Can Alternative Surfboards Invade Your Wardrobe?

I had a friend who went through an Alex Knost phase.

It had probably been simmering in the dark depths of his soul for some time, but the metamorphosis, to those observing it, felt closer to an overnight process.

His boards lost two fins and were sourced almost entirely from Gumtree or garage sales. He lost about eight inches immediately, making the palm tree stick and poke tattoo just above the knee suddenly exposed to sunlight. 

His once well-kept coiffure was no more, and a blunt kitchen knife became an alternative to the salon. He was a visionary in some ways, though. His punctured Eddy Current Suppression Ring T-shirts preceded bougie running brands that would much later coin terms such as “moth tech.”

All judgment aside, apart from its basic function, attire speaks its own language and has the ability to give the life of the person wearing it a little extra context. It helps people communicate with their kin, and maybe distinguish themselves from other social groups.

Like many before him, Erwan Blouin grew tired of muscling thrusters through fast, tight, dumpy shorebreaks in southwest France.

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Looking beyond the status quo led him to Ben at Chienville Surfboards, who had shaped for the likes of Eric Arakawa, Maurice Cole, and Luke Short in Europe, and is now responsible for bringing Ryan Lovelace‘s highly desirable Love Machines to the continent.

That curiosity became a gateway drug to surfboard asymmetry and other alternative designs.

Once the transformation beneath his feet was complete, the desire to translate this new outlook on what a surfboard could be, or do, into what one wears became another matter of personal interest.

Before long, Erwan’s ideas and inspiration had given birth to a limited edition capsule collection between Oxbow and Chienville, putting a twist on something functional but often bland, much like the standard HP thruster.

Inspect their collab here.

And, because every subculture eventually requires an IRL gathering, Oxbow and Chienville will be launching the collection at the Chienville Workshop.

Expect burgers from Roster, drinks on the house, live music from YGGL, and an unusual concentration of individuals who own at least one resin-tinted surfboard.

CHIENVILLE WORKSHOP
803 Av. des Rémouleurs
40150 Soorts-Hossegor

June 24, 2026
7:00 pm
YGGL — 8:15 pm