“I can wear this giant scarf and this sweater made from peruvian goat wool, and I’ll charge as much as I want for it.” He didn’t actually say that. Photo: Mr. Porter
You want a piece of Kelly, I want a piece of Kelly, everybody wants a piece of Kelly. He looks like a winner and he smells like a winner. The one time I did actually meet him, I was like: “I totally want to cut off your skin and wear it to my birthday.”
But despite all the psycho attention, Kelly is remarkably gracious, most of the time. He has been known to snarl slightly, but he’s only human. Frankly, I think his patience for inane questions and adoring fans is almost as remarkable as his surfing.
The launch of Slater’s clothing label Outerknown has led to criticism from tight-fisted surf fans eager to purchase a piece of Kelly, but unable to reach his price point. But you know what? Kelly Slater doesn’t owe us anything! People would find a way to bitch at Kelly no matter what his stuff looked like or what it cost. His direction with Outerknown is based on what he believes is right, and anyone with any sense knows that Kelly Slater doesn’t do anything without thinking it round every which way.
Personally, I like (the theory behind) what he’s doing. I think the Outerknown clothing range looks a bit like it was dragged out of an old folks’ home, only more sterile, and hopefully it smells a little less like piss. But that’s beside the point. If I don’t like it, I won’t buy it, and I won’t snivel around on social media about it either.
Kelly is attempting to create a brand that is sustainable and socially conscious. From beginning to end of the process of running a fashion label, everything is done without cutting corners, and with full transparency. This inevitably costs money, and inevitably puts the products in a higher price bracket. So what? There are plenty of labels coining it in from harmful materials, cheap labour, and weak trends. Blame the industry, don’t blame the brands trying to change it. And don’t grudge paying a few extra bucks for your t-shirt if it means that it wasn’t stitched by the scaly, malnourished paws of a 10 year old orphan.
I’m not sure what the US equivalent is, but here in Europe we have a store called Primark. It’s like a glossy, synthetic nightmare. You can buy a pair of shoes for a couple of bucks, or t-shirts for not much more than a dollar. It’ll all fall apart after a couple of weeks, of course, but who cares? It’s such cheap tat that we’ll just buy more! Who do you think pays when clothing is this cheap? The environmental impact of this sort of disposable clothing doesn’t bear thinking about.
What Slater has done with Outerknown isn’t new, but that doesn’t matter either. He’s basically following the Patagonia blueprint. I wish more companies would follow their lead. If you have a spare hour or so, check out what Yvon Chouinard has to say about the way he runs Patagonia. He wants his products to last, and to facilitate this they deliberately don’t follow trends; they limit the growth of the company (therefore making less money); and they offer borderline ridiculous guarantees and repair services. All these factors contribute to Patagonia products having a low impact – before, during, and after manufacture; and basically lasting forever.
But lasting forever is (probably) the one thing that Kelly Slater can’t do. You can’t blame him for bedding down and sticking his fingers in a few pies. Aside from his clothing label, he’s been linked with all sorts in recent months: wavepools, energy drinks, golf technology, film rights, and even electric cars. I’m not surprised that people want Kelly involved in such a diverse range of projects, and I wouldn’t be in the least surprised if he goes on to dominate the world of business, just as he has dominated the world of surfing. Kelly Slater has an undeniable work ethic, and there is conviction in everything he does, be it a meaty bottom turn or a sweater made from the sustainable scrotum fur of a goat. Kelly Slater makes it work.
It is not our place to criticize someone as accomplished as Kelly Slater. Instead, we should merely stand back and admire his work. Over the years Kelly has given us more than enough. It is not his responsibility to put clothes on our backs as well. Outerknown and companies like them may well re-define what is possible in the fashion industry, and that’s a lot more valuable than a cheap t-shirt.
