"So I was sitting in my cubicle today, and I realized, ever since I started working, every single day of my life has been worse than the day before it."
Yesterday, surfers became extremely shocked to learn that forecasting juggernaut Surfline had celebrated the upcoming Labor Day celebration by giving many of its employees permanent time off. After receiving $30 million from investment first TCG barely two-years ago, the advertising, content, design, and data science departments were gutted along with the entire brand team, sent home to enjoy hot dogs and Pepsi served from nearby breadlines.
At the same time, but unknown to surfers trying to learn if the waves for the upcoming World Surf League Final’s Day are going to be 20 or 30 feet, parent company of canvas shoe behemoth Vans, VF Corp., has followed suit and axed 600 jobs of its own.
An extreme sport “Laceration before Labor Day.”
Per Complex:
An internal letter from VF Corp. chairman, president, and CEO Steve Rendle obtained by the outlet expounded on the cuts but did not mention which locations or brands were affected by the layoffs. “We’re working to improve those areas of the business that need attention,” Rendle reportedly wrote. He said the company would take “a strategic and thoughtful approach to new roles going forward.”
And…
While brands like The North Face experience record sales, Vans has struggled in recent years, with a noted sharp decline in China. Meanwhile, during a May earnings call, Rendle was optimistic about Supreme and hinted at opening new locations in Asia.
Vans workers taking the brunt for poor Chinese performance?
The just-announced re-imagined and thoroughly unequal Pipeline Masters under threat?
Whatever the case, surf, skate and snow dreams are now filling shallow graves.
Pour a Bud Light out for them today or tomorrow.
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Business is Business. Here’s a thought go out and start your own businesses snowflakes
Hi gordon!
Vans are chinese made garbage, always was, always will be!
Vals took over Vans…
What does coding have to do with anything? Tech companies have been cutting people too.
I buy my surf clothes from Kmart.
Not because it’s less than half price as the brands but because anyone wearing brand gear is instantly labeled a old wanker.
Brand clothes, particularly surf, just aren’t the fashion anymore, it’s not even old school, it’s just for old people.
I buy my ‘gear’ in Bali, 3 Bintang long Ts, 3 muscle Ts, 3 hawaiin shirts, 2 shorts & I’m set for summer for 50 bucks.
This writer ASSumes we all know surfer jargon, stats, historical data, reputations and so on and so on. I for one do not and was looking forward to reading an article about surfing legends…but instead I got an aticle full of rambling insider content and a form of word acrobatic sarcasm. So bummed…sorry, but I really want that part and this part of my life back please!
VF Corp employ over 50000 people. Axing 600 is really not much when you look at it over 49 companies.
and as we all know,…..Oaktree Capital are fire selling..Qikbong to VF Corp so lets make that 51 Co’s VF own……because ?
So does VF/Vans own the rights to their “team riders” souls?
So if your master is VF , who is VF..is it an algorithm run by A I …..was Andy irons the first AI…are there actual people at VF/HQ, or are they just puppets of Dirk Ziffy ….is it” OK “that we all now have elite masters called Venture Capitalists……so who or what is credible now, anybody/thing?
It is not the surf industry like the 90’s it may as well be called a Venture Cap industry. In Australia we have a chain of shops called “Sideways” that sells last years stock/ excess at a fraction of the original price. You can get name brand boardshorts and T’s for $25. Whilst the economy is struggling the big brands will also struggle and cannibalise each other. I still remember the head of marketing at Billabong saying when he quit I go to Big W and buy 10 t/shirts for $50. Fuck paying $50 each.
what’s really interesting was once upon a time , when there was a surf Industry owned by surfers , who worked out how to sell surfing as a family culture of like minded surfers …so Made buy sufferers for Sufferers /only a Suffrer knows the feeling/the Boardriding sufferers.
So now the marketing/fake suffrer cred , is being flogged to death as the last of the “BIG” suffrer Co’s slowly but surely gurgle downwards in a spiral of mediocrity…..I just purchased some plain white Tees…something i can believe in!!
Totally agree. I went to Big W and bought 5 shirts for $20 the other week. Not cause I did not want to save money but cause none of the shops had stuff that I believed/ liked.
The demise is in all categories of the industry. Look at Need Essentials or Project Blank. Quality stuff that is designed by industry leaders. Billabong and Quik and the the other brands are so out of touch. Surfing is not rebellious anymore. It’s so main stream it’s boring. My kid is heavily into Down Hill Mountain biking and I actually enjoy watching that more than surfing.
Those surfers that owned the brands got rich when they sold out and offshored all the manufacturing. Buy that I mean textiles, its obviously possible to get boards shaped in aus. So kind of “fuck you” to those crusty old guys who sold out and became anti heroes.
I got respect for katins and birdwell, at least they didn’t outsource. Cost a bomb for a pair of boardshorts though. Not sure if any Aussie brands do Australian made, maybe some of the accessories?
the interesting thing is that we were all conned that we were family , there would be career paths for our kids and grandkids…….they just kept prostituting their brands made $ 100’s millions as did their inner sanctum mates and left surfing with empty marketing shells of Co’s……..not one of any of the kids from the founding Surfers had any interest in taking over …..ahhhhhhhh, looks like there is opportunity for any of the younger generation who want take a risk , and try and create small boutique brands , but greed will get me eventually or ???
Meanwhile HURLULEY is expanding!
Website (of old products) coming soon!
Get on board the Hurluley economic miracle!
Enjoying the Biden economic crisis y’all
Funny how Trump and Putin’s actions never get mentioned by folks like y’all.
Because it doesn’t fit their narrative.
Yeah because what the president is doing has anything to do with why the surf industry is tanking. Derp. 🤡😳🤡😳
Lets be real whole industry ever since the Quik Rossignol sort of shit went down in losses, has been on life support!!
How any brand survives is beyond me other than by just buying up competitor’s!! Largely no innovation!!
Back in high school from my vague memories you prob needed to be seen wearing a “brand” – now no one gives a fuck and happy in pair of stubbies. Incidentally you can buy a pair of boardies quick dry and stretch materials at Kmart for $20 that brands sell $95 plus!! So someone is taking the piss arent they??
And a Happy Father’s day to the dads out there in Oz!!!
I don’t have flat feet or ridden a skateboard post my surfersam so Vans mean zero to me.
Hoping Ben gravy is on that list!
as a Nathan Florence suckhole I tried some Vans gear, was fucking terrible fit and quality. 1/10
This is what happens when you go from being core to being fashion.
There’s a good quote about when the guy from nike called steve jobs for advice and steve said “you make great shoes, get rid of all the other shit”!
Did anyone else watch this? All the comments on Stab were glowingly positive. I thought it was a borefest myself! Maybe it’s just me but I’m finding Danes low fi shtick is getting tiresome!
I did but concur on quality-of-surf rather than a critique of his aesthetic. Shitty waves are hard to watch. And when the “big score” of an end sequence is seemingly Sumatran beachbreak, it’s hard to justify.
Agreed..when the story of the film is about “how do we finish the film”, well….
Response luke warm here. https://beachgrit.com/video…
How German femurs whooped on your strap? Surflinean
I’d go “tepid”.
how much? can i copy this? here’s the NDF/
got sish sticks?
I had to watch it in sections. It ended up being a 3 part series for me.
The black and white checkered slip-ons aren’t popular with the Communists’ People’s Party’s denizens, or what? Fuckin’ China. First the Belts and Roads initiative, then the Wuhan Flu, now this. Where’s Bexy to throw an entire 2 billion people + and their ethnicity under the bus?
Is there a Labor Day sale?
They were likely brought down by too many free promo shoe shaped key chains.
Dane’s movie must have tanked hard #facepalmemoji #arthousesurfflicks #giveemthegovamentcheese