Leo, on a trip to Ireland in late 2025. Photo: Red Bull
Here’s a riddle for the hardcore surf fan. Gucci, pasta, stomp pads made by Pirelli — these are a few of his favorite things. Any guesses on who this pro surfer-cum-fashion killer could be?
Leo Fioravanti, the pride of Rome, is the one and only Italian Stallion of surfing. He’s come a long way from Ocean Surf, the beach club outside of Rome that introduced him to the sport that has now made him an Olympian. “It’s funny, so obviously Italy isn’t the biggest surf culture,” Fioravanti told me. “Far from that.” Leo was the grom in a small crew running around Caput Mundi. His dream was to ride for Quiksilver.
“Growing up, Kelly was my hero,” says Fioravanti. “I had a poster of Kelly and all I wanted was to be sponsored by Quiksilver.” Despite other offers, some with more money, he stuck with his guns and got the deal he dreamt of. Notably, Fioravanti, Jack Robinson, and Kanoa Igarashi made up Quicksilver’s Young Gun crew. Fast forward, and the trio has made it to the Tour and the Olympics. Not bad. But it wasn’t all highs for Leo.
He was a part of the WSL’s transition to the mid-year cut. And unfortunately, he was on the chopping block that first season. “That was a tricky year. There was a lot of fear in the first five events,” says Fioravanti. “Surfing with fear is never a good thing. When I didn’t make the cut I was devastated.” But he got right back on the horse. “The first Challenger Series event was Snapper Rocks, literally a week later.” Leo grinded out the CS, got back on Tour, and hasn’t looked back since.
Now he’s a two-time Olympian. “Tokyo and Paris were a dream come true,” says Fioravanti. “Tokyo was really about the experience and getting that Olympic feeling. Paris was different. I really wanted a big result, maybe too much. I was too focused on getting a medal instead of competing at my best and letting it happen.” While surfing to get a result is nothing new, the Olympics are. Surfers are becoming more traditional athletes, and it shows in the culture.
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“Yeah, it’s so different from what it used to be. Obviously the whole surfing world back in the day was surf as much as possible. Past 10 p.m. there was a lot going on,” says Fioravanti, referencing the Dream Tour and its play-hard-after-dark attitude. “Today, past 10 p.m. there is nothing going on in the surfing world. The level is so high that to maintain that you have to be an athlete 100 percent.”
And Leo is taking full advantage of the athlete experience, in and out of the water. You might see him in GQ, or dressed to the nines at a fashion show back in Milan. He even used to be a brand ambassador for Gucci. “Yea that was really cool to do for so many years,” says Fioravanti. “I recently went to the Palazzo Fendi and got dressed by Fendi. The fashion world is fun and keeps things light and exciting.”
Let’s hope keeping things light work for Leo in 2026 as he searches for his first World Title. The tour kicks off in April at Bells Beach.
