Quiksilver’s New Boardshorts Are Made from its Own Production Scraps
Quiksilver’s latest product drop brings the “everything old is new again” adage to life.
The surf brand this week announced the Made Better with Recycled Textile Waste collection, building upon a 2021 commitment to improve its material uptake and production processes. Launching with the men’s Amphibian boardshorts, the new product line incorporates pre-consumer fabric and yarn cuttings that are cleaned, sanitized and sorted by color before being shredded through depolymerization. Then the pelletized material is extruded into new yarn that’s woven into 100-percent polyester ottoman fabric.
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A Quiksilver spokesperson said the company is working with an existing recycling partner to collect waste from its supply chain, including yarn-makers, weavers, dyeing factories and cut-and-sew operations. The brand’s first Made Better collection featured products made from recycled PET derived from plastic bottles.
The Made Better Amphibian updates one of the brand’s most popular products, and the chemical recycling process offers comparable durability and performance to virgin polyester, according to Quiksilver. The shorts’ quick-drying appeal comes from a PFC-free hydrophobic compound coating. Because the shorts are made from a single material, they’ll be easier to recycle in the future.
In a statement, Quiksilver said it intends to use more upcycled polyester across its fall product range, including most of its boardshorts, outdoor collection and winter outerwear. It is also exploring ways to incorporate it into other product categories. It wants to use more post-consumer textile waste, and is currently looking into how to collect and sort discarded products.
Available in navy, green and khaki, the 17-inch boardshort’s design was inspired by Japanese kimonos, which produce little cutoff waste, Quiksilver said. Retailing for $56, the short is available in sizes S-XL on the quiksilver.com.
Last month Quiksilver parent Boardriders Inc. was acquired by Authentic Brands Group in a $1.3 billion deal. Roxy, DC Shoes, RVCA, Element, VonZipper and Honolua are among the other brands in the Boardriders portfolio.
