On trend and on the wave: carving cultural identity through active surf dress

ABSTRACT

Clothing, as both functional and fashionable, has become a key marker in signifying and shaping personal identity. This is particularly clear in a range of “lifestyle sports” [Wheaton, B. 2004. “Introduction: Mapping the Lifestyle Sportscape.” In Understanding Lifestyle Sports: Consumption, Identity, and Difference, edited by B. Wheaton, 1–28. London: Routledge], including the array of practices associated with the culture of surfing. This paper examines the ways in which companies market performance clothing to surfers. By critically analysing the ways in which wetsuits, rash vests, body gloves, and neoprene boots are advertised by companies such as Billabong, Quiksilver, RipCurl, and O'Neill, this paper outlines how particular engagements with waves are designed into these forms of dress, and how specific cultural performances and identities are encouraged through their marketing. The paper suggests that four cultural ideals become integral to the “dress code” for performance surf wear, namely: (1) Unique Surfing Performance, (2) Cultural Authenticity, (3) Transient Engagements, and (4) Cyborgian Skin. The paper will argue how this marketing of active surf dress is important as it not only signifies particular types of identity within surfing culture, but also valorizes specific types of communion with the surf zone.

KEYWORDS:

• Surfing
• marketing
• dress
• performance
• culture
• engagement

Notes on contributor

Dr Jon Anderson is a Reader in Human Geography in Cardiff University. His research interests focus on the relations between culture, place, and identity, particularly the geographies, politics, and practices that emerge from these. His key publications include: Understanding Cultural Geography: Places and Traces (2010, 2015, Second Edition), Water Worlds: Human Geographies of the Ocean (edited with K. Peters, 2014), and Page and Place: Ongoing Compositions of Plot (2014).

Notes

1. Editions covered: Carve issues (7): editions numbered 102, 119, 123, 128, 131, 152, 153; Drift: 5, 6, 7; SUP (1): 7; Surf Europe (1): 75; Surfer (4): 53, 54, 55, 56; Surfers’ Path (9): 27, 28, 30, 33, 64, 82, 92, 95, 97; Wavelength (3): 184, 234, 235. Years covered: 2001: 1; 2002: 4; 2008: 5; 2009: 1; 2010: 2; 2011: 3; 2012: 2; 2013: 3; 2014: 7.

2. Surfing adverts are referenced as follows (Company, product (if noted), Source Title, Volume, Issue, Year). Page numbers for adverts are not cited in surf magazines.

3. Again, note the tendency of surf companies to weaponize their surf dress, to appeal to the younger, masculine, aggressive, surf market.

4. Of course, there is a clear paradox identifiable within a culture that valorises self-expression and individuals, yet renders this possible (only) through buying and wearing the same clothes as everyone else. There remain many within surf culture that are aware of this irony (see Mitchell, n.d.) and choose not to wear explicitly branded water-world surf dress. Yet it is possible to identify some companies who are not cognisant of the irony in their marketing straplines; for example: “Join the Order” (Relentless, in Wavelength, 184, July, 2009).