Rip Curl emerged as one of the top winners at the 2022 Surf and Boardsports Industry Association Awards, earning five trophies including Brand of the Year as well as a record-breaking 10th year in a row for Wetsuit of the Year.
About 170 brand executives and retailers showed up at Sydney’s Coogee Bay Hotel for the event recognizing Australia’s best brands, products, environmental initiatives, retail performers, sales agencies and marketing campaigns. The SBIA awards followed a Retail Summit and an Environmental Round Table, which help strengthen the relationships between brand and retail members.
Other major brands also walked away with top recognition. JS and REEF were back-to-back winners of the Surfboard of the Year and Footwear Brand of the Year, respectively.
For the eighth time in a row, Billabong won Ladies’ Marketing Campaign of the Year for its Billabong x Steph Smith collaboration (2.0). Meanwhile, Men’s Marketing Campaign of the Year went to Volcom for “Welcome to Beer’a’dise.”
Mandy Marechal, co-founder of Take 3 for the Sea, presented the Environmental Award to Varuna Surf for the brand’s sustainable practice of manufacturing only wooden surfboards while regenerating rainforests in Indonesia.
Sunglass Brand of the Year went once again to OTIS, while Creatures of Leisure took the Surfing Accessory of the Year and Brand of the Year | Small to Medium awards.
Slater Designs received the Product Innovation of the Year award for the Endorfins fin.
Reid Young Agencies was the inaugural recipient of the Sales Agency of the Year award and Daniel Jenkin was named Account Manager of the Year (Australia-wide).
The top Australian Independent Retailer of the Year awards went to Surfboard Empire for both Multi-Store and Core Board Store, with Star Surf + Skate winning for Single Store Retailer of the Year. Shop Fit-Out of the Year also went to Surfboard Empire for their innovative new store in Kawana.
The 2022 Australian Surf Industry Awards were sponsored by Brandscope, the National Retail Association and Retail Doctor Group (Retail Awards), McCartney Design (Shop Fit Out), Arch & Hook and Take 3 (Environment Award), Shop! (Marketing Awards), Stryker Media (Product Innovation) and Surfing Australia.
THE LIST OF WINNERS
Sales and Customer Service Office of the Year: National Rip Curl Customer Service Office
Australian Account Manager of the Year: Daniel Jenkin – Rip Curl
Australian Sales Agency of the Year: Reid Young Agencies
Wetsuit of the Year: Rip Curl – Flashbomb Heatseeker
Surfboard of the Year: JS Industries – “Schooner” model by Mikey Wright
Surfing Accessory of the Year: Creatures of Leisure – Italo Ferreira Signature Traction
Boardshort Brand of the Year: Rip Curl
Sunglass Brand of the Year: OTIS
Footwear Brand of the Year: REEF
Swimwear Brand of the Year: Rip Curl
Brand of the Year Small to Medium: Creatures of Leisure
Brand of the Year Large: Rip Curl
Ladies’ Marketing Campaign of the Year: Billabong – The Billabong x Steph Claire Smith Collaboration
Men’s Marketing Campaign of the Year: Volcom – Welcome to “Beer’a’dise”
Product Innovation: Slater Designs – Endorfins
Environment Award: Varuna Surf
Shop Fit-Out of the Year: Surfboard Empire – Kawana
Australian Retailer of the Year – Single Store: Star Surf + Skate
Australian Retailer of the Year – Multi-Store: Surfboard Empire
Australian Retailer of the Year – Core Board Store: Surfboard Empire
