A company formed via an accomplished former professional surfing athlete and industry visionary, Paul Naude. The surf lifestyle brand Vissla broke onto the retail scene in the winter of 2013. Through his passion for the art of surfing, Naude, embarked on a mission to establish a company that focused on the industry’s roots. Thus, Vissla’s mission is to support the influential surfers that inspire us, the craftsmen and craftswomen that shape our industry while being a responsible steward of the environment that brings us such enjoyment.

Through Vissla’s “Creators & Innovators” initiative, Naude was able to give voice to some of surfing’s unsung heroes, whether it be through the wave carving of third-generation style icons like Bryce Young, or local shaping visionaries like Donald Brink and Jeff McCallum. Through their originality and creative approach to everything from wave-riding, surfboard design, and clothing composition, the average surfer can now fulfill their surfing passions either by the way they choose to surf, the type of board they enjoy riding, or the inspired shirt they wear. Like a breath of fresh salty-sea air, the emergence of Vissla is a welcome addition to the surfing lifestyle.

With this alternative passion, Vissla embraced the industry’s environmental movement. Many of us realize the importance of recycling in our day-to-day lives; the action of taking a discarded item and giving it a new life. Vissla, however, took recycling a step further by revolutionizing the concept of “upcycling;” the process of repurposing the discarded item into another product. By repurposing the husk fibers of coconuts into a strong, durable fabric, Vissla has designed a performance board short that is competitive with the highest of standards and demands of its customers. As a company that looks to environmental stewardship and innovation as a pathway to future success, Hobie is excited to partner with this new industry leader.

Company Interior Practices

• In 2013, all products shipped in recyclable packing martials (e.g. plastic bags)
• Creators & Innovators Upcycle Contest
• Company partnership with Surfrider Foundation, repurpose waste and turn it something that could be used in the ocean
• E.g. surfboards, handplanes, paipos, and skimboards

Company Exterior Practices

• Donald Brink’s Labor of Love
• Upcycling furniture pallets into rideable surf craft

Product Features

• Cocotex Boardshorts – “Polyester’s Perfect Partner”
• The process of repurposing the abandoned outer-husk of a coconut and integrating it with polyester
• Brings the same durability and elasticity of any comparable boardshort, but limits waste deposited into landfills
• Upcycled Poly-Cotton Stretch Boardshorts
• Products blended with polyester and plastic materials
• A practice that reduces the harmful deposit of plastic bottles into landfills and the environment

Did you know…

You may want to think twice before throwing away unwanted clothes!

Even in a landfill, your clothes emit harmful greenhouse gases. Approximately, 3-4 lbs. of CO2 are saved for every 1 lb. of apparel that is not deposited in a landfill. For example, if we were to donate, recycle, or upcycle 100 million tons of clothes we would effectively save 300-400 million tons of CO2 from invading the atmosphere.