March, the brand development, marketing and entertainment firm inked a deal to acquire Boardriders, the parent of Quiksilver, Billabong, Roxy, RVCA, DC Shoes, Element, VonZipper, Honolua and Boardriders, for a reported $1.25 billion. At the time, Authentic had sales of $27.6 billion. . . The company said it would shortly begin to orchestrate its plan to “announce a roster of best-in-class partners around the world to help drive the brands in their next stage of growth.”

And to think, it all started for Jamie Salter with a little company called Kemper Snowboards. Ah, those were the days, weren’t they?

[Link: WWD]

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

The Perils of Fiji’s Surf Paradise

by The Editors on May 2, 2023

A little reminder that in any tropical paradise there are many more pieces in play than anyone could possibly imagine, from Vanity Fair.

Five years ago, Ratu “Jona” Joseva, a 32-year-old Indigenous Fijian boat taximan, and two Aussie lifelong surfing bros, Navrin Fox and Woody Jack, bought an overgrown five-acre patch of coastline on Malolo, among the most popular of Fiji’s more than 330 islands. With its crescent beaches, Seussian palms, and proximity to the international airport, the roadless three-mile-long island has become a post-lockdown playground for billionaire yachties and privacy-seeking celebs.

What could possibly go wrong? Click the link for the rest of the horrifyingly complex story.

[Link: Vanity Fair]

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

Dawn Patrol Launches 5.0 Surf Tracking

by The Editors on April 18, 2023

We have a love hate with Dawn Patrol for the Apple Watch. When it works, it’s fun to see how many waves we got, how fast slowly we surfed and save it to analyze later. When it doesn’t work, however, it can be just enough of a tech annoyance to ruin an otherwise good session. That’s why we’re hoping that the newest update (version 5.0) of their surf tracking app will tip the balance in the right direction.

We have made some sleek design changes, increased overall performance, and added more intuitive user interfaces. . . We have enhanced the interface of the surf map. Your surf metrics are laid out in a clean and efficient way to read. . . Get to know how efficient your paddle is, allowing you to measure your strength and ultimately catch more waves. . . Our renewed tidal chart shows the current water level height and spot name.  . . Get to know your spot better and learn at which tides you are catching your best waves.

One thing is for sure–Dawn Patrol is the best way to put a tide chart on the face of your Apple Watch. And it’s all worth it just for that. For all the details, please click the link.

[Link: Dawn Patrol App]

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

Requiem For The Surf Industry

by The Editors on April 3, 2023

In one fell swoop, the entire surf industrial complex has disappeared from the world. Poof! All the stories, all the late-night parking lot parties and premieres, and all the dreams of kids from the dusty streets of middle America who longed to reach for the beach. Today, Jamie Salter’s oxymoronically named Authentic Brand Group has agreed to buy Boardriders (Quiksilver, Billabong, Roxy, DC Shoes, RVCA, Element, VonZipper, Surf Dive & Ski, and Honolua) from Oaktree Capital for a reported $1.28 billion, according to stories in the Chain Store Age and the Australian Financial Review. Here’s how Mr. Salter spins it:

Along with the great brands and impressive global reach that will come with this acquisition, we see Boardriders’ potential as a thriving online marketplace under Authentic’s ownership,” said Jamie Salter, founder, chairman and CEO of Authentic, whose brands include Reebok, Eddie Bauer, Nautica and many more. “With Boardriders’ proven retail playbook, we also see tremendous opportunities to accelerate the expansion of its shop-in-shops, branded retail stores, wholesale and e-commerce worldwide.”

By far the funniest quote is from Boardriders CEO Arne Arens:

We are proud of our deep connection to the global action sports community, industry-leading brands and world-class teams,” said Arne Arens, CEO of Boardriders. “Under Authentic’s ownership, Boardriders will be uniquely positioned to expand the reach of our iconic brands to millions of consumers, capture market share in our core categories and grow white spaces, including premium athleisure, training and lifestyle.”

We know Mr. Arens has to say this, but does anyone really believe it? We don’t. In the meantime, make sure you buy from. . . well, authentically authentic action sports brands that are privately owned and funded. If you know of any, please help us out and leave them in the comments.

[Link: Chain Store Age and Australian Financial Review]

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

SurfAid Celebrates World Water Day

by The Editors on March 22, 2023

Apparently, today is World Water Day. A chance to celebrate water and raise awareness of the global water crisis around the world. As part of the celebration SurfAid is requesting help in their mission to improve clean water access  in Indonesia, home to the worst drinking water in South East Asia. 

Only 30 per cent of city residents have access to clean water and that number drops to only 10 per cent in remote villages. SurfAid is changing these odds and we need your help. Access to water and sanitation is an integral part of all our programs. We work together with communities and local government to establish clean water facilities and sanitation practices using a mix of practical support, education and sanitation promotion.

If you’d like to help SurfAid in this mission please click the link for more info.

[Link: SurfAid]

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

Jamie Salter Will Own Action Sports

by The Editors on February 24, 2023

The word from Sporting Goods Business is that the hilariously miss-named zombie brand reanimator Authentic Brands Group (controlled by Jamie Salter) is closing in on a purchase of Quiksilver, Billabong, DC Shoes, Roxy, and Element parent company Boardriders, Inc. For those keeping track, this would make Salter the undisputed king of action sports. No one else is even close.

Authentic Brands Group has proposed a new term loan that it plans to use to support a potential acquisition of Boardriders, Inc., according to a report from Moody’s. . . Boardriders, owed by Oaktree Capital Management, has long been rumored to be on the selling block. 

ABG already owns Vision Street Wear, Airwalk, and a very large piece of Volcom. And to think, he started out with the lowly Kemper Snowboards. Talk about tenacity in the business world. Someone hand Mr. Salter a medal!

[Link: SGB Online]

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

← Previous Entries

Next Entries →