Kalani Robb reinvents biz suit rubber!

Have you ever come up with a fantastic idea years after it was already invented?

Do you remember when Quiksilver Japan loosed a wetsuit you could wear in the salt, and in the dank, stale, filthy air of the office boardroom?

As BeachGrit‘s intern Ash Goggans reported at the time, 

Today my life changed. Today all is right in my world. Because today Quiksilver Japan unveiled their new wetsuit/apparel mash-up: TRUE WETSUITS!

That’s right, modern suits, complete with crisp-looking button down and and a tac-sharp tie. They even offer a tuxedo model! I can’t imagine how Bondian one must feel getting barreled in a tuxedo!(Come to think about it, they should sell the suits with flasks! That’s my second grievance with surfing! There’s few options available for mid-session boozing! And I surf so much better shithouse drunk!)

Yesterday. in a sponsored post on TheInertia under the headline, Kalani Robb Wears a Badass Suit To His New Job,  the wetsuit company 7Till8, which is under the creative command of the former world tour surfer and sometime actor, has come up with…exactly…the same idea, but two years later.

As reported,

One day in the not-too-distant future, lineups might look a lot different. A lot more fun, to be precise. Right now, it’s black wetsuit, game face, game time. But if Kalani Robb, who just took on a new role as Creative Director at 7TILL8 Wetsuits, has his druthers, surf spots are in store for a little spice. Enter business suits with red power ties, movie-themed suits, unicorn and rainbow graphics, and generally happier people riding waves. It’s simple. Just change the uniform.

7TILL8 Wetsuits, which began in 2016 as a custom-tailored wetsuit business, brought Robb on board in July to tap into the trademark good vibes that he’s made a staple. Think Catch Surf escapades meets wetsuits. His first project: the business suit, of course.

“The way that it all started off is that I literally saw a suit and thought it would be pretty silly and pretty creative,” said Kalani Robb. “I picked a picture out that I liked. I sent it to Andrew at 7TILL8, and 24 hours later I had the suit.”

Is this a case of great minds colliding by coincidence?

Have you ever come up with a fantastic idea years after it was already invented?

Is it a straight steal?

Does TheInertia have only a very short memory?

And who does it better? Quiksilver Japan in 2015 or 7Till8 in 2017?

Here’s Kalani.

And here’s how it was loosed in Japan!