Men’s Surf Apparel SS17 Trend Report

The importance of sport in our daily lives is continually on the rise, from giving rhythm to our days to choosing apps on our smartphones and even determining a clothing look for us. So yeah, the ‘activewear’ trend extends way beyond its use for sport, it’s in the process of settling into people’s wardrobes everywhere and the whole surf industry is benefitting from it. With understated, tailored looks that are comfortable and functional to suit working weekdays as much as weekends of leisure, surf clothing meets all needs and seems capable of appealing to a huge audience – whether they surf or not. A report by Denis Houillé.

Brunotti

In pursuit of the great outdoors, new environments and new ways of life, the expectations of modern man do not neglect consideration for the conditions endured on a surf trip. Covering long distances in comfort, kitting yourself out with clothes that are technical enough to keep you warm at night and light enough to not weigh you down in the day, blending into any surrounding environment… Fashion is relentlessly feeding off surfing.

Technical, design-orientated and functional features are the defining criteria of the SS17 surf clothing range. Before analysing them in detail, we can already home in on two strong categories in which the specialists of the surf industry stand out: jackets and beach shorts. It’s thanks to a measured dosage of style and technical properties that the surf industry has managed to set itself apart from the competition (sports generalists, big chains, fashion brands) who lack either fun, function, authenticity or all three…

Originals Heywood

Surf clothing takes pride of place at the heart of a strong trend on the streetwear and activewear scene, which “funnily enough use boardsports as a springboard for their collections,” says Ronnie Reyes from Design at Quiksilver. At the core of this fashion for function and minimalism, customers seem to be searching for authenticity more than ever. Storytelling, as well as the legitimacy of specialised brands and retailers, mean a lot here and make a big difference when it comes to making a sale. Blindfolded, we’d happily put our trust in products from an outdoor specialist, a watersports expert or any other specialised brand whose origins lie in the motherlands of California, Landes, the Gold Coast or Hawaii. “It’s the journey, not the destination that really matters,” as Robert Louis Stevenson said.

TRENDS and LOOKS
On the menu for next season, we find understated, highly tailored silhouettes that are suitable for many different occasions. Minimalism and comfort come as standard with discreet looks – one or two colours – and sometimes not even a logo like in Vissla’s Covert collection which is purified to the max and highly technical. Prints are steadily disappearing from tops and sliding a bit further down onto ‘beachshorts’ and ‘cropped pants’, which are set to become strong features again for next summer.

However, our industry continues to stand out from the rest of the clothing world by accentuating individual initiatives in a unique way that only it knows how to do.

“Overall it’s going to be a blend of activewear, vintage surf and rock and roll that will keep things interesting in the market,” indicates Quiksilver’s Ronnie Reyes. Each brand has its own mantra: roots in the punk and grunge movement of the 90s at Afends, the vintage coastal aesthetics of Lightning Bolt, the urge for exploration pure and simple at Patagonia, choice and expression of passion at Protest. Finally, if you scan the SS17 lookbooks you will see that “every piece has a tale to tell and you can become a part of the narrative yourself,” declares Maria João Nogueira, Communication Officer at Lightning Bolt Europe.

Crossovers between the different product categories continue to work well, as is the case for Quiksilver who are transposing the vibes (colours and prints) of their SS17 boardshorts onto their clothing range. Leaning on their expertise in fabrics, Rip Curl are exporting the comfort and technical nature of their Mirage boardshorts onto fleeces and tees, which assume properties of stretch, breathability and lightness. This weaves a strong link between post-surf and clothing.

Rip Curl

THEMES and COLOURS
Varied and unconventional, the palette of designers’ colourways oscillate between very bright to very dark. Vissla range from “very colourful motifs that you’d find in Asia’s Sundaland archipelago to understated minimalism and mainly black in the capsule collections.”

We can see one major theme that features warm, explosive and exotic tones. This is the case at Lightning Bolt where lush, organic colours take you on a journey back to the 60s and 70s with fluid transitions of burnt yellows and bordeauxs mixed with fresh maritime notes of oil blues, greens and greys. Protest are drawing inspiration from ocean spirit and Cuban culture in their lively mix of intense, sunny tones that highlights aquatic life, its plants, and shapes, providing nostalgia and authenticity as Marketing Manager at Protest Anjet Wesselink explains.

Another raw and authentic theme harks the arrival of a balanced trend between pastel and powdery tones and strong, lively colours. As we find at Reef, Iron & Resin and Superbrand, there’s a contrasting mix merging retro and modernism. Reef’s Eric Gigler says the brand has leant heavily on indigo for SS17 for their Americana colour story and even that they “aren’t afraid of color, but we do try to use it in categories that brights or even washed back brights make sense, such as boardies and tees.”

Finally, black comprises a theme in its own right, dominating with an aesthetic, clean, contemporary approach that’s finding its way into all manufacturers’ collections. With a light treatment, fade/wash techniques allow black to be used in a variety of interesting shades: carbon, eclipse, ink, ebony or anything else your eye recognises and can name.

Rhythm

In finishes, treatments and washes have become stand out features that are the envy of our high street competitors. They give more depth to basic pieces as is the case on Deus Ex Machina’s pockets-tees or Rhythm’s boardshorts, which have a retro look with a slight contemporary twist. Afends made acid washes their speciality and they quickly “saw that big commercial names adopted it to make a trend out of it”, as Benjamin Boyd – CEO of Wasted Talent (European distributor of Afends) tells us. For next year, their “oil” wash already looks set to be a trend to watch out for. Lastly at Protest, beachshorts and their faded cotton looks continue to prove so popular that they already have a permanent restock programme in place. This season, a whole host of new colours will be added to an already well-stocked selection of this strongly surf-orientated piece of clothing.

COMFORT and FUNCTIONALITY
Light textures and relaxed cuts are the key points in the mission statement for SS17 collections. Sweatshorts, sweatpants and jogging pants are definitely in and seem to have a spot reserved for them in future collections.

The accent is now put on the choice of fabrics. Along with 100% cotton tees, there is the noticeable appearance of tri-blend models (mixing cotton/polyester/viscose). Chiné colours are ever-present this season and induce a mix of cotton and polyester in their composition that is sure to please customers. As we highlighted in the last edition of Source, comfort is also a priority for boardshorts and cotton/nylon/polyester/elastane blends provide optimal comfort whether used in uni models, all-over prints or those with blocky colours, inserts or sublimations.

Back in favour, cotton pique brings comfort and an interesting texture. Often used all over a polo, shirt, short or t-shirt, the effect is magnified when accompanied by an embroidery such as from the Scandinavian surfers at Oh Dawn.

Reef understands that their customer wants all the benefits of functionality without having to compromise on aesthetics: “We love functional fabrics that may not look overtly technical like our vintage cotton boardshort fabric which is a poly, cotton and spandex blend or our CREEK surfable walk short which uses a stretch micro ripstop.”

Reef

Directly imported from feminine prêt-à-porter, viscose – which boasts all the advantages of silk but is much easier to maintain – makes its entrance onto the men’s range. Afends have chosen to include it on a short-sleeved shirt, breathing a bit of youth into an already well-established segment.

Increasing the level of detail means you widen the gap from the competition, as confirmed by Superbrand who are offering “sophisticated t-shirts (jerseys) that contain more details like tie-dyes, Tunisian collars, sewn badges and pockets,” explains Remi Chaussemiche, European Sales and Marketing Manager.

TARGET AUDIENCE and PRICE
The range of products has to meet the demands of an expert audience seeking a specialist who can provide “the” difference in terms of fabrics, cuts or colours. “Consumers are now so well informed of where, how and of what the products are made these days that it would be commercial suicide to ignore this trend,” admits Wasted Talent’s Ben.

Firmly anchored in freshness and innovation, Vissla declare they are targeting young surfers between 12-25 years old: “We feel it’s time that kids find a brand they can identify themselves to and our goal is to grow with them,” asserts Derek O’Neill, GM of Vissla Europe.

Superbrand relays the Southern Californian lifestyle and targets young, hip and urban surfers “who surf before or after work (…) travelling miles to find quiet surf spots but who are also in the city centre going out at night.”

In shops, entry-level ranges (volley shorts and basic graphic t-shirts) are still hot. On the other side, the high-end stuff doesn’t seem to be scaring people off either, testament to its great choice of fabrics, detailed cuts and original colours, graphics and typography used. As Chief of Men’s Products at Rip Curl, Brice Maumet confirms: “Our customers are prepared to pay the price when they know they are buying a high-quality product that will last.”

By offering exclusive, peerless products our industry stands out in every aspect. The style, quality and performance of specialists’ products justify the attraction from competitors from the wider fashion world, just as much as they warrant the appeal of their own customers.

We can see that the brands that have opted for selective distribution, avoiding working with the big sports chains and prohibiting stock liquidation, are on the right track. We are already seeing the benefits of this policy for retailers who are thanking the brands for preserving their business, their image and their margins.