The North Face announced today (May 12, 2026) an eight-year partnership as the Official Performance Apparel Partner of U.S. Ski & Snowboard locking up Olympic uniforms through the 2034 Winter Games in Salt Lake City.
Under this new partnership, The North Face will provide competition outerwear for national team athletes, coaches, and staff across all 11 U.S. Ski & Snowboard disciplines, including the Stifel U.S. Ski Teams: alpine, cross country, freeski, freestyle moguls, freestyle aerials, nordic combined, Para alpine, Para nordic and ski jumping; the Toyota U.S. Para Snowboard Team and the Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team. Athletes will wear The North Face gear during World Cup events, World Championships, national events, official training camps, and the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games through April 2034.
Sounds like a pretty good deal, no Kappa. Follow the jump for the official word from US Ski and Snowboard.
Seems Nike SB is Creased, by Johnny Wilson. “Twelve skaters. Five cities. Two photographers and a filmer. The Nike SB Air Force 1. Re-engineered for skateboarding.” Enjoy.
Core mall retailer Zumiez (aka “trendy clothing chain”) is responding to the failing health of malls by closing 25 stores in 2026, according to a story on KTLA5.
Last year, Zumiez shuttered 17 stores, and CEO Richard Brooks told investors the company plans to close another 25 locations in 2026, 20 of them in the United States. . . He said the closures aren’t a reflection of slowing demand, but rather a strategic shift away from underperforming shopping malls, many of which have struggled to recover foot traffic lost during the pandemic and amid the continued growth of online shopping.
With around 700 more stores to go Zumiez has room to contract for a while before anything gets too worrisome. After all, Tom Campion and Gary Haakenson started with only one store.
Having told Paul Naude no at least once in our past we can say that it didn’t turn out well for us. Obviously, Rip Curl owner KMD Brands has not yet had this experience and they are about to see how it goes now that they’ve turned down Stokehouse’s offer to buy Rip Curl, according to a story on SGB Media.
“This proposed ownership structure is misaligned with the earnings delivered by the Stokehouse and Rip Curl businesses, given Stokehouse’s immaterial contribution to combined EBITDA and would unfairly dilute KMD Brands shareholders,” the Group said in the Monday media release. “In addition, Mr. Naude, the current CEO of Stokehouse, would be Chief Executive of the combined business, and he would lead the business from California.”
Personally, we’d love to see Mr. Naude in charge of Rip Curl in California. But, in the near term it looks like that is not going to happen. Follow the jump for the full release.
Surf appears to be taking another turn on the catwalk as Louie Vuitton creative director Pharrell decides it’s time to head back to the beach, according to a story on Luxury Launches.
After nailing the luxury segment for luggage, handbags, apparel, and accessories, Louis Vuitton is now giving the world a teaser of surf gear. There is no official launch or over-the-top declaration yet, but the 150-year-old maison may already be the reason your surf fins suddenly look sassy. The glorification of the surf kit continues with a wetsuit that features LV embroidery.
Two words come to mind in no particular order: shark and jump. Then again, that Louie fin would be fire on the Catch Surf. . . .
Grok, the AI agent created by one of Elon Musk’s companies has been getting a lot of heat lately for creating inappropriate images. Women have complained their likenesses are being used to create explicit images that they did not consent to. Turns out, Grok can do the work of the Lord as well.
The above photo is a great example of how Grok can take images from the Roxy site (that some might find in objectionable) and, without permission from the models, transform them into quality images perfect for viewing in even the most conservative enclaves of America.
The photo on the left is the original. The photo on the right is a more proper version of young women in appropriate dress having a joyful celebration on the beach, all thanks to Grok.
Yes, according to Vans,SZA the singer, is now the creative director at the VF Corps shoe brand. So far this year sales are reportedly 14 percent down. Guess those Vibram soled Cab hikers didn’t right the ship. Then again, maybe Solána Imani Rowe can save them. Hopefully somebody gets her. Vans will have to tread carefully.
No, we haven’t talked to Matt Biolos. Nor have we tried. It’s quicker to just post a link to TMZ and call it a day.
Lost International is suing Lady Gaga for trademark infringement for her “Mayhem” album … claiming they own the rights to the term as used in the surf company’s distinctive logo and that Lady Gaga’s use is basically identical. . . In the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Lost says they’ve been slapping a stylized version of “Mayhem” on their surfboards and merch for over a decade … and Gaga ripped off the design for her latest album.
The Quiksilver women’s USA and Canada license was just picked up by Velocity Brand Group where it will join fellow Authentic zombie brand Lucky Brand Jeans in the company’s garment production machine, according to a story on Just-Style.
Velocity Global Brands, Inc. is a major apparel manufacturer with over 25 factories across Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Lesotho, China, Bangladesh, Vietnam and Burma. This global presence enhances production capacity and offers a diverse range of expertise; contributing to our ability to consistently deliver high quality products.
Not that anyone really cares about the brand any longer, but it is crazy how this game is played, isn’t it?
The North Face announced today (May 12, 2026) an eight-year partnership as the Official Performance Apparel Partner of U.S. Ski & Snowboard locking up Olympic uniforms through the 2034 Winter Games in Salt Lake City.
Core mall retailer Zumiez (aka “trendy clothing chain”) is responding to the failing health of malls by closing 25 stores in 2026, according to a story on 
Having told Paul Naude no at least once in our past we can say that it didn’t turn out well for us. Obviously, Rip Curl owner 
