Best of the best, a way to ignite passion for board shorts from design to retail.
Quiksilver Europe has been designing unique, limited edition boardshorts in conjunction with nine of the best surf retailers in Europe. This truly collaborative and industry leading project, entitled Quiksilver Union, combines the very best surf retailers, branding and innovation. Every summer will see newly released collaborations with the best surf retailers across Europe.
For this summer Quiksilver worked with 9 stores who are leaders in surf retailing working together to create their own board short inspired by their own unique surf culture, history including symbols of their nation while Quikislver integrated into each board shorts new revolutionary designs and materials.
The first retailers to launch are Northshore and Troggs (United Kingdom), Tubes (Ireland), Blue Tomato (Austria), Secret Spot (Germany), Point Break and Rainbow (France) and Tactic and Pukas (Spain).
The team at North Shore is true to their rugged Cornish roots and has created a boardshort that represents Kernow pride. We have geometric lines inspired by the Quiksilver logo in white on black representing St Piran, the patron saint of Tin Miners. The inspiration comes from the classic Quiksilver chequer print, with fine red and black lines on a white background.
The Irish heritage is represented in the Troggs boardshort by the depiction of a mythical Celtic Troll character in the barrel, which has long been the logo of this once underground surf shop.
The Tubes shop took their inspiration in the leaf of the lucky shamrock; the boardshort has the emblem printed in monogram. Made in polyester, the Tubes boardshort has a back pocket. Any surfer wearing the Tubes boardshort must surely be taking with them the luck of the Irish.
Blue Tomato used an innovative photo printing; the piece is printed with an image of traditional attire called the Lederhosen. The Lederhosen is a Bavarian short made from leather, which has matching shoulder straps and was worn in the Alps back in the XVIII century.
Secret Spot has chosen a bold, clear design inspired by the wave form itself. The graphic uses chocolate brown in contrast with a tropical blue to represent the dreamy locations of Hawaii and the Polynesian Islands where surfing, the sport of Kings, was born.
Going for the highest level of innovation, Quiksilver collaborated with Point Break to produce a contemporary boardshort both in terms of design and style. Using a modern Matrix graphic, Point Break also matched its look with innovative materials (dobby diamond stretch).
The boardshort imagined by the Rainbow surf shop is a flashback to the original boardshort styles of the Seventies, being shorter in length at 16 inches and made of nylon.
The Spanish shop Pukas conceived their boardshort with a picture which reminds them of their first activity of the shop: a surfboard manufacturing. The image printed on the fabric is of a quiver of Pukas surfboards standing to attention on a beach as if waiting for their owner to paddle them out to the waves beyond.
The emblems on the Tactic boardshorts are various depictions of the Tactic logo from crests to medallions and the surfing camper van. Eye-catching and stylish, these monogram boardshorts are tactically perfect.
Jeff Hakman, co-founder of Quiksilver said; “the strength of this project is the collaboration of like minded companies coming together to strengthen the UNION between board short designs and boardshort retailing, creating passion into surf and products alike.”
All these boardshorts will be exclusively available in the Union shops from May.
About Quiksilver Union: Quiksilver Union represents 40 of Europe’s best core and independent surf retailers. The vision is to provide them with customer excellence from sales, marketing and service support ensuring success for both companies. Every year special products on a limited nature will develop and marketed exclusively for the Quiksilver Union clients.
About Quiksilver: “Quiksilver is committed to providing tools for uncovering, expressing and expanding your personal style. Our aim is to foster the sense of individual expression and excitement – the stoke that is the essence of boardriding*. We’re also here to spread the word because the only thing better than finding stoke is sharing it.
* Boardriding is about timing and style. It’s youthful, active, casual, and free flowing. There is no wrong way to ride a board. The goal is simply to learn, progress, improve, and give it your own interpretation.”
