Hitting the Beach

It’s summer, and that means fashion collaborations focused on sand and surf. Some of the clothing brands that have tied in with surf-related properties for beach apparel and accessories collections this year include:

• Wrangler, which launched a collaboration last month with Billabong. The assortment consists of a range of summer and back-to-school items for young men and women that combine surf and western cultures. Inspired by a shared love of the outdoors and some elements of shared history, the assortment features sustainable attributes such as recycled PET plastic, organic cotton, and hemp.

• LoveShackFancy, which partnered with Hurley, also in July, for a 50-piece men’s, women’s, and children’s collection. It includes surfboards, beach accessories such as umbrellas and chairs, wetsuits, and swimwear. The LoveShackFancy lifestyle brand is best known for its retro flower and lace designs, a look that is incorporated into this line. LoveShackFancy has been extending its name into a variety of fashion categories recently.

• Ralph Lauren, which paired with Hoffman, a maker of tropical print fabrics founded by Walter Hoffman, creator of the “aloha” shirt. Items include swim trunks, casual sneakers, and a camp shirt. This collaboration also debuted in July of this year.

• Lululemon, which announced a pairing with pro surfer Mark Healey in late June. The Moon Drift collection combines surf design with performance attributes that can accommodate a variety outdoor activities. Healey already was serving as a brand ambassador for Lululemon.

• Brain Dead, which is designed by Kyle Ng, paired with the retro surf brand Gotcha, founded in 1978. The collaboration, which marks a relaunch of the Gotcha label, includes several apparel pieces in neon, graphic prints, and other styles, as well as a surf board. The products launched in June.

While these and many other recent surf collections are centered around apparel and accessories, along with footwear and surfboards in some cases, other categories sometimes get in on the sand-and-surf-themed fun. Dwell, a publisher of home design and lifestyle content, and Concrete Collaborative, a small, California-based producer of sustainable concrete tiles and countertops, paired for a multipurpose line of 8×8 handcrafted tiles inspired by California surf culture, especially surfboards.