Image from Reef’s Beach Freely campaign

Image from Reef’s Beach Freely campaign

EXPANDING SURFWEAR DIVERSITY

Surfwear Wades Through Questions on Diversity

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Rapper Fat Tony and Jeremy Hsu in Volcom’s men’s Spring ‘19 campaign

During the past decade, the surfwear business has been soul-searching after some high-profile bankruptcies, new fashion trends and a rapidly changing retail landscape that has challenged the category’s prominence.

Some suggest that one solution for the surfwear blues is to expand the tribe beyond the typical customer who has been seen as the stereotypical sun-kissed blond, blue-eyed model or athlete seen wearing the clothing and featured in advertisements and social-media posts.

The solution is to expand marketing and advertising campaigns to include a more diverse customer and hire executives and designers who don’t look like the stereotypical surfer.

That message was delivered by Bobby “Hundreds” Kim, the co-founder of Los Angeles streetwear brand The Hundreds. In May, Kim made a speech at the annual “Surf Summit” industry retreat in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. The event, produced by the Surf Industry Manufacturers Association, was attended by about 100 people with some of the industry’s top executives in the audience. It was the first time in two decades that diversity was officially discussed at the industry retreat, said Sean Smith, SIMA’s executive director.

America’s population will increasingly come from minority backgrounds, Kim pointed out, and consumers want to see people who look like them in ads. Action-sports consumers, a primary market for surfwear, are increasingly inspired by artists, athletes and designers who come from diverse backgrounds.

Kim said his streetwear brand has thrived because of a diverse consumer base and a diverse group of designers and executives. But he said that in private conversations, surf executives said they were compelled to sell to the people who currently surf and live the lifestyle, which is not as diverse as the streetwear crowd.

“I know, for many of you, hiring from outside your community, featuring people of color and contributing to other cultures may feel inauthentic,” Kim said. “But for young people today, nothing feels faker and more off-key than perpetuating a monochromatic world that doesn’t sync up to the beautifully colorful nation they live in.

“For any brand today, surfing or not, inclusion and diversity must be a conscious, proactive—and, yes, maybe even forced—decision. Not just because it’s the human thing to do, the moral thing and the American thing. And not just because you can’t plead ignorance when your lack of diversity gets you into hot water. … But because that’s what the consumer wants. That’s where our future leads.”

Fernando Aguerre, an Argentine immigrant and founder of the Reef brand, said that Kim’s remarks rang true. “As the only non-Anglo owners of a leading surf brand for 20 years, my brother and I lived a very special moment when the surfing industry was totally white and male, and we were totally unique—Latinos with a strong accent and, for sure, a diverse way of being surfers,” he wrote in an email.

Aguerre retired from Reef in 2005 but has remained active in SIMA. He is the president of the International Surfing Association in San Diego.

Also in the audience was Greg Weisman, an attorney with several action-sports clients. He noted there was resistance to change among the group.

“[Kim] was illustrating to them a huge blind spot in their thinking and what they had gotten wrong historically. While nearly every brand agreed he was right, most of the brands responded by saying, ‘Yes, we get it. But our work force, core brand image and consumer are all people who actually ride surfboards.’ Unfortunately, that was more a defensive spin to the reality of a shrinking consumer base rather than a real business play,” he said.

Surf is not unique when it comes to diversity issues. In the past few years, an increasing number of prominent businesses and industries have been criticized for a lack of diverse leadership and work force.

Still, some surf brands have been working to diversify their marketing campaigns. Reef, formerly helmed by Aguerre, recently unveiled its “Beach Freely” campaign, which features people from a number of ethnic backgrounds enjoying beaches in South Florida while wearing Reef footwear and other products.

Volcom, in Costa Mesa, Calif., has embraced diversity, said Ryan Immegart, Volcom’s chief marketing officer. On July 17, it released Volcom for EveryBody, a line of plus-size denim pants. The company’s Spring ’19 marketing campaign for its men’s lines features African-American rapper Anthony Lawson Obi, who performs under the name of Fat Tony, and Asian-American visual artist Jeremy Hsu.

Overall, surfwear remains a strong business. In 2015, the U.S. surfwear market was a $26.5 billion business, according to the latest “Consumer Insights Study,” conducted by SIMA.

But the business is looking for ways to find new customers, said SIMA’s Smith. He believes it won’t happen with a formal program.

“The move for diversity will be genuine. It will happen naturally. It will happen quicker through brands showing diversity campaigns and Bobby calling people out, and the industry saying, ‘You are right,’” Smith said.

One way to diversify the industry might be helped by the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where surfing will debut as a sport where athletes compete for medals. “At the Olympics, many nations will send people to compete. It won’t just be the U.S., France and Brazil. We will see an exciting diversity of athletes,” Smith said.

Wave parks also are anticipated to take surfing to areas with a diverse population that doesn’t have a beach. People will be able to surf wave pools that re-create ocean waves. Surf star Kelly Slater recently took part in a demonstration at a wave pool at Kelly Slater Surf Ranch in Lemoore, Calif., located about 100 miles from the Pacific Ocean.

The popularity of the sport continues to grow through people going to the beach, Smith said. “There are more people out in the water than ever before,” he said. “We’re finding ways to better reach and sell to them.”