This is a shopping list for anyone who wants surf DNA in clothes they'll actually wear off the sand — boardshorts and aloha prints alongside flannels, chore jackets and graphic tees. The 26 brands below run from $30 rack tees at Billabong and Quiksilver to Stockholm Surfboard Club's designer-priced knits, so pick by price tier first and print language second. Note that several legacy names now sit under licensing groups, and Banks Journal closed in 2023 — its pieces circulate on resale.
Independent Southern California surf brand making boardshorts, wetsuits and casual apparel with recycled and plant-based materials.
Why it's similar. Independent SoCal surf label whose boardshorts, flannels and cord pants use recycled and plant-based materials at a low-mid price, backing shapers and artists through its Creators & Innovators program.
Australian moto-and-surf label founded in Sydney in 2006, pairing custom motorcycles and surfboards with graphic tees, fleece and riding gear.
Why it's similar. Sydney moto-and-surf hybrid selling graphic tees, fleece and boardshorts through its Temple stores; acquired by South Korea's The Nature Holdings in June 2024.
Independent California travel-and-surf apparel brand founded by Ryan Hitzel, building each collection around real expeditions and illustrated storytelling.
Why it's similar. Costa Mesa travel-and-surf brand that builds each collection around a real expedition, translating trips into flannels, camp collars, waxed jackets and boardshorts.
New York menswear label founded in 2009, pairing minimal surf-influenced basics with café-and-surf-shop hybrid stores in the US and Asia.
Why it's similar. The city end of the spectrum: clean mid-weight oxfords, garment-dyed sweats and board shorts in muted palettes, sold from café-and-surf-shop hybrid stores.
Japanese-Australian surf label founded in Byron Bay in 2014; it shut down in October 2023 and filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy.
Why it's similar. Byron Bay label known for art-driven printed wovens and boardshorts; it shut down in October 2023 and filed Chapter 7, so pieces now circulate second-hand.
Costa Mesa surf-skate-art label now owned by Authentic Brands Group, known for boardshorts, graphic tees and its "Balance of Opposites" logo.
Why it's similar. Costa Mesa surf-skate-art label whose Artist Network Program capsules, boardshorts and graphic tees sit at a low-mid price; now owned by Authentic Brands Group.
Stockholm label founded in 2019 that merges Scandinavian minimalism with vintage surf graphics across ready-to-wear, wetsuits and hand-shaped surfboards.
Why it's similar. The most design-forward pick here — Scandinavian minimalism crossed with vintage board graphics, sold via Ssense and Très Bien at med-high prices.
Costa Mesa surf-lifestyle brand making artist-printed beach towels, blankets, changing ponchos and coastal apparel since 2015.
Why it's similar. Costa Mesa surf-textiles brand doing artist-printed towels, blankets, changing ponchos and coastal apparel in recycled and organic materials.
Southern California apparel brand making fishing shirts, boardshorts, tees and headwear rooted in sport-fishing and surf culture.
Why it's similar. San Clemente label built on sport-fishing and surf imagery, with hand-drawn marlin and tackle graphics on tees, boardshorts, work pants and trucker caps.
Honolulu streetwear label making Hawaii-rooted graphic tees, caps and fleece, and running the Slashers concept shop at Dole Cannery.
Why it's similar. Honolulu streetwear rooted in Hawaii skate and surf culture, focused on graphic tees, caps and fleece plus its Slashers concept shop.
Family-run Hilo label making aloha shirts and dresses from original prints rooted in native Hawaiian plants, hula practice and place-based stories.
Why it's similar. Family-run Hilo house making aloha shirts and dresses from original prints tied to native Hawaiian plants, hula practice and specific places.
Hawaii surf brand and retail chain founded in 1971, selling logo apparel, Eric Arakawa-shaped surfboards and hardgoods across Oahu, Maui and Hawaii Island.
Why it's similar. Hawaii surf shop chain since 1971, selling its own logo tees, boardshorts and hats alongside Eric Arakawa-shaped boards.
Honolulu's oldest apparel company, making screen-printed aloha shirts from original in-house artwork since 1936.
Why it's similar. Hawaii's oldest apparel company, screen-printing aloha shirts from in-house artwork in Honolulu since 1936, with recent Todd Snyder collaborations.
Australian surf brand from 1973, known for triple-stitched boardshorts, wetsuits and beach-print casualwear; now owned and licensed by Authentic Brands Group.
Why it's similar. The original triple-stitched boardshort brand from Burleigh Heads, now an Authentic Brands Group license selling washed beach prints at low-mid prices.
Australian-founded surf label, owned by Authentic Brands Group since 2023, known for boardshorts, wetsuits and snow outerwear.
Why it's similar. Torquay-founded surf staple for Highline boardshorts, wetsuits and logo tees; ABG-owned since 2023 with men's and women's licenses reassigned in 2025.
Australian surf brand from Torquay, Victoria, known for performance wetsuits, boardshorts and beach apparel, owned by KMD Brands.
Why it's similar. Torquay wetsuit specialist behind the Flashbomb and E-Bomb, plus boardshorts and beach apparel; owned by KMD Brands since 2019.
California surf and lifestyle brand founded by Bob Hurley, known for Phantom boardshorts, graphic tees and beachwear, now owned by Bluestar Alliance.
Why it's similar. Bob Hurley's California label, best known for Phantom stretch trunks, graphic tees and fleece; now run through Bluestar Alliance licensees.
California surf label founded in 1952 that pioneered the neoprene wetsuit, now making wetsuits, boardshorts, swimwear and snow outerwear.
Why it's similar. The Santa Cruz brand that invented the neoprene wetsuit and surf leash, still covering wetsuits, boardshorts, swim and casual apparel.
California headwear-turned-apparel brand founded in 2004, known for classic hats, flannels and workwear rooted in SoCal surf, skate and music culture.
Why it's similar. Oceanside brand rooted in SoCal surf, skate and music, offering flannels, work jackets, tees and its founding headwear line at low-mid prices.
American skate footwear and apparel brand, founded in Anaheim in 1966 and owned by VF Corporation, known for the Old Skool and Sk8-Hi.
Why it's similar. The Anaheim skate shoe that surf culture adopted; Old Skools, Authentics and Slip-Ons remain the default footwear across this whole list.
Costa Mesa boardsports apparel brand known for the Stone logo, boardshorts and snow outerwear, now owned by Authentic Brands Group.
Why it's similar. Costa Mesa boardsports label built on the Stone logo, with boardshorts, denim and skate-fit workwear; ABG-owned, with North America under new licensees since 2025.
Kelly Slater's California surf label making relaxed men's and women's staples from organic, recycled and Fair Trade-certified materials.
Why it's similar. Kelly Slater's Culver City label doing relaxed workwear-meets-surf staples — the Blanket Shirt, S.E.A. Jeans, hemp shirting — in Fair Trade factories.
General Admission, founded by Gavin Dogan and Dooma Fahrenfort in 2015, is a Los Angeles-based brand that creates simple, elegant designs for a more inspired lifestyle.
Why it's similar. Los Angeles label from Gavin Dogan and Dooma Fahrenfort making minimal, loose-cut garments for a laid-back coastal wardrobe.
American outdoor apparel maker founded in 1973 in Ventura, California, now owned by a trust and nonprofit that direct profits to environmental causes.
Why it's similar. Ventura outdoor brand with a real surf line alongside Baggies shorts and fleece, and a Worn Wear resale program; profits go to environmental causes via the Holdfast Collective.
Disco ranks brand alternatives using style overlap, category overlap, price tier, fit, colour palette, and cultural context. Scores are directional, not absolute. Read the full methodology →
Vissla, Roark, Saturdays NYC, Outerknown, Slowtide, Stockholm Surfboard Club, Sig Zane Designs and Hawaiian Island Creations are all founder- or family-run. Billabong, Quiksilver, Volcom and RVCA are owned by Authentic Brands Group, Hurley by Bluestar Alliance, Rip Curl by KMD Brands, Deus Ex Machina by The Nature Holdings and Brixton by Altamont Capital.
The Byron Bay label ceased trading in October 2023 and filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy days later. Japanese parent Jamgle Jam Japan, which holds the local trademark, sold remaining stock through its Port of Call chain into 2024, so the printed wovens and boardshorts now turn up mainly on resale.
Billabong, Quiksilver, Rip Curl, Hurley, Volcom, RVCA, Vissla, Salty Crew, Slowtide, Brixton, HIC, IN4MATION, Reef and Vans all sit in the low-to-mid tier. Deus Ex Machina, Roark, Saturdays NYC, Outerknown, Kahala, O'Neill and Patagonia are mid; Stockholm Surfboard Club and Sig Zane Designs are the most expensive.
Every print is original in-house work drawn from native Hawaiian plants, moʻolelo and hula practice, with each pattern tied to a specific place or story. Founded in Hilo in 1985 by Sig Zane and kumu hula Nālani Kanakaʻole, it's still family-run, with son Kūhaʻo Zane as creative director.
Yes, through wholesale and e-commerce. Licensee Liberated Brands filed Chapter 11 in February 2025 and closed the North American store fleet; Authentic reassigned the Quiksilver men's license to O5 Apparel and women's to Velocity Global Brands, and Volcom's North American business shifted to licensees including The Levy Group.