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

Rip Curl is one of surfing's original brands. Two surfers started making boards in Torquay, Australia, in 1969, then wetsuits for the cold water at nearby Bells Beach. The head office is still in Torquay, wetsuits are still what Rip Curl does best, and its name is still on the Bells Beach contest it has sponsored since 1973.

What has changed is who owns it. Rip Curl has belonged to KMD Brands, the New Zealand group behind Kathmandu, since 2019, and 2026 has been the most eventful year of that relationship so far.

Who owns Rip Curl?

Rip Curl is owned by KMD Brands, which is listed on the New Zealand and Australian stock exchanges and also owns the outdoor brands Kathmandu and Oboz.

The company was called Kathmandu Holdings when it announced the purchase on 1 October 2019, for A$350 million. It renamed itself KMD Brands in March 2022.

Rip Curl in 2026

Four things happened at Rip Curl's parent company in 2026, and each one matters to the brand.

• March: KMD rejected a proposal from Stokehouse Unlimited, the US company behind Vissla. Stokehouse wanted KMD to spin Rip Curl off into its own listed company and merge it with Stokehouse, whose shareholders would have held 22% of the result. Stokehouse CEO Paul Naude would have run it from California.
• April and May: KMD raised NZ$65.3 million by issuing new shares. Philip Bowman replaced David Kirk as chair on 1 May, and the company announced a full review of the business.
• July: KMD said it would sell the wetsuit factory in Thailand that Rip Curl has owned and run for decades, and wind down production there over 12 months.
• September: KMD reported a loss of NZ$414.4 million for the year to 31 July 2026. Most of it was a write-down in the value of its brands. Rip Curl's sales grew 3.8% to NZ$571.2 million. The board also said outside parties had approached it with early, non-binding proposals, and that it would keep talking to a few of them. It stressed that no deal is certain.

For surfers, nothing has changed in the shops: the wetsuits, boardshorts and watches are all on sale as usual. But where Rip Curl's wetsuits are made, and who owns the brand, could both change within a year. We'll update this page when they do.

History of Rip Curl

When was Rip Curl founded?

Rip Curl was founded in March 1969.

Where was Rip Curl founded?

In Torquay, Victoria, Australia, a few minutes from Bells Beach. The head office is still there.

Who were the founders?

Doug "Claw" Warbrick and Brian Singer. They began by making surfboards. In December 1969 another local surfer, Alan Green, joined them and they started making wetsuits. Green left a few months later to start Quiksilver, also in Torquay.

Important milestones in the company’s history

• 1969: Surfboards first, then wetsuits, in Torquay.
• 1973: The first Rip Curl Pro at Bells Beach, won by Michael Peterson. Rip Curl has sponsored the contest ever since.
• 1983: Rip Curl Europe opens in Hossegor, France.
• 1992: The Search begins: the travel campaign, and later the films and events, that became the brand's identity.
• 2008: The H-Bomb, which Rip Curl bills as the first power-heated wetsuit.
• 2014: The Search GPS, launched as the first GPS surf watch.
• 2019: Sold to Kathmandu, now KMD Brands, for A$350 million.
• 2023: Certified as a B Corp.
• 2025: Ashley Reade becomes CEO and the Search GPS3 goes on sale.

Any other important people who contributed to success?

Fred Basse and François Payot set up Rip Curl Europe in Hossegor, France, in 1983.

Company mission, vision and values

What does the company believe in?

Rip Curl's stated vision is to be regarded as "the Ultimate Surfing Company" in everything it does.

The idea behind the brand is The Search: the hunt for uncrowded, perfect waves. Rip Curl says it is the reason the company was started, and it still shapes the products, events and team.

The Company Today

Who is the CEO?

Ashley Reade has been CEO of Rip Curl since March 2025. He joined from Nike, where he ran the Pacific region.

He followed Brooke Farris, who led Rip Curl from August 2021 and resigned in October 2024. Michael Daly, CEO before her, covered the gap.

How many staff do they have?

Rip Curl doesn't publish a total, so we don't quote one. It does say its wetsuit factory in Chiang Mai employs about 650 people.

How much revenue do they earn?

Rip Curl's sales were NZ$571.2 million in the year to 31 July 2026, up 3.8% on the year before. That is more than half of KMD Brands' total sales of NZ$1.05 billion.

Where are they located?

The head office is in Torquay, Victoria. Rip Curl Europe is based in Hossegor, France.

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

Not a separate foundation. Rip Curl Planet, created in 2008, is the company's own environmental and social program.

Which products do they specialize in?

Wetsuits first. Then boardshorts, swimwear, surf watches, clothing and travel bags.

The Ambassadors

Who is sponsored by the company?

In September 2026 Rip Curl's site names Stephanie Gilmore, Mick Fanning, Mason Ho, Molly Picklum, Tom Curren, Crosby Colapinto and Erin Brooks.

The team has changed a lot. Gabriel Medina left after 17 years, reported in December 2025. Tyler Wright's contract was not renewed after 15 years, reported in March 2026. Bethany Hamilton left in 2023 after 24 years. Going the other way, eight-time world champion Stephanie Gilmore signed an eight-year deal.

Sustainability

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

• B Corp: Rip Curl has been a certified B Corp since 2023. So is KMD Brands as a group.
• Wetsuit recycling: Recycle Your Wetsuit takes used surf wetsuits of any brand at selected stores in Australia, the USA, France, Portugal and Spain, and turns them into material for things like playground matting. Rip Curl says it has recycled more than 64,000 wetsuits since 2020.
• The factory: Rip Curl says it pays a living wage to everyone at its Chiang Mai wetsuit factory, which became a certified B Corp in 2023. That is the factory KMD now plans to sell.
• Salt Water Culture: a 2019 collection made with recycled and organic materials, led by Owen Wright's Mirage boardshort.

Campaigns and Partnerships

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

• Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach: sponsored by Rip Curl since 1973. The 2026 event ran from 1 to 11 April and was won by Gabriela Bryan and Miguel Pupo.
• Rip Curl GromSearch: a junior series that has run since 1999. The 2026 international final is at Narrabeen, Australia, from 7 to 10 November.
• Rip Curl WSL Finals: Rip Curl was title sponsor of the world title showdown at Lower Trestles in 2021, 2022 and 2023.

For more information

Visit the Rip Curl website, or see how Rip Curl compares in our guides to the best surf wetsuit brands and the best surf watches.