It had to be some kind of sick joke. There’s no way this could be real. Those were the thoughts running through the surf world’s collective mind on April Fool’s Day of last year when it was announced that Kelly Slater would be leaving behind Quiksilver, a partnership that had endured 23 years. Kelly had become the face of the brand; to many, he was Quiksilver. But the news was true – no “gotchya” prank here, though that seemed to be the only plausible explanation – as Kelly departed to create his own brand with the high-fashion clothing conglomerate, The Kering Group.
Now, more than a year after the world-shaking news, the thought of Kelly and Quik breaking up has finally somewhat settled in. We’ve witnessed him riding a stickerless board for some time now, though the noses looked naked at first without the characteristic red and white logo. And Kelly’s company, Outerknown, has finally launched. As if the life of the world’s greatest surfer wasn’t crazy before, now he’s got the whole fashion brand owner thing to take into account.
A new clip from Todd Glaser and our friends over at Monster Children gives us a momentary glimpse into the hectic yet somehow harmonious life of Kelly. We join him during a short stay in Tokyo, where Outerknown will be sold at fashion outlet Ron Herman. With only 72 hours in the Land of the Rising Sun before jetting off to Tahiti, Kelly found time to take photos of the line, attend the launch party, riff on the philosophy of the brand (“What if we could do no logos and no advertising? Would people still love our clothes?”) track swells, surf said swells, sign autographs, hang out with his girlfriend Kalani, and all the while oversee his new clothing empire. Meanwhile, of course, Kelly is still a stalwart on tour, heading into the end of the season in the top 10. It’s a good thing he has an uber healthy diet, practically consisting solely of chia seeds, otherwise the stress might make him age like a normal human being.
