Australia Surf industry

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Surf industry leaders cling to their vagabond roots

Surfing is not just a way of life in Australia but a multi-billion dollar business with its roots set firmly in the vagabond surfer culture.
InvestorTV spoke to some of surfing’s most influential characters to track the growth of an iconic Australian industry.

Phil Jarratt is an acclaimed surf author, editor and journalist who has followed the fortunes of the industry for four decades.

“The surf industry in Australian really got underway in the early ‘60s,” says Jarratt.

“Back in those days it was primarily a surfboard-based industry. There was very little clothing that went with it.

“I think the rise and rise of the surf industry has come as a huge surprise to its founders, who were just guys who wanted to go surfing all the time and didn’t want to have a regular job!”

By the 1970s, three clothing companies began to emerge as leaders of Australia’s rapidly expanding surf industry. These companies were Quiksilver, Rip Curl and Billabong. Phil Jarratt has watched these once-parochial ventures grow to become globally dominant, multi-million dollar brands.

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