Quiksilver: Who Owns It, Where It's From, What to Buy

Quiksilver is one of the original surf brands. Open any surf magazine from the 1980s and you'll see the mountain-and-wave logo on every other page. For a long time it was the premier surf company. It sponsored Kelly Slater and Lisa Andersen, produced Young Guns and brought Dane Reynolds to prominence.

Then it grew too fast, bought a ski company and a golf company, and went bankrupt in 2015. The name survived. It has been sold twice since and now sits beside its old rival Billabong under the same owner.

Who owns Quiksilver?

Quiksilver is owned by Authentic Brands Group, a New York company that owns brand names and licenses them to others. It bought Quiksilver's parent, Boardriders, in a deal that closed on 1 September 2023.

Authentic doesn't make Quiksilver products. Different companies do, depending on where you live and what you're buying.

The first North American operator, Liberated Brands, lost the license and filed for bankruptcy in February 2025. Its Quiksilver stores in the US closed.

History of Quiksilver

When was Quiksilver founded?

Quiksilver was founded in 1969.

Where was it founded?

In Torquay, Victoria, Australia. It is the same small town where Rip Curl started in the same year.

Who were the founders?

Alan Green and John Law. Green had been making wetsuits with the founders of Rip Curl before he left to make boardshorts.

Why was it founded?

Alan Green wanted to make a better boardshort, one that would stay on in the surf.

Important milestones in the company’s history

• 1969: Alan Green and John Law start Quiksilver in Torquay.
• 1976: Jeff Hakman and Bob McKnight take the license to sell Quiksilver in the USA.
• 1980s: The brand spreads to Japan, Europe, South Africa and Asia, and the US company lists on the stock market.
• 1990: Quiksilver launches Roxy for women.
• 2005: Quiksilver buys the ski maker Rossignol for US$560 million. It sells it three years later for a fraction of that.
• 2015: Quiksilver files for bankruptcy in the USA in September.
• 2016: It comes out of bankruptcy as a private company, majority-owned by Oaktree Capital. Its sponsorship of the Eddie Aikau big-wave contest ends the same year.
• 2017: The parent company is renamed Boardriders.
• 2018: Boardriders buys Billabong.
• 2023: Authentic Brands Group buys Boardriders.
• 2025: Liberated Brands goes bankrupt and new licensees take over.

For Quiksilver Australia

Quiksilver began as an Australian company and stayed one for years after the American business outgrew it. Today the brand's home market is run by BR South Pacific, which took over more than 200 stores across Australia, New Zealand and the region in 2025.

For Quiksilver USA

Bob McKnight built Quiksilver USA from a license into the company that eventually owned the brand worldwide. By 1990 its sales were close to US$100 million. It bought The Raisin Company in 1993 to build its women's business, then expanded into snow, skate and golf in the 2000s. The debt from that expansion weighed on the company for years.

Any other important people who contributed to success?

• Bob McKnight and Jeff Hakman brought Quiksilver to America in 1976.
• Danny Kwock helped build the team and, with McKnight, the Roxy brand.
• Kelly Slater rode for Quiksilver for more than 20 years before leaving in 2014 to start Outerknown.

Company mission, vision and values

Quiksilver made its name on boardshorts built to stay on, and on backing the best surfers of each generation. Under its current owner the brand is a licensed name, run by a different company in each region.

The Company Today

Who is the CEO?

Quiksilver no longer has a chief executive of its own. The brand is owned by Authentic Brands Group, and each licensee has its own management.

How much revenue do they earn?

Quiksilver doesn't report its own figures any more. It was last a public company in 2015, and neither Authentic nor its licensees publish sales for the brand.

Where are they located?

There is no single head office. The US website is run by O5 Apparel in New York. For decades the company was based in Huntington Beach, California.

Do they have a foundation / non-for-profit arm?

Not that we could confirm. The Quiksilver Foundation, later the Boardriders Foundation, belonged to the old company.

Which products do they specialize in?

Boardshorts, wetsuits, T-shirts, everyday clothing and snow wear.

The Ambassadors

Who is sponsored by the company?

In September 2026 Quiksilver's site lists Griffin Colapinto, Mikey Wright, Kanoa Igarashi, Kauli Vaast, Rio Waida, Marco Mignot and Jackson Bunch among its surfers. Two-time world champion Tom Carroll and Jeremy Flores are still on the team as well.

Sustainability

Do they produce any eco-friendly products or have a sustainability focus?

• Quiksilver launched its Made Better collection in 2021.
• Its boardshorts use Repreve, a fiber made from recycled plastic bottles.

These are the company's own claims. We haven't tested them.

Campaigns and Partnerships

Are they doing anything interesting in terms of campaigns or partnerships?

• Gold Coast. Quiksilver was title sponsor of the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast, for years the opening event of the Championship Tour.
• The Eddie. Quiksilver sponsored the big-wave contest in memory of Eddie Aikau at Waimea Bay until 2016.
• Women's. Authentic licensed Quiksilver women's clothing to Velocity Global Brands in 2025, for sale in the USA and Canada.

For more information

Visit the Quiksilver website.