Emerging out of the Melbourne underground skate scene of the 1970s, Australian brothers Stephen, Peter and Matt Hill started a skateboard distribution business that set off a new movement in Australia and eventually led to the launch of the Globe brand in 1994.
The Globe surf team includes Taj Burrow, Dion Agius and Noa Deane, Creed McTaggart and Mark Occhilupo. It’s a solid mix of legends and modern high performers.
Prioritising the environment
In August 2020 Globe announced its “Low Velocity” clothing program – representing a major change in the brand’s approach to product by creating sustainable goods for skaters, surfers and snowboarders. The Low Velocity program was motivated by a desire to address the increasingly excessive production and waste of apparel in the boardsports market. The shift is launched with a systematic realignment of Globe’s apparel range that puts environmental priorities and products of quality and longevity ahead of fast fashion sales of disposable items.
Peter Hill, Globe Co-Founder, summed up the mission best; “The clutter in the boardsports market and distancing from the real lifestyle and values of core riders was troubling. As founders, we looked at ourselves and thought what role, purpose and reason for being did Globe clothing have? We wanted to realign our entire methodology to represent the way our riders and customers lived and thought. We wanted to tip the whole approach on its head and make stuff we knew had purpose, authenticity, longevity and, most importantly, significantly reduce our waste”.
Globe Low Velocity
Globe’s Low Velocity apparel is a quantum move in thinking for Globe’s apparel program and represents a commitment to long term change with a complete and timeless range, not just a one-off sustainable ‘capsule’ or product as a marketing story. Disposable fast fashion and trend driven seasonal products are by nature ‘high velocity’ focused on speed to market and as a result, move on to landfill quickly. Premium evergreen staples are ‘lowvelocity’products,designedtolastmuchlongerandthusgreatlyreducethesustainabilityfootprint. Aftertwo years of development, Globe has thrown out the old apparel program and started from scratch, looking to replace a comfortable income stream that represented ‘business as usual’ with a bolder new program that has not just revenue growth potential for the future, but more significantly, ceases to contribute to an ongoing and unsettling negative impact on the environment.
From this thinking, Globe Low Velocity apparel was born. The Low Velocity range uses more sustainable materials in the fabrics and involves rigorously testing clothing for fit, function and durability. Due to its non-seasonal, staple product composition, the range is lower velocity at every level of its life cycle; fewer raw materials, less global sampling, less shipping, less excess stock for retailers, less discounting and less landfill. The net effect – less damaging the environment through mindless consumption.
Globe CEO Matt Hill reflected: “Along with our riders, for some time we have been looking at ourselves in the mirror and wanting change. The environment was knocking at our door rather loudly and demanding action. We’re far from perfect, but we’ve decided to step off the fast fashion treadmill and are focusing on producing quality sustainable clothing for our riders and customers. With Living Low Velocity, we are conscious of our environmental responsibilities and will try to improve our impacts on climate change, water pollution, dangerous chemicals and waste. We are moving in a better direction, at a lower velocity”.
For the riders of concrete, oceans and mountains – modern explorers of the Globe. Living Low Velocity for the Environment.
