Night Will Never Fall On The Rising Sun

Presented by Billabong

“I feel like Andy surfed not using his brain, just using his heart…”

So says Shane Dorian. And that’s why, 16 years after his passing, the spectre of AI’s surfing still looms large. In the films, on the plaques of WSL HQ, and perhaps most poignantly, embedded in the styles of the world’s best coming and current surfers. Particularly, as mentioned in the film and often elsewhere, in Australia’s great competition hope Ethan Ewing but also, interestingly, in Australia’s freesurfing heir apparent, Jai Glindeman, among esteemed others.

Such a legacy is worthy of preserving in amber, so Andy’s longterm sponsor Billabong (25 years and counting) has put together a tasteful range with some iconic AI styles/imagery — as well as a re-issue of the best-selling (ever, from any brand) Rising Sun trunks, tweaked for ’26’s tastes. The range is small yet comprehensive, and one of multiple BB x AI drops coming this calendar year.

The first bite is available now in local surf shops and online in North America, with the rest of the globe later this year. Let’s dig in.

The collection deftly walks the line between representing AI’s legacy and everyday wearability. There’s not a whiffy piece among the range, however, if we’re really picking the prized beans, then there’s a couple of clear standouts. First off the black-and-white Rising Sun trunks.

This Rising Sun revival arguably began at Stab High Central America in 2021, when long-time Billabong rider Eithan Osborne ordered an old pair of AI’s off Ebay, pulled the drawstring tight and surfed them to a spot in the final and a Monster Air win. Jack Robinson has run the rising sun logo on plenty of Arakawas over the years, and more recently, Skai Suitt won Stab High Sydney with the red star screaming from below.

Kids around the world clearly love the aesthetic, proven by the tiny hordes scratching into Pipe and Snapper double-ups with 20-inch sun beams in tow (whether or not they ride for BB). For the adults out there wondering if an AI throwback is too on the nose, just know that there are more subtle options in the range — and a portion of all proceeds go to the AI Foundation to support local kids who need a lift.

Furthermore, the AI-01 moto tee is a subtle nod to the great man and his boy Axel, who’s taken his talents to the dirt track. As are the iconic T. Sherms “I am not a crook” Surfing cover and the peace sign shot by Jason Childs — two of the greatest lasting AI images turned into something highly wearable. The hat’s worth a mention as well; if you need to keep the sun off your beak, then may as well do it in homage to a lingering great.

Remembering someone’s legacy is personal when it comes to someone like Andy, who, as cliche’d as it sounds, really did seem larger than life. Whether you knew him or not, those memories are special and unique to you — especially if you were in your teens when Andy was at his peak.

Personally, my AI memory association game is three-fold: two happy, one sad. First thing I think of when I remember his surfing is the Mundaka sequence in Trilogy with ‘Wolf Like Me’ blaring in the background, Andy leaning back in the vortex and tickling the lip with his free arm like a tube-riding guru.

Second is seeing him in the flesh in the couple of years between tour stints, when things were on the mend, looking healthy, tanned and happy, walking along the Kirra boardwalk with an around Lyndie, cracking jokes and looking very at peace.

Thirdly and more somberly, where I was when I heard he died. In the front room of an old (as in former, not that she was old) Italian girlfriend in Sydney — one of the few times her dad Luigi let me in the house — and the aftermath of the news feeling like a genuine gut-shot.

Guess that’s the special thing about icons. How you remember them is up to you. And, thanks to Billabong, you can wear that memory in the form of an entire range, amazingly the first full AI range ‘Bong have put out. A fitting tribute to a great-but-flawed man (ain’t we all), and one of the best to ever do it.

Furthermore, keep an eye out for various events throughout the course of the North Shore winter, including the stellar work done by the Andy Irons Foundation, which helps youngsters struggling with addiction, mental health issues and learning difficulties.

Shop the AI line here.