It’s been a busy few months for Slater, since leaving Quiksilver on April Fools Day, he’s made a strong ascent to claim his 12th World Title, and launched two of his own brands “
Purps” a healthy alternative to soft drinks, and today he drip fed the soft launch of his new clothing brand “
Outerknown”, a global brand with a small footprint.
So this begs the question. Has Slater in all his years on the perch of global surfing, become a brand and retail wizard? Or has he simply become misguided by his own success in the water, into believing that it will translate to power and influence out of the water? There’s no doubt he’s seen the rise and fall of the Roman Empire. Brands have built themselves up, and literally crumbled around him. So you’d be naive to say that he certainly does have a perspective that most of us don’t!
Purps promises to be an industry changer in being a healthy alternative to the other soft drinks on the market (much like our friends at Alibi), while Outerknown promises to challenge the way other brands have been built up by being global, without compromising it’s environmental principles. You only read the literature on the soft launch website to get a feel of what the journey will be like:
“The name Outerknown references the furthest reaches of our knowledge today. As designers, it challenges us to build better, more sustainable products. As producers, it asks us to lift the lid on our supply chain bringing the consumer along on our journey to transparency. As storytellers, it enables perpetual evolution of our brand vision. As athletes and performers, it pushes us to formerly impossible levels. And as global citizens, it offers the opportunity to observe this multi-cultural world we live in and bring together seemingly unconnected people and ideas for the purpose of discovering the next Outerknown.”
If you ask us you’d be a fool to write off Slater in anything. We all know his surfing prowess, he’s the youngest, and the oldest World Champion, he’s dominated surfing in three decades, and completely adapted to the style of each one. He’s dated pretty much every model that’s going, had a role in Baywatch, and has been an absolute role model throughout.
There’s no doubt his global influence is infallible, and his followers are loyal, so there will immediately be a huge amount of interest. Time will tell as to whether or not the organisations have the team and the adaptability to stay on the top of the industry for years to come, but if he was offering shares up to the masses, we’d certainly be queuing up to get our stake!
What do you think? Can Slater take his in the water Midas touch into the boardroom, or is he just jumping on the band wagon? Let us know what you think…