Rumor: Volcom teetering on edge of annihilation after firing icon

The Establishment strikes back.

There was once a time when the surf industry shone like a just-steam cleaned diamond. Bright, sparkly, filled with glamor and glitz. Almost impossible to conjure the memory, these days. Its decimation has been one of the slowest apocalypses since it took Rome two-plus centuries to fall.

Volcom, as you recall, was a real darling since being birthed in 1991 in an Orange County garage. Richard “Wooly” Woolcot and Tucker Hall leaned hard into the “Youth Against Establishment” ethos and soon The Stone was everywhere, especially on the noses of the coolest professional surfers around.

10ish years after its founding, Volcom was acquired by Kerring and became publicly traded, thus earning a king’s ransom.

Very cool, until…

The aforementioned apocalypse.

Volcom struggled to maintain relevance though the Kerring years, was purchased by Authentic Brands Group in 2019 and has stumbled along since. There have been a few mass firings over the preceding five years but none as devastating as the recent slash which saw many cut including Remy Stratton, on the skate side. He had been with the brand for 30 years and considered an absolute icon.

With soul crushed long ago and heart just cut out, it must be assumed that Volcom’s complete death is imminent. ABG might continue to use The Stone on fingernail clippers for a few more years but the end might, officially, be here.

Be wonderful if Authentic Brands would live up to its name and sell Volcom back to someone authentic.

Now that would be True to This.