Outdoor giant North Face brutally appropriates plucky li’l surf label Rip Curl’s iconic logo!

Nasty.

I hope, and trust, at this very moment that you are enjoying the Hurley Pro Sunset Beach. At time of writing, the waves are “spicy” and/or “crispy” as are some of the performances, particularly from Team Rip Curl. Gabriel Medina easily handled the Indonesian upstart Rio Waida and… well, I guess that’s it. Sammy Pupo got stung by an interference and ushered out as well as Jackson Baker who became eliminated in the round dedicated to it.

So not great for plucky Australian brand billing itself as “the ultimate surfing company,” on second thought. Not great at all and very much worse today as it was revealed that outdoor giant North Face has blatantly borrowing Rip Curl’s label with not one mention of Mason Ho nor Mick Fanning.

Examine.

Closer.

And compare.

And a major shot across bow.

North Face, valued at some $5.6 billion, is both popular and well-loved, putting men and women on top of Mt. Everest and collaborating with Gucci.

Rip Curl, recently purchased for $350 million (Australian), hosts a lightly-appreciated Bells Beach surf contest and collaborating with Mick Fanning.

A tough punch to take, having logo just swiped with no appreciation given.

Just appropriation.

Oh.

I just realized the aforementioned Jackson Baker did not, in fact, get eliminated in the round dedicated to it but just lost to Kanoa Igarashi in a wildly close one to get dropped. Igarashi, to be fair, is “tired of being a great surfer” but tough for Rip Curl nonetheless.

Ugh.

More as the story develops.