Billabong: Who Owns It Now, and Is It Still a Good Brand?

When you think of Billabong, what springs to mind? For many of us it is technical boardshorts and wetsuits, or massive billboards showing Joel Parkinson in a barrel along with the slogan "I surf because...".

Many associate Billabong with hardcore chargers. Parko represented style, Taj represented performance and Andy represented attitude. Billabong was the nemesis to Kelly Slater's clean-cut Quiksilver image. Their crew were errant wave warriors, more likely to be drinking beers on a boat trip in Indo than taking life too seriously.

That era is over. The name has been sold twice since 2018, and it now sits in the same stable as its old arch-enemy Quiksilver. The brand is still one of the best known in surfing. What has changed is who makes the gear, and that depends on where you buy it.

Who owns Billabong?

Billabong is owned by Authentic Brands Group, a New York company that owns brand names and licenses them to others. It bought Billabong's parent, Boardriders, in a deal that closed on 1 September 2023. The price was not announced. A ratings agency put it at about US$1.25 billion for the whole group, which also included Quiksilver, Roxy, RVCA, DC Shoes, Element and VonZipper.

Authentic doesn't design or make Billabong products. It licenses the name to a different operator in each region.

The first North American operator, Liberated Brands, lost the license and filed for bankruptcy in February 2025. It closed its US stores, Billabong shops among them.

Is Billabong a good brand?

It depends on what you're buying. Here is what we can say with confidence.

• The wetsuits are the strong suit. Billabong's Furnace and Absolute lines appear in our wetsuit guides, and the boardshorts make our budget pick.
• It isn't one company any more. Different operators design and sell Billabong in different regions, so the range isn't the same everywhere.
• The surf team has been cut back. Several of its longest-serving riders were not re-signed in January 2025.
• We haven't tested it recently. Our last hands-on Billabong review was in 2009, so we won't rate gear we haven't worn. Brad's own view of the brand is at the top of this page.

History of Billabong

• Billabong began at the kitchen table of Gordon and Rena Merchant's rented flat on the Gold Coast of Australia. In 1973 the couple started sewing knee-length boardshorts built for surfing. They sold them to local surf shops on consignment for A$4.50 a pair, and took A$5,000 in their first year.
• Demand from shops persuaded the Merchants to name the company and add labels in 1974. They chose "Billabong" because it was unmistakably Australian, and designed the wave logo to go with it.
• Billabong opened its first factory in 1975. Sales reached A$100,000 by 1977 and A$1 million in 1981.
• Exports began in the 1980s, first to California, Japan, Europe and New Zealand.
• The company listed on the Australian stock exchange in August 2000 and spent the next decade buying other brands.

Driven By a surfer’s Desire

• Billabong was started by Gordon Merchant, a Gold Coast surfer and shaper. The name comes from the Wiradjuri word bilabaŋ, a creek that runs only in the rainy season.
• The early boardshorts used a triple-stitching technique so they would survive heavy surf. Local surfers noticed, and the shorts sold.
• Merchant outgrew his home, moved into a factory and warehouse in West Burleigh, and set up international licenses with people he trusted from the surf industry.
• Surfers such as Wayne "Rabbit" Bartholomew, Joe Engel, Taj Burrow and Ronnie Burns wore the brand, which gave it credibility well beyond Australia.

Important milestones in Billabong’s history

Notable people involved in Billabong

Company mission, vision and values

What does the company believe in?

Billabong was built on Gordon Merchant's aim of making the best boardshort on the market. Its best-known campaign asked riders to finish the sentence "I surf because...".

Under its current owner the brand is a licensed name. What it stands for now depends a great deal on the operator in each region.

The Company Today

Who is the CEO?

Billabong no longer has a chief executive of its own. The brand is owned by Authentic Brands Group, and each regional operator has its own management. In North America, O5 Apparel named Ryan Mangan to lead Billabong in early 2025.

Billabong’s Financial Summary

Billabong stopped reporting its own figures when it left the stock exchange in April 2018. Neither Authentic nor its licensees publish sales for the brand, so we don't quote a number.

Where are they located?

There is no single head office any more. Billabong's US website is run by O5 Apparel, a New York company with an office in Irvine, California. The brand's home market is run by BR South Pacific in Australia, which took over more than 200 stores across the region in 2025.

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

Billabong set up a charitable foundation in 2004. We couldn't confirm that it is still active. The brand has also worked with the Surfrider Foundation.

Which products do they specialize in?

Boardshorts, wetsuits, swimwear and clothing for men, women and kids. In 2026 Authentic also licensed the name for eyewear and for men's fragrance.

In the News

Any mainstream news articles referencing the brand?

• Liberated Brands, former Billabong and Quiksilver seller, files for bankruptcy (Digital Commerce 360, 2025)
• Caprice Australia takes over Billabong, Roxy, Quiksilver license (Ragtrader, 2025)
• Authentic closes on acquisition of Boardriders (SGB Media, 2023)
• Beachwear buyout: Quiksilver is merging with Billabong (CNN, 2018)
• Quiksilver owner buys rival surfing brand Billabong for $198m (The Guardian, 2018)

The Ambassadors

Billabong's current team is led by Ethan Ewing and Seth Moniz, with Luana Silva among the women. Moniz won the Outerknown Tahiti Pro in August 2026, the first Championship Tour win of his career.

The team is smaller than it was. In January 2025 it was reported that Billabong had not renewed several long-serving riders, including Italo Ferreira, Frederico Morais after 18 years and Isabella Nichols after 11.

Surf photographer Chris Burkard joined as an ambassador in 2020, fronting the Adventure Division range.

Sustainability

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

• Furnace Natural wetsuit. Billabong says the Furnace Natural is made with Yulex natural rubber instead of neoprene, with a recycled outer fabric treated to break down faster in landfill.
• Graphene lining. Since 2020 Billabong's Furnace suits have used a graphene lining, which the company says warms up faster and holds heat for longer.
• Recycler boardshorts. Billabong's Recycler fabric is made from recycled plastic bottles. We reviewed the first version in 2009.
• Coral Gardeners. A 2024 collection raised money for reef restoration.

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

Films and collections

Chris Burkard x Billabong Adventure Division: Arctic Collection

Chris Burkard x Billabong Adventure Division: Desert Collection

GULUUN GARAALA (Rain In the Cloud) | Billabong Gallery x Otis Carey

Campaigns and Partnerships

• Pipeline. Billabong was title sponsor of the Billabong Pro Pipeline, the opening event of the Championship Tour, in 2022 and 2023. Before that its name was on the Pipe Masters for many years.
• Metallica. Metallica and Billabong LAB first worked together in 2007 and released a larger range in 2019, including a Black Album wetsuit.
• Waikiki. Billabong reopened its flagship store at the Hyatt Regency Waikiki in December 2018, with the Moniz Family Surf School working from the shop.
• 2026 licenses. Authentic announced Billabong eyewear with L'Amy America in April, a Pottery Barn Teen collaboration the same month, and men's fragrance with Broken Top Brands in July.

For more information

Visit the Billabong website.