Who’s Actually Buying Couture Surfboards?

A cheetah print surfboard designed by Hedi Slimane. Photo: @ysl/Twitter

Unlike many designers behind Paris-based fashion brands, Hedi Slimane, Saint Laurent’s creative director, spends most of his time in Los Angeles. He can text Kanye and Kim to have lunch at The Ivy whenever, cruise down Rodeo Drive with the top down, and hit the beach on warm days. His clothes for the past few seasons have seemingly found inspiration from the West Coast city’s skate culture, sending bomber jackets, ripped pants, and flannels down the runways for both men and women. Now, he’s taken his affection for board sports even further and collaborated on a line of surfboards and skateboard decks.

The limited edition boards — only 80 surfboards and 300 skate decks were made — were manufactured in California by Tanner Prairie, a local shaper. The collection will be called “Surf Sound” and Hedi’s contribution is apparently the pattern and logo considering Prairie’s work is typically just a neutral colored board with a colored stripe down the center. The eclectic designs include a hot pink tie dye with “BABY” in big block letters and cheetah print boards with Saint Laurent on the bottom. As for the skate decks, they’re the same, just with an additional leopard print for the land lovers. Cost has yet to be released, but based on other products made by Prairie, the surfboards will most likely be around $1,500.

Models skating down the runway at Ashish’s show during London Fashion Week.

On Twitter, where the partnership was announced, reception seemed strong. One fan wrote, “I definitely need this,” while another responded with multiple heart emojis and another countered that enthusiastic reaction with nine smily face emojis with hearts for eyes. “I NEED THIS, not that I surf but you know. For it’s beauty,” Martin Lovell said. Mia Rose Markowicz, a teen from Australia, asked Harry Styles if he was going to purchase it.

This suggestion to the the One Direction singer, a Saint Laurent fan (he’s worn multiple items from the brand including a silk coat with an embroidered jungle scene on the back), begs the question: if he doesn’t buy one, then who will? Slimane might be popular, but does he know 80 surfers wiling to shill out a grand? And not just 80 surfers. These are athletes, who, just like pro-shoppers, spend months researching and scouring for the latest and greatest board at the best cost.

To get an answer to my question, I texted my dad. When he was younger, he was basically a Lord of Dogtown, spending his days in the water when the waves were good and skating in empty pools when the ocean was flat. As a middle-aged father of six who wears a suit to work everyday, he still finds time to do both despite how bad his back is. As an expert on all things boards (one time on a road trip we took a two hour detour so he could pick one up), he told me that “there’s no way any of his bros would buy 1 [editor’s note: why do parents insist on using #s?].” Unless it was being used for decor, but even in that case, they’d probably use a retired one (in his office he has two that are on contraptions that make them stand and spin so he would know). As for the women, I would venture to guess based on my investigative reporting (which consisted of texting my few friends that know how to rip well) that they wouldn’t spend money on it, but would totally take it if it was gifted to them. If they had a few thousand dollars to spare it would be spent on a beach vacation.

Gisele Bundchen carrying her Chanel surfboard in a short film shot by Baz Luhrman.

Interestingly, Saint Laurent’s not the only high-fashion brand to dip its toes in the couture sports gear pool. Chanel made a few, with one of them appearing in a short film featuring Gisele Bündchen as a pro able to catch a tsunami-sized wave, ride it all the way to the beach, and walk out of the water with her hair still down and not a single strand entangled with seaweed. Karl Lagerfeld, according to Vogue, is apparently interested in the “dichotomy of something so sports-influenced with the elegance and legend that is Chanel.” They sold for $4,000. Marc Jacobs was selling nine different models made by Hermosa Beach shaper Hap Jacobs in 2011 and in 2014 Alexander Wang collaborated with Australian company Haydenshapes to create a surfboard installation in the designer’s Soho flagship. Rick Owens made $15,000 skateboard decks out of petrified wood, meaning they’re strictly for decorative purposes and Ashish sent its models down the runway in London this past fashion week on ROYGBV boards.

Actual surfers and skaters might not be buying these items, but at least they have one guaranteed customer: Beyoncé.

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