Green died after a battle with cancer. RIP, Greeny. Photo: Stephen Cooney// Quiksilver//Instagram
Alan Green, the man who founded Quiksilver, died on January 14, 2025. He was 77 years old.
Green’s life left an indelible mark on surfing. According to reports, he succumbed to a battle with cancer. Green, who grew up in Victoria, Australia, died at home in Torquay. “Greeny,” as he was known, opened the doors to Quiksilver in 1969 after helping another iconic Australian surf brand, Rip Curl, get off the ground.
Green had a big hand in the boardshorts we all wear today — most notably, he came up with something called the “yoke waist,” where the back sits a little higher than the front — and helped shape the entire surf clothing industry into what we know it as.
“Love you, Greeny,” wrote Kelly Slater, who was the face of Quik for years. ” You were one of a kind and a great friend and mentor for so many. I’ll miss you forever.”
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Green started Quiksilver with John Law in 1969 in Torquay. It was a small thing to start, but after early success, it garnered global interest. According to lore, the letter C was left out of Quiksilver because they couldn’t afford the fee to check if the trademark was taken.
By the 1980s, Quik was one of the fastest growing surf-related brands in the world, and had headquarters in Saint-Jean-de-Luz, France, as well as establishing itself as a force in the United States. Kelly Slater was signed when he was just 18 years old, and his success in competitive surfing would skyrocket the brand’s visibility.
Alan Green is survived by his wife and three children. The surf world can thank him for all he’s done in outfitting surfers worldwide so they can do what they love to do in comfort.
