The new video from Nathan Florence takes him to Western Australia to tackle the monstrous slab, The Box. However, before he embarked on this latest strike mission, Florence elaborated on the recent news of his move from longtime sponsor Vans to Florence Marine X.
As he walked through the Honolulu airport, Florence proudly held out a Florence Marine X hat, the result of his recent split with Vans. From there, he went into an explanation of how the deal went down, and what it means for the future of the Florence family.
“I worked with Vans for 20 years. Great company, great relationships, there,” explained Nathan. “It was a long-term contract I had that terminated. Vans offered me a great deal and Florence offered me a great deal. John was like ‘Hey, if you want, decision’s yours, but we’d love to have you here. Come on over, let’s build this company together.”
Obviously, the decision didn’t come lightly. Leaving an established company like Vans for a smaller, fledgling brand doesn’t come without risk. “I had a decision to make,” Nathan said. “It came down to ‘take the short-term thinking deal, the now deal, with Vans, or bet on the long term and bet on myself, surf under my own name, build a company with my brother.’” In the end, he went with the family name.
He also elaborated on what all this meant for the third Florence brother, Ivan. Both Ivan and Nathan had been with Vans previously and it was unclear whether Nathan’s move meant all the brothers would be gathering under the same roof. However, according to Nathan, Ivan’s staying with Vans. “Mr. Cool has always done what Mr. Cool wants,” he wryly said, regarding Ivan’s decision. “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.”
The other interesting wrinkle to the whole move is that a Vans sticker may still appear on Nathan’s board. He added that they’re currently working on a footwear-only deal. However, the details have yet to be worked out.
