"We have the power to reshape the surf industry and pave a new way for upcoming surfers, to build something great together as a family."
In the hottest sponsorship shakeup since John John Florence quit Hurley to launch his $12 million startup Florence, formerly Florence Marine X, middle brother Nathan has quit Vans to ride for big bro!
Nathan Florence, who turns thirty this year, wrote on Instagram:
What a life! The day has come to join forces! So fired up to announce that i will be Surfing under my own Name and will be moving forward under the FLORENCE flag🚩, beyond excited to bet on myself, my brother you may have heard of him (@john_john_florence ) who pioneered this epic endeavor and the incredible team at @florence_marine_x, the future is very exciting, we have the power to reshape the surf industry for future generations and pave a new way for upcoming surfers, to build something great together as a family, imagine the projects and trips that are about to happen! All hail the Slab Tour! The continued innovation in great gear made to push the limits of our relationship with our oceans and coastlines, protect us from all elements hot or cold, and allow us surfers and outdoor people to spend more time doing what we love, Surfing, Adventuring and exploring our natural world!! So stoked to take this on lets do this!
View this post on Instagram
Exciting, yeah?
Five months back, Nathan Florence officially spiked the Jan Brady curse and become the alpha male of the Florence squad, which also includes the sexiest brother of them all Ivan, when he was voted surfer of the year.
Through the course of 2023 Nathan Florence rarely missed a slab or ledge session whether it was in Hawaii, Australia, Scotland or Ireland.
His diligence was rewarded when he was awarded Ride of the Year and Surfer of the Year at the Big Wave Challenge awards in Nazaré, Portugal.
On day one of the Lexus Pipe Pro waiting period, Nathan Florence released footage of a “mutated, backless right reef slab somewhere in the Solomon Islands.”
Ironically, it was Nathan Florence with the career switcharoo and not his hotly competitive brother John John, who is rated three, coming into his favoured event, the Margaret River Pro.
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Dorks everywhere!
Heard First here, and forgotten. Go coreless. Gore less , Florence’s less.
Why would someone pay to advertise someone else’s company?
I haven’t even looked at what the stuff even is. I guess Slater was in town because they opened up an Outerknown store a few miles away from me at the Larkspur Ferry terminal.
Probably the same as in Santa Barbara around here where there’s a lot of people that don’t care how much things cost.
I’m not paying eighty dollars for a pair of shorts.
off topic, but does anyone know when and where this went down?
super curious.
Pickles flipping off gabe.
https://uploads.disquscdn.c… ild
https://www.youtube.com/wat…
hahahaha, YES!!!
John is at this point wasting some of his best surfing years chasing a title that means next to nothing if it’s settled at trestles. I bet he bails soon and he and Nate firm up the slab tour with a broadcast element and some sort of competitive format.
I understand they will be packaging a free prostate check with a tshirt to mine right into the Beachgrit goldmine beneath their feet. Smart buggers the Fs.
Better to keep business and friendship/ family separate
Always ends in tears
He’s still with them, just now only for shoes.
Been saving a few years for my first bit of Florence gear. I’m almost there
This is so confusing as I bought some Vans Ecotrash shoes a few years ago and I need to replace them now. What should I buy now?
Did Van post up a thanks for the memories?
The only guy to pull this off was bob hurley and he basically rebranded billabong.
If you were going to be an action sports squillionaire you needed to do it by the late 80s and know a bit about design and the rag trade. Not just be some guy who surfs good.
Nah fuck that’s a bit harsh . He knows what he’s doing and he’s got good people around him.
Dudes who do you think is behind this operation?? Bob Hurley and Pat O’Connell… he’s fine!
I think the lesson from pottz, outerknown, former and rivvica or whatever its called is trying to sell shit on the back of being a good surfer does not equate to sales.
All the florence / outerknown stuff I have seen in stores is always on a little side table and way over priced. You’re not gonna get rich off that and once youre “old” like egghead, kids won’t wear it.
Same thing happened with pottz. It wouldn’t sell even though it was effectively just gotcha without the piranha logo.
Possibly the last guy to make it work was shaun tomson with instinct but even that went broke (and it was 30 years ago)
Rusty was huge (as was stussy) but again neither of them marketed it on the back of being good surfers (rusty had a pro team instead) and stussy even though he shaped, was mostly streetwear anyway.
Who wants to wear clothes that have another surfers name on it?
The only logo clothes I would ever wear involve Spicoli.
So true, regardless of the sport!
Stussy is on a bit of a comeback currently.
True.
Can’t remember the last time I saw anyone wearing surf industry garb.
Why be a walking billboard.
Yup. That ship sailed. Can’t remember when the last time was that I saw anyone wearing “Florence Marine” shit. If a generational level talent like JJF cant flog that bullshit, nobody can.
Ivan the blacksheep – bald, a Kelly dobbleganger (as opposed.to looking like Alf) and without a Florence sponsorship.
Goofy too, very strange….
That’s what reverse cowgirl does.
Must admit I did buy a JJ hoodie 1/2 price a coupla years back. & I actually looked at the hood long sleeve before coming to indo. I didn’t expect it to be, well, fucking standard Lycra. Not that I was seriously considering wearing a hat, never been able to really, but I did expect some ex Hurley phantom fuck off type material. Nope, it’s a fucking standard rashy. Wore white big w t shirts whole trip & they go good.
Ps ulu was heaving late Easter Sunday. Only 40 guys out!
How are they reshaping the industry again, I missed that bit?
There’s a Florence Marine X store in Newport Beach that used to be a Army Navy store.
And despite the rumors Shane Dorian has only pleasured himself in two of the three dressing rooms.
Mustn’t have been enough mirrors.
Glory hole required.
That used to be a Circle K.
You talking about the joint that had the little Army buggy parked out front? Didn’t know they folded.
I own a Florence long-sleeve hooded rashie that I bought on sale, I bought it’s especially for the tropics and am I’m reluctant to wear it around town. The number of well-heeled surf nerds you see wearing the gear is pretty cringe. Always some intermediate kook who’s thinks that his surfing abilities are going to somehow miraculously improve just by association with the brand. It’s also obvious, even down to the materials used in the boardies that it’s basically Hurley with a different name.
you’re considering walking around town wearing a hooded rashguard though? Yeah, you had better seriously rip to warrant casually sporting that on land, Florence branded or not.
the rashie is kinda loose fitting and meant to double up as lightweight long-sleeve sweater/fishing shirt thing
bro, u got a UPF long sleeve hooded shirt, and not a proper rashie. You must either be sailing, hiking, or fishing for this attire to be appropriate. So, wearing it either in the lineup or around town would absolutely be a faux pas unless you’re carrying a fishing rod with you.
https://uploads.disquscdn.c…
https://uploads.disquscdn.c… oh please, I wear t-shirts mostly to surf in, so how is this any different. I’ll only be wearing it on the boat to the surf or in the surf.
better have that fishing rod handy in the boat and bring it with you into the lineup or everyone is going to laugh at you
it do matter when you rip 🙂
Which is the same as Kmart no brand gear again.
Gonna be so rad watching the WSL crumble when Slater and John bounce after this year. The tour used to look like the best job in the world, I thought. Last few years, not so much….
Chop off the top 5 and put the rest in 6-8ft death pits. Peeps will still tune in, probably more.
Wsl will not crumble.
It has a diluted billionaire, (who wants to keep his wife happy), (and a bunch of over-paid (bribed lackeys) (like Chris Cote), to keep it rolling, come rain or shine.
Without Natasha-there would be no Wsl.
It seems the mythical hoards of landlocked potential viewers have never materialized-even Jeep bailed.
Dirk will keep it rolling, just to keep the Missus happy.
did he have big thighs?
https://uploads.disquscdn.c…
Masterclass.
You’re sick. lol