Wetsuits S/S 2025 Retail Buyers Guide
The sustainable revolution of the wetsuit industry was put on hold during a couple seasons of overstock, but the stormy skies have cleared for spring/summer 2025, welcoming plenty of business opportunities for retailers and brands alike. Report by David Bianic
You read it first here, in your cherished piece of printed magazine: “We’ll see the product work through in time”, said Phil Bridges, Designer for Dakine, in issue 119 this past winter, speaking of the overstock issue in the wetsuit category and indeed, time heals all wounds. “While some 2023 SKU’s are still on display, order levels have been robust overall”, reports Hendrik Holzhauer, Junior Marketing Manager for Neilpryde & JP Australia, adding that “moving forward, we aim to better balance supply and demand, ensuring retailers have the right mix of products to meet customer needs.” Things are levelling out, as noted at Rip Curl, which has seen the market remain steady in 2024, and while the steamers faced challenges as retailers worked to effectively manage overstock, the springsuits segment performed well, says Bastien Grandy, Rip Curl Wetsuit Product Manager Associate Europe. The market indicators are confirming positive growth at O’Neill too, with a cautious approach however as retailers are still quite cautious on pre-order level, whilst the re-order business has been above standards. This could be explained by the rather bleak early season, says Alex Cretier at Prolimit: “The summer market is just starting to take off because of the cold spring and Prolimit presence in stores is high.”
But let’s not get too greedy and spiral down in the same detrimental cycle of highs and lows. Brands such as Soöruz spoke to us in an activist-like tone, claiming “We need to get out of overproduction, because overconsumption is over, after years of dramatic damage to the environment”, says Marin Mauriac, Product Development. Marin would like to see the entire industry revise its overall sales capacity downwards. “Buy less, buy better”, echoes Aurélien Silvestre, Product Manager at Oxbow.
The French brand has chosen to offer only a high-end range (made of Yulex natural rubber) and to carry-over the collection for longer, ‘offering timeless colorways and styles’, and encouraging their clients to take care of their gear via a repair service. On that note, John Westlake, ‘rubber man’ at Alder in the UK, wishes this is a service that retailers would be able to provide ‘at good rates to the public.’
Patagonia was an early advocate of the ‘repair your gear’ ethos via their Worn Wear program and they are now going the extra mile with a new end-of-life solution for wetsuits as the retired Yulex products can now be used as component to make new ones, ‘a groundbreaking circular solution’, as Yulex® (from any brand using the material) can now “Be broken down at the molecular level by Bolder Industries to be used as carbon black in the dyeing process of future Patagonia wetsuits.” Says Gabe Davies at Patagonia. Carbon black is used to dye the wetsuits’ recycled nylon lining and accounts for about 20% of Patagonia wetsuits’ rubber foam. In addition, this BolderBlack® uses 90%+ less water and emits 90%+ fewer greenhouse gases than traditional carbon black.
Still on the green side, Soöruz is taking a further step in their commitment to get rid of the petroleum-based wetsuits, now producing the entirety of their range – including entry-level and school models – in their exclusive Organic Oysterprene foam, the evolution of the original oyster-shell based neoprene, now used by a dozen brands or so. Last but not least, if we want a durable wetsuit, we’d better get rid of these stinky odours that make us think our wetty is good for the bin.
Nikwax proposes a powerful cleaner and conditioner for wetsuits and neoprene items. It will help you clean away salt, chlorine, and organic residue, leaving it soft and supple: “Wetsuit Refresh does not include any biocides, enzymes or biological agents which means it is kinder to your skin and the environment, so you can be confident that you are not harming aquatic life.” Do your laundry guys!
SS25 KEY PIECES: 3/2 steamers
While the range of silhouettes is particularly wide for spring/summer wetsuits – sleeves/no sleeves, short/long legs, short john, jackets, etc.. The ‘piece de resistance’ remains the 3/2 fullsuit. This staple design is a flagship for the brands and each of them have some unique selling propositions. Rip Curl’s ‘hero product’ is the Flashbomb Fusion, with its exclusive Dry Seam Technologies, ‘It solves the age-old issue of wetsuits leaking at the seams, without resorting to using stiff liquid tape.’ And no stitching means it also holds the full integrity of the neoprene to avoid water getting in. O’Neill are combining style and new school tech, pushing their heritage O’Riginal silhouettes in the forefront. These are ‘super cool retro pieces using updated modern materials and fabrics in RG8 and regular limestone neo.’ The RG8 styles feature 90% or more recycled fibres within the liner fabrics paired with an FSC-certified natural rubber foam core. If you were a big fan of the TB3 and TB3X neoprene for its amazing warm to flex ratio, don’t worry, you’ll still find them on the Hyperfreak.
Some customers fear the more eco-friendly materials don’t stand the performance test. While it has been true in a not-so-distant past, sustainable technology has upped the game: “The biggest development is the performance of these suits has been maintained using natural rubber and recycled linings, something that until now, had proved elusive”, ensures John Longman, Senior Designer for C-Skins, speaking of their NuWave Solace and Session 3:2 fullsuits.
SS25 KEY PIECES: “Short-limbs” for Men
While the ultimate outfit of every surfer would be a pair of trunks with a rashguard, those chilly summer mornings or blown-out afternoon sessions are best enjoyed with a bit of rubber armour. The short-leg/arm springsuit is a favourite among the holiday warriors. It is the go-to model for beginners and seasonal participants, both for its ease of use and soft price point. In that segment, Neilpryde has got you covered with the Nexus 2/2 Shorty FL BZ: “It features very soft neoprene throughout the body, and high thermal insulation is ensured by the mesh panel in the chest and back areas. All standard Neilpryde features, such as the E3 system, leg straps, and perfect fit are also included.” Rip Curl also introduces a new Dawn Patrol shorty crafted in natural rubber foam, updating a timeless classic.
For the wind and kite enthusiasts, WIP offers a different springsuit design, the Steamy, is meant to be worn without being fully closed to allow more breathability and ventilation during high-temperature sessions, thanks to a front-zip. “Our range is designed for wind/wing/kite/foil practice, and the design must incorporate friction and shock absorption reinforcements. This is key to avoiding destroying your wetsuit in one season. If you use a surf wetsuit for “Wind driven board sport,” the damage is immediate, and the wetsuit won’t last the season” explains Vincent Cadene, COO at WIP.
From there, the short-sleeved fullsuit and long-sleeved springsuit are two different options, depending on style preference and your local climate (chilly water and no wind or warmer temps but windier). Revamped in Spring 2024, the Regulator collection from Patagonia will be carried-over for SS25 and still feature the Yulex® Regulator® Lite Front-Zip Short-Sleeved Full Wetsuit, a model which ticks all the eco boxes: built from 85% Yulex® natural rubber combined with 15% synthetic rubber by polymer content. The natural rubber is from sources that are Forest Stewardship Council® certified by Preferred by Nature™ and made in a Fair Trade Certified™ factory. If you prefer the long-sleeve alternative made with Yulex, Oxbow offers the Wulex LS. Eventually, jackets have gained momentum beyond the vintage log community and are now associated with the performance pieces, such as the new Plus Jacket 1/1 Short Sleeve and Max Jacket 1/1.5 Long Sleeve at Hurley.
SS25 KEY PIECES: All for the girls
While women can choose among all the gender-neutral silhouettes mentioned above, they have a multitude of styles to dip into. The very short leg options on springsuits now exceeds the demand of the regular above-the-knee cut. Hurley joins the party with “new springsuits for women with new lengths in the leg to make them more comfortable when surfing”. One of the standouts of Manera’s Women range is the Seafarer 3/2 Hybrid: “It is very frustrating to be cold in summer. For this reason, we have designed a shorty that keeps you warm: It is made with the same technologies as a 3.2mm full-length, we simply cut the legs.” The boxer-like short has been adopted by many with great success.
Another striking model is the G-Bomb Long Sleeve springsuit in the Rip Curl X Victoria Vergara collection. Inspired by the early 2000’s, it features denim texture prints, highlighted with bold colour accents, crafted from natural rubber-based foam featuring E5 neoprene. Prints are also to be found in O’Neill’s Bahia printed collection, which not only looks great, but fits great: ‘You will find a spring suit in every length depending on your preference’. Even more “Old-school is the new school”, the long Jane is very popular, says Jack Knowles at GUL. Patagonia offers one in the revamped Regulator collection in the same responsible compound: 85% Yulex® natural rubber with 15% synthetic rubber by polymer content which is Fair Trade Certified™. Let’s finish with an awkward yet crucial accessory exclusive to the Women’s category, the Design Award-winning WIPEE standing pee system from WIP. Us guys will keep on doing our things the gross way…
Slow but steady, the takeover of natural rubber is a work in progress and will help bring further down the cost of its production. And as the premium performance of the eco-conscious wetsuits isn’t an issue anymore, this opens a new era for retailers who will no longer have to choose between their values and business.
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