Rip Curl is an Australian designer, manufacturer, and retailer of surfing sportswear (also known as ''boardwear'') and accompanying products, and a major athletic sponsor. Rip Curl has become one of the largest surfing companies in Australia, Europe, South America, North America and South Africa. Globally, Rip Curl is considered a successful member of the "Big Three", of the surf industry alongside

Quiksilver Quiksilver is a brand of surf-inspired apparel and accessories that was founded in 1969 in Torquay, Victoria, but is now based in Huntington Beach, California. It is one of the world's largest brands of surfwear and boardsport-related equip ...

and Billabong. Rip Curl is now present in several areas of board sports, including

skateboarding Skateboarding is an extreme sport, action sport that involves riding and Skateboarding trick, performing tricks using a skateboard, as well as a recreational activity, an art form, an entertainment industry Profession, job, and a method of tr ...

/ surfskating,

freestyle skiing Freestyle skiing is a skiing discipline comprising aerials, Mogul Skiing, moguls, Ski Cross, cross, Half-pipe skiing, half-pipe, slopestyle and big air as part of the Freestyle skiing at the Winter Olympics, Winter Olympics. It can consist of a ...

snowboarding Snowboarding is a recreational and competitive activity that involves descending a snow-covered surface while standing on a snowboard that is almost always attached to a rider's feet. It features in the Winter Olympic Games and Winter Paralym ...

and

wakeboarding Wakeboarding is a water sport in which the rider, standing on a wakeboard (a board with foot bindings), is towed behind a motorboat across its wake and especially up off the crest in order to perform aerial maneuvers. A hallmark of wakeboarding ...

. Some events in these other disciplines include the ''Rip Curl SurfSkate Festival'', ''Rip Curl Wake, Skate and Music Festival'', ''Rip Curl City Slam'' (skateboarding) and the ''Rip Curl World Heli Challenge'' (freestyle skiing and snowboarding).

History

The company was founded in 1969 by Doug Warbrick and Brian Singer in

Torquay, Victoria Torquay ( ) is a town in Surf Coast Shire, Victoria, Australia, which faces Bass Strait, 21 km south of Geelong and is the gateway to the Great Ocean Road. It is bordered on the west by Spring Creek and its coastal features include Point D ...

, Australia, and initially produced

surfboard A surfboard is a narrow plank used in surfing. Surfboards are relatively light, but are strong enough to support an individual standing on them while riding an ocean wave. They were invented in ancient Hawaii, where they were known as ''papa hee ...

s. In 1970, they decided to begin production of

wetsuit A wetsuit is a garment worn to provide thermal protection while wet. It is usually made of foamed neoprene, and is worn by surfers, divers, windsurfers, canoeists, and others engaged in water sports and other activities in or on the water. ...

s, with an emphasis on transforming diving technology into a wetsuit suitable for surfing. Alan Green (co-founder of Quiksilver) was a Rip Curl employee in 1969 and developed the first Quiksilver boardshorts at the Rip Curl Factory in April 1970. In 2019 Tim Baker authored, The Rip Curl Story, a book documenting the company's history. The Rip Curl Story celebrates 50 years of surfing and the wanderlust of the Rip Curl founders Doug 'Claw' Warbrick and Brian Singer. It is pegged as both a business primer and an adventure story. In mid-2012, Singer and Warbrick engaged the services of Bank of America Merrill Lynch to sell the brand, but the plan was abandoned in March 2013. In October 2019, Rip Curl was sold to outdoor specialist company

Kathmandu Kathmandu () is the capital and largest city of Nepal, situated in the central part of the country within the Kathmandu Valley. As per the 2021 Nepal census, it has a population of 845,767 residing in 105,649 households, with approximately 4 mi ...

. On 16 August 2021, Rip Curl appointed Brooke Farris as the

chief executive officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

The Search

Rip Curl is responsible for a campaign called The Search. Surf films by legendary filmmaker Sonny Miller were created as part of the Search campaign: ''The Search'' (1992), ''The Search II'' (1993), ''Beyond the Boundaries: The Search III'' (1994), ''Feral Kingdom'' (1995), ''Tripping the Planet'' (1996) and ''Searching for Tom Curren'' (1996), which was awarded Video of the Year by ''Surfer'' magazine in 1997. In 2015 Rip Curl relaunched The Search.

Awards

Rip Curl is known for manufacturing technical products and innovation in the surf industry. Rip Curl's "FlashBomb Wetsuit" won three consecutive SIMA (Surf Industry Manufacturers Association) awards for "Wetsuit of the Year" in 2011, 2012 and 2013. The Rip Curl Group took home six wins at the 2017 SBIA Awards in Australia. Rip Curl's marketing campaign "My Bikini" took home the SIMA Award for "Women's Campaign of the Year" in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2019. Rip Curl received the 2015 SIMA awards for Women's Marketing Campaign of the Year ("My Bikini"), Wetsuit Brand of the Year (Flash Bomb Zip Free), Accessory Product of the Year (SearchGPS Watch), Women's Swim Brand of the Year and Men's Boardshort of the Year (Mirage MF Driven). Rip Curl received the 2017 SBIA awards for Men's Brand of the Year, Customer Service Team of the Year (Torquay Head Office), WA Account Manager of the Year (Kerry Whitford), Ladies Swimwear Brand of the Year, Men's Boardshort of the Year (Mirage Connor Surge), Wetsuit of the Year (Flashbomb Chest Zip), Surfing Accessory of the Year (FLight Posse Backpack), Ladies Brand of the Year, QLD Account Manager of the Year (Sean Finlay). Rip Curl received the 2019 SBIA awards for Product Innovation of the Year (Heatseeker), Wetsuit of the Year (Flashbomb Heatseeker), Mens Boardshort of the Year (Mirage 3 2 1), Ladies Swimwear Brand of the Year, Sales & Customer Service Office of the Year, Rip Curl National Customer Service WA, Account Manager of the Year (Kerry Whitford), Vic/Tas Account Manager of the Year (Daniel Jenkin), Qld Account Manager of the Year (Sean Finlay), Ladies Brand of the Year, Mens Brand of the Year.

Retail stores

*Australia/New Zealand: 61 *South America (most are licensees): 94 *North America: 29 *Africa and Middle East: 21 *Asia (Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia): 72 *Europe: 55

References

External links

* {{Sports equipment brands Sportswear brands Retail companies of Australia Sporting goods manufacturers of Australia Privately held companies of Australia Clothing brands of Australia Swimwear manufacturers Surfwear brands Surfing in Australia Snowboarding companies Skateboarding companies Watch brands 1969 establishments in Australia Clothing companies established in 1969 Retail companies established in 1969 Underwear brands Clothing brands Australian fashion Multinational companies headquartered in Australia Shoe companies of Australia Companies based in Victoria (state) Australian subsidiaries of foreign companies

History

The Search

Awards

Retail stores

Sponsored WCT World Tour events

Sponsored athletes

Winners

See also

References

External links