The Undisputed Champ Of All Three Of Stab’s Boardshort Competitions

Since when did impersonation and comedy sell surf threads?

Never. But it’s this blend of creativity and zero fucks given attitude that builds a community worth associating with. 

Not only that, but highly credible studies suggest that on multiple occasions The Critical Slide Society are responsible for making the best trunks in surf.

Seriously, they won Stab’s search for the ultimate wet shorts three times in a row. Come to think of it, we’ve only held three of them, ever.

Anyway back to SurfStitch’s latest Behind The Brand release above, according to everything they’ve told us, TCSS mastermind Jimmy Slide cheekily opted out of starring in his own brand introductory film piece, instead enlisting (paid) help from a friend to read his lines.

There’s snippets strung throughout from recent campaigns, bite sized moments from their dabblings in the world of art, music, logging and hi-fi surf.

We think you’ll dig, it’ll leave you warm and fuzzy. And if you’re looking for a little more, then scroll on down for a few words from the team themselves. 

Meet: The real Jimmy Slide. He’s one groovy cat.

So, how did it all begin?
TCSS was the brain child of two blokes – Sam Coombes and Jimmy Slide. Both Jim and Sam shared an exclusive vision for the brand, they were to give the brand the longest name the industry had ever seen. The general consensus was that all the other brand names were too simple and one dimensional.The idea was to name the brand something really difficult to fit onto the label of a t-shirt and super tricky to plug in as an email address.

The seeds of the dream were founded upon humble beginnings, the Aussie collateral of a Commodore Station wagon and a $5000 loan that followed. Originally all designed and produced out of Jimmy Slide’s studio on the Central Coast of NSW, the brand saw an opening throughout surf, art & music scene that bucked the big guys status quo. Fully independent and forging their own aesthetic, the brand began.

The small team of designers, marketers, admin & operations now reside out of the ‘Redfern rip bowl’ better known as Redfern HQ, working across all the categories required to lead that coastal life. In 9 years Critical Slide has grown substantially, however, the ethos and attitude still remains much the same, doing all we can to celebrate and represent an independent and DIY culture, be it surfing, music, art or anything that resonates within our lifestyle.

What inspires the direction of the biz these days?
Not much has changed since the birth of Critical Slide. We still set out to make unique product with quality fit & function. We believe the way we go about presenting our goods as well as our tone of voice is what sets us apart from other companies in the same industry. At present the team is feeling quite inspired by film – old and new. Music obviously plays a large part in our daily references also, we all have pretty differing music taste’s which makes things interesting.

Mister Slide, at his post.

How did you guys react when you once again blew up the Stab boardshort comp? 
Very stoked! To be voted best short by our followers felt amazing, but we also know they are a little biased. To get the certification from Jake Burkart, Kyle NG and Luke Stedman was an honour, we support what those guys do!

Where’s it all going? What are the plans for the next year, or ten?
Currently in the process of opening our first retail store, growing our Society, and trying to keep innovating and progressing in the beach business. Offering the new, without taking ourselves too seriously.

The clip: Tell me anything and everything.
Haha, was fun making this clip with the team at SurfStitch. We wanted to make something a little ‘wilder’ than your typical behind the brand video, hence the hired outsider Mr Video Swiss – a true natural.

We’re not ones for the limelight, and Jim was far too busy in margaritaville. So we went about finding someone with a distinct voice and vibe.

With ‘hi tech’ animation, campaign footage and a day hanging in the studio. It’s certainly puzzling a few.

Explore a little deeper over here.