Wave Hawaii sets Trends with Surf Gear and New Product Lines
Inspired by the lush tropical islands of the Aloha state, CEO of Wave Hawaii, Carsten Raphael, shines a light on their growing business with surf poncho’s and wooden sunglasses as well as the brand’s core offering and their expansion into new product categories for 2025.
Wave Hawaii
How has business been since spoke to Wave Hawaii last year?
We were able to further expand our position in the surf poncho sector and exceeded the 60,000 units/year mark. We were also pleased to intensify production in our European production facilities. This applies to the ponchos, but above all our AirLite and crew socks, which are a great addition to our product range and a lot of fun. We are still on the right track and have a lot of creative ideas in the drawer. But we don’t want to rush things and want to grow continuously and independently without external investors.
Wave Hawaii
How has your sunglasses range been received by the market?
We are definitely on the right track with our wooden glasses as sustainability is often not the focus for this category. However, it is for us – just as it is for our other product groups. We are stronger in this area in stationary retail than online. Our selection and quality seem to convince many and sunglasses are currently our second strongest product group.
Wave Hawaii
Which national market has been best for you this year?
Germany is the strongest, which is probably due to the fact that we are most active in the market here. Switzerland, France, Greece and Benelux in particular are currently becoming increasingly strong.
How will you be promoting the brand across Europe?
We work with great dealers and sales staff in various countries. For some countries such as Italy, Spain, Portugal and the USA, we still need assistance in the form of independent distributors. Another hot topic is our influencers and ambassadors. We are already working with a lot of great people in this area, but we will continue to step up our activities here too in order to sustainably increase our awareness benefiting each retailer and building good brand relationships.
Wave Hawaii
What are you as a company doing to be more eco-friendly?
We focus on a clear commitment to sustainable products, produced in Europe wherever possible, send our parcels using climate-neutral suppliers, use only natural or recycled packaging, green electricity and mostly come to the office each day by mountain bike.
What have been your best selling products this summer season and why?
Our AirLite ponchos are our bestsellers. The material is unbeatable in terms of climate regulation, robustness and hand feel. The material is lightweight, has very high water absorption, dries quickly and is odour-resistant. Our polarised wooden sunglasses are the second strongest product group. However, our AirLite socks are currently going through the roof and – if things continue like this – will soon replace sunglasses in second place.
Wave Hawaii
What’s in the pipeline for you in terms of new products for s/s 2025?
We are looking forward to our AirLite underwear for women and men, which is super soft, multifunctional and quick-drying and will be available in many crazy designs. It’s perfect for everyday wear, but best suited for most sporting activities including water sports under a wetsuit or as swimwear. In addition, there is a bamboo boxer collection for men, which is silky soft, antibacterial and odour-inhibiting. For our outdoor enthusiasts, we are also launching super fluffy multifunctional blankets with great designs that can be used as a cuddly blanket, cape or sleeping bag. We will continue to work on new poncho and eyewear models.
Wave Hawaii
Why should retailers stock Wave Hawaii?
We have the feeling that many people out there are waiting for a cool brand that complements the ‘old’ brands in a meaningful way. Here we are! We set trends and are a pro-active brand with a clear commitment to sustainability and multifunctionality. We offer great displays for efficient sales support with POS, top retailer conditions and short delivery times. We also have no minimum order quantities for retailers making it as easy as possible for new customers to get started with us to build an authentic working relationship. The retailers who are already on board are continuously selling more and more and enjoy working with us. Our retailer fluctuation is extremely low, which of course makes us very happy and confirms that we are on the right track.
