Kassia Meador makes exquisite women’s wetsuits!
All photos Kassia Surf
You know Kassia Meador from years worth of glamorous Roxy campaigns, and a highly noteworthy elegance and skill on a longboard. Wherever the aesthetics and lifestyle of women's surfing have burned brightest, Kassia has never been far. But, craving the creative freedom that driving in your own lane can offer, Kassia left the Roxy fam to produce her own line of women's wetsuits. A breeze through the lookbook for Kassia + Surf will reveal a line of everything that surfing rubber for gals should be. But, Stab wished to know a little more...
Interview by Ali Klinkenberg
Why'd you leave the safety of the Roxy bosom to strike out on your own? It was time for me to try something new. I'd grown as much as I possibly could with Roxy in my 15 years there. Working with big companies you learn a lot, and you have great support and resources. But with the support comes things you have to sacrifice when it comes to creativity. I left because I wanted to have the freedom to create everything I can dream of, unfiltered.
Do you think surfing's on the cusp of a cultural/gender shift? Are the girls becoming more marketable than the guys? I don't really think it's about women being more marketable than men. I just think more and more women are starting to surf, it's contagious! Who wouldn't want to travel to tropical destinations, lounge around on deserted beaches and ride beautiful waves under the sun? Whatever your sex it's hard not to fall in love with the lifestyle. But I do feel that generally women tend to be more inspired by the romantic surfing lifestyle.
Did Roxy set the blueprint for where women's surfing is today In terms of marketing the lifestyle rather than the performance level of the surfing? Yes, I really feel that Roxy and Lisa Anderson really brought surfing to where it is today. They were smart and really embraced both the competitive and lifestyle sides of surf culture.
Does the female style lends itself to the riding of alternative crafts? I really feel that female elegance is beautifully illustrated in riding alternative surfboards. It's not to say women don't look fantastic riding standard shortboards. But there's something about the female approach to riding longboards, eggs, fishes that's just so lovely to watch.
Are lady loggers more stylish than the men? I wouldn't say they're more stylish than the men. To me it's about the type of longboard that somebody's riding and how they're riding it. That's how I gauge style. I like watching classic logs being ridden smoothly down peeling points.
Who's your favourite surfer? Oh, so many. Dane Peterson for how he nose rides. Alex Knost mid lengths. Joel Tudor, cause he's my number one smooth guy on a log. Jared Mell, you never really know what that guy's gunna do on a wave. And, Stephanie Gilmore, she's just so smooth.
Why wetsuits? To me, wetsuits have always been a surfer’s fashion statement. I mean, who really cares what we're wearing on land? In the water’s where we do our thing. That's why I always wanted to design wetsuits and was super stoked when I got the opportunity seven years ago with Roxy. Since then I’ve learned a lot and I'm excited to take that knowledge and really push the limits to where women's wetsuits can go.
What's next for Kassia Surf? We just launched our Palo Santo Triangle Wax. Also did some limited collaborations with Summer Bummer, EIR+NYC, and ALLSWELL called THE KIT, your ultimate summer bag of seaside essentials. We also have a lot more up our sleeves coming soon so definitely sign up for the newsletter through our website and we’ll keep you warm and informed.
