SURF & STREETWEAR
Surf and streetwear seem like opposites. Surf culture evokes sand, salt, and the untamed freedom of living like a bum and chasing waves. Streetwear thrives in urban grit—concrete, hip-hop, skate culture, and city life. One’s a coastal escape; the other’s often a sneaker-fueled hustle. Yet, their unlikely fusion has birthed iconic brands and a vibe that defines modern fashion. Wet Dreams Surf Club (WDSC), my West Coast apparel project, channels this paradox, reimagining streetwear through a surf-inspired lens.
The Pioneers
Stussy set the blueprint. In the early ‘80s, Shawn Stussy’s surfboard signatures in San Clemente evolved into tees sold from his Laguna Beach car. What started as a local hustle became a global streetwear icon, blending West Coast surf with East Coast rap and Tokyo fashion. Stussy’s graphic tees and bold logos carry coastal roots but resonate on city streets, proving surf and street can merge seamlessly.
Supreme, launched in 1994 as a SoHo skate shop, embodies urban rebellion. While not overtly surf-related, its limited drops and cult status echo surf culture’s raw, exclusive energy. James Jebbia’s box logo tees and high-profile collabs (Nike, Louis Vuitton) pulse with the same defiance surfers feel in the lineup, making Supreme a spiritual cousin to surf’s ethos.
Noah, founded by ex-Supreme creative director Brendon Babenzien in 2015, takes a refined approach. Rooted in Long Island’s coastal influence, Noah’s preppy polos and sustainable designs subtly nod to surf’s relaxed philosophy without explicit beach imagery. It’s streetwear with a quiet coastal undercurrent.
ERL (Not really a “pioneer”), from Venice, CA, captures sun-faded nostalgia. Eli Russell Linnetz’s oversized tees and quirky, high-fashion edge evoke LA-to-Malibu summers while fitting SoHo’s streetwear scene. ERL’s subtle surf vibe—never as overt as Quiksilver—shows the power of understated fusion.
Why It Works
Surf and streetwear shouldn’t align, but their shared DNA—freedom, rebellion, and outsider spirit—makes them click. Surfers ditch the 9-to-5; skaters and rappers defy the mainstream. Their aesthetics differ (board shorts vs. hoodies), but their unapologetic chaos unites them. WDSC embraces this tension, crafting streetwear that blends West Coast sunsets and swells with urban boldness—think sold-out hats, hard-hitting tees, and a vibe that’s Venice Beach meets Venice Boulevard.
WDSC’s Vision
WDSC doesn’t chase traditional surfwear or hypebeast trends. We twist the narrative, fusing coastal love with city grit. Our hats sell out in days, our tees are whatever, and our ethos celebrates the organic tangle of surf and street. Like Stussy’s unplanned rise or Supreme’s mirrored spirit, we’re not forcing the blend—we’re amplifying what’s always existed where ocean meets asphalt.
This clash isn’t just fashion—it’s a lifestyle, born from the West Coast’s endless summer and urban life. Surf and street shouldn’t belong together, yet they do. That’s WDSC’s heart.
We’re also just fucking off to be completely honest.
