Surfer magazine delivers stunning slap in the face to Dane Reynolds, Julian Wilson clothing start-ups

"Just ridiculous…Broke companies considered the best…"

The one-time surf media juggernaut Surfer, described by Matt Warshaw at its peak as “part surf club, part Warhol Factory, part The Office”, delivered a stunning slap in the face to Dane Reynolds and Julian Wilson earlier today. 

In a piece entitled The 9 Best Surf Brands in the world, storied writer Jason Lock, “Director of Brand and Strategic Partnerships for DYSJUO, a UK house of brands encompassing Wavelength Surf Magazine, Longboarder Magazine, 10 Over Surf Shop, Marwick Marketing, Cass : ette (high-end video production company), UK Surf & Skate Expo and Ctrl Alt Del (brand reputation management)” lists the surf brands that “continue to push beyond the remit.” 

The 9 Best Surf Brands in the World according to Surfer: Patagonia “The mindful surfer’s choice”, Vans “Roots in skate and surf”, Quiksilver “Taking surfing to the mainstream”, Billabong “Global surf heritage”, Florence Marine X “Master and Product”, Rip Curl “Reputation through wetsuits”, Outerknown “Slater’s answer to apparel”, RCVA “Balancing cultures” and O’Neill “OG wetsuit innovation.” 

Nowhere mentioned are the breakthrough brands, Former and Rivvia Projects, and piloted by Dane Reynolds and Julian Wilson. 

You’ll remember the terrific noise four years ago when Julian Wilson, a one-time contender for the world title, released the debut clothing range of his brand Rivvia Projects, the handle a portmanteaux of the names of his two kids River and Olivia, and which quickly became famous for tight poom-poom shorts and radically aggressive off-the-shoulder tees.

Its regular sales a boon for parents looking to outfit their chillun in garments not owned by a hedge fund vulture.

And it’s been almost a decade, can you believe, since the Slacker King Dane Reynolds introduced his Former brand. 

The world number four, father of three, and millionaire a few times over had become the most famous surfer of his generation, usurping the authority of pro surfing as the arbiter of best surfing, with his own performances and, later, his body of work for Marine Layer and its sequel Chapter 11 TV, and rolled that fame into Former.

Former was started with Craig Anderson, Austyn Gillette and the late, great and beautiful Dylan Rieder although it’s fair to say Reynolds is the master of that ship. The clothing is best described as a feline sophistication brought to the fashion game. 

Again, like Rivvia, Former has very good sales and the Reynolds panty has become a staple for one of my own kids.

So why ignored by Surfer?

Chas Smith offered clues into the magazine’s surf bona fides a few years back.

If there is one particularly ugly blight in the apocalypse we are currently living, it is the reanimation of once-proud Surfer Magazine. Purchased by The Arena Group a Toledo-sized handful of years ago, the dormant “bible of the sport” was given over to just pre-sentient robots named “Emily Morgan,” “Jake Howard” etc. and ordered to gobble up anything surf related. The bits and bytes were, then, repackaged with the purpose of duping the naive and/or unsuspecting into reading.

Surfer’s own readers were quick to bite the hand offering the dirty morsels.

Just ridiculous…Broke companies considered the best…

Best brands? ❌️ contributing brands? ✅️

Google: Rip Curl North Korea and then get back to me about “reputation”

Billabong, Quik or Former/Rivvia.

Let’s play a little fuck, marry, kill.

Go etc.