Given Rip Curl’s penchant for world champs and The Search, the ideology of these two together made sense and it looked real when John started wearing Rip Curl wetsuits in Hawaii.

Patagonia would also make sense, but their ambassadors rarely receive more than $300k annually, which would be less than 10 percent of his previous deals. Brands like O’Neill felt like an obvious choice, a core surf brand that John had been sponsored by since he was six years old. There was talk that he’d join his brothers, Nathan and Ivan, head-to-toe on Vans. Since February there’s been speculation about what John’s next moves would be. When John John’s Pyzel noses became available, every major brand in surfing considered: how on earth they could redistribute budgets to secure surfing’s supernova? The sheer domination in his performances like those at Margaret River the past few years have almost universally won the hearts and minds of even the most jaded surf critics. John Florence is the most marketable surfer in the world, an indisputable fact proven by his market value-currently no other surfer has the pull to net deals of this magnitude. John’s contract reportedly still had $12m left on it and John’s camp negotiated a $2m deal to walk. The Hurley family left the Hurley brand swiftly in January. Despite no longer owning the brand, Hurley (the brand) still employed founder Bob Hurley, along with Jeff and Ryan. When Nike sold Hurley to Bluestar Alliance in December 2019, the future of the surf roster and the brand were unknown. The original deal was inked with the Nike-owned Hurley and would have taken John to 2023. Some backstory: In February this year, John walked away from the biggest contract in surfing history, an eight-year, circa $USD30m deal with Hurley. Six weeks ago, Stab reported the talks of a new entity between the troupe, which John confirmed this week when he reached out to Stab. John is partnering with Bob Hurley and his sons, Jeff and Ryan. We are energized about this acquisition and looking forward to delivering footwear, apparel, and accessories that live up to the Simple name.Today two-time world surfing champ and the most marketable surfer in the world, Mr John Florence, announced the launch of his new label, Florence Marine X. Simple’s reason for being feels more relevant in today’s mixed up world than ever before. We’ve always been fans of Simple and, when this opportunity presented itself, it just seemed like a great fit.”īob Hurley, Kandui Co-founder added: “Aside from being a great brand name, Simple always had a clear and differentiated point of view. They were way ahead of their time in terms of innovation and sustainable manufacturing practices and prioritized making the right decisions for the benefit of the planet at a time when the masses didn’t necessarily care about lofty concepts like sustainability. Simple always had a cool vibe – consumer-focused, no-nonsense, anti-hype way of approaching things. Jeff Hurley, Kandui Co-founder and CEO, had this to say: “We are really excited about the future of Simple and honored to have a talent like Denis as a partner in this venture.

They know this market extremely well and fully understand that business is all about relationships and people first! As an owner, business partner, and Simple fan, I am looking forward to seeing Simple reach its full potential.“ “The most enjoyable part of this deal has been meeting the Hurleys. Denis, who also owns ICB, Int’l, a footwear design and development group, will work closely with the Simple team as both a partner and an owner in Simple Shoes LLC.ĭenis Ryan expressed his excitement about the partnership. In 2015, the Simple trademarks were acquired by Denis Ryan, a savvy, design-focused shoe industry veteran who has since revived the brand, running a primarily direct-to-consumer business at for the last two years. Simple, founded in the early 90s by Eric Meyer, enjoyed growth and success throughout the early 2000s until the brand eventually went dormant in 2011.

Bob hurley surf family