Can you imagine Hurley without… Hurley?
You know the story of the shaper-turned-surfwear-stud Bob Hurley? How a teenager from Rhode Island earned his stripes at Huntington Beach, became a team rider for HSS, a shaper of renown (sleds for world champs Rabbit Bartholomew and Pete Townend) and then in his twenty-eighth year scooped the license for Billabong USA for $40,000?
Yeah, it’s a good one, and it improved with age.
Think about Hurley in 2016. The best surf team by miles (John John, Filipe, Julian Wilson, Kolohe, Carissa etc), striped polychrome trunks and wetsuits that swarm beaches. Oowee, it’s a heady perfume! You’d think Nike execs would have life-sized portraits of Bob Hurley on their walls and they’d stand dreaming in front of ’em every single goddamned night.
After Bob spent sixteen years turning Billabong into a hundred-mill-biz, he handed back the Billabong license to start the eponymous… Hurley, which he’d later sell to Nike for $120 million.
Think about Hurley in 2016. The best surf team by miles (John John, Filipe, Julian Wilson, Kolohe, Carissa etc), striped polychrome trunks and wetsuits that swarm beaches.
Oowee, it’s a heady perfume! You’d think Nike execs would have life-sized portraits of Bob Hurley on their walls and they’d stand dreaming in front of ’em every single goddamned night.
But word is, Nike has asked Bob to stop coming to work.
A well-connected insider wrote to BeachGrit:
“Rumour is the recent most Nike exec, of what has been a revolving door, has asked Bob to stop coming to work. He has been deemed disruptive as most of the staff are loyal to him. Whenever there is some issue, they run to Bob for clarity. They are trying to keep it all hush like Bob is still the man, blah blah. His car, which he always parked in the same spot at the office, is never there anymore.”
Does the idea of removing Hurley’s essential genetic code strike you as a foolish move?
Do you remember three years ago when Quiksilver president and CEO Bob McKnight was replaced by the man who pioneered the Disney Princess franchise, Mr Andy Mooney? What happened to Quik? Did rivers of gold follow or were share portfolios, careers and an icon ruined?
Or the hiring of Laura Inman from the discount chain Target to head Billabong?
Was that a good idea?
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…and who’d say rd2 surf was gonna be even shitier?
surf is so weak people are discussing fashion brands… passionately…
That’s it, I’m just going to hold my breath until British Knights can provide for all my surf fashion needs.
Honestly…I think that this is all Chas’ plan (rumor! Innuendo! Suspicion! Blood Fued! Outright lies!) to take over the surf fashion world. He will revel in the fabulousness of it all very soon….very soon, I tell you!
First Quik narrowly avoids death, then Surfstitch tears itself apart internally, now Hurley!! What is the world coming too. All this on largely the back of product made in 3rd world countries and probably marked up 5000%. Are these companies all that fucking clueless, seriously who is running them and what do they think good ideas, spending and marketing are?
Danzig for new Hurley CEO!
“Can’t have enough Hurley!” and Yes.. “Billabong is a little fratty.”
This news is older than Rip Van Winkle.
bob and conan to re-start Seventeen
17 was the shit!
Unfortunately for Bob lovers, Nike is not Quicksilver. They’ll be fine without Bob. Or they’ll shut Hurley down all together. Either way, Nike is Nike.
Derek I’m from and live in Rhode Island does this open hope for me and WATERBROTHERS Sid The Package
Yeah Sid!
i heard he joined ISIS
It happens every time. Fucking idiots buy a great franchise and the ruin it by sending corporate types in.
are you suggesting Hurley is great?
I’m not suggesting. I’m stating it pretty clearly. It was a great franchise built over a relatively short period of time.
no, technically everyone just jumped ship with him cause he was Billabong in the US. Only Dorian and Ross stayed with Bong. but it took years, wouldn’t say Hurley was stared from scratch, just put a new logo on a distribution system already in place.
This is why you civilization is perishing. Denigrate the people who make things happen (Bob Hurley) and worship the losers (fatso reynolds).
Good luck.
Your argument is correct, but it’s an arguement for Hurley. Bob is the distribution system, so yes Hurley (Bob) is a great franchise. His hard work built the franchise and he cashed out $120M, so if he leaves – asked or on his own will – he’s already won.
indeed, my point was only that Hurley was not built overnight as may have appeared to be the case. and Bob can shape too, i like that in a millionaire/industry CEO.
haha, yeah, the world will miss Hurley dearly.
Sounds like trouble is stirring over at )(..No Bob no )(urley in my books.
Or possibly Bob just bought a new car….