Nathan, John John and Ivan Florence are finally united on the same sponsor roster. Photo: Ivan Florence // Instagram
The final piece of the Florence puzzle is in place. After holding out to stay with longtime sponsor Vans, Ivan Florence has finally decided to sign with Florence, the family surf brand formerly known as Florence Marine X.
The move isn’t much of a surprise, as the company is owned by Ivan’s brother, John John Florence, and his other brother, Nathan Florence, had already left Vans to join the roster. Additionally, when Nathan explained his own move, he intimated that, while Ivan would stay with Vans for the time being, the other brothers were working on bringing him into the fold. “Mr. Cool has always done what Mr. Cool wants,” he explained. “That’s his decision to make. Right now, looks like he’s going to stay with Vans. It’s a great fit for him still.” Later, he added, “Obviously we’d love to have him.”
It looks like they finally wore him down. The announcement came via a post to Ivan’s Instagram. “Excited to join the family name,” he wrote in the caption. “Can’t wait for what the future holds.”
“The brotherhood is united!” quipped Nathan Florence in the comments.
The move comes amid a bevy of shakeups in the surf industry, with many surfers leaving longtime sponsors in favor of smaller brands. Earlier this week, we learned that Koa Rothman left Quiksilver to help fitness apparel brand Darc Sport expand into surfing. At the beginning of this year, the Gudauskas brothers parted ways with Vans and Kelia Moniz announced she would be leaving Roxy.
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