EDGY
Catch Surf: Bringing Back Classic Surf-Lifestyle Clothing
It’s like a Hollywood surf movie. New Yorker, skater and occasional seasonal surfer George Arzente moves to Southern California and his dreams of fun in the sun are shattered by the diehard locals.
“I had this glorified vision of surf,” said the former New Yorker and founder of Catch Surf surfboards, based in San Clemente, Calif. “When I saw the reality of it, it wasn’t quite what I had in my head. None of the surfboard brands were focusing on fun. They were all focusing on these high-performance shapes, this and that. There needed to be something where the function was fun.”
He launched Catch Surf’s “high-performance softboards” in 2008, and today the brand’s distribution is competitive to the top traditional surfboard brands. The next evolution of Catch Surf is the clothing collection.
“We are owning that we are a surf company and going back in time and looking at a period when surf and the guys participating in it were edgy and more fashion-forward. They were going against the grain. There was an element of style to it,” Arzente said.
After testing and selling direct to consumers through the Catch Surf website for two seasons, Fall 2013 (launched Fall at Project in New York and following up at Project in Las Vegas) is the first collection the brand will open for wholesale.
“Everybody that doesn’t know surf, they have an idea of what surf is. Our interpretation is it’s fun, it’s stylish, it’s cool, it’s edgy, it’s not following the crowd, it’s actually forging your own path,” Arzente said.
What you won’t find are T-shirts and stretch boardshorts emblazoned with logos galore. Fashion is a must, as is classic styling with modern flair. The “Cali Pant” is modeled after a 1970s trunk fit, lengthened into pants with elastic cuffs at the ankle. The T-shirt fit is reminiscent of the standard boxy blank printed with conspicuous logos, sans logos. Using heavier weights of 100 percent cotton, 30-single and 40-single jersey, they are washed and washed until they feel like a broken-down vintage shirt.
“Imagine a hip guy living in New York. He doesn’t want to wear a 22-inch pair of Quiksilver shorts, but he doesn’t want to go buy the knockoff J Crew–wannabe shorts either,” Arzente said. “We give him the authentic style that is fashionable but surf at the same time.”
The line has been sold to boutiques such as Univ in Encinitas, Calif., and Stade in South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, Calif., and online at www.swell.com. For more information, visit www.catchsurf.com or call (949) 218-0428.