Surfing and camouflage have long been bedfellows. Think Gerry Lopez riding giant G-land on a camo-printed board, circa early ‘80s. Think Colonel Kilgore in Apocalypse Now, amid bombs and machine gun fire and napalm, telling one of his soldiers that “You either surf or fight!” Think Hawaiians wholesale—the camouflage army jacket and pants as both pig hunting and beach attire.

            Why do camo and surfing go so well together? Could it be that camouflage by definition is about blending with one’s surroundings, which on some sublime level is what we surfers are trying to do with every wave we catch? Could it harken back to the 1800s in Hawaii, when Calvinist missionaries arrived on Hawaiian shores and swiftly attempted to extinguish the sport of kings, thus on some base DNA level we surfers are eternally preparing for war? Or could it be that it just looks damn cool?

            Regardless, we are very pleased to announce camouflage as our latest addition to the Birdwell family. Available November 9th.