The Luxury Surfer
Pharrell Williams Isn't Selling Surfwear. He's Selling the Mythology Behind the Culture
When I met my husband in 2019, he was an avid runner on New York sidewalks.
His long, tangled, sun-bleached hair was gone. The only time he reached for a suit was when the invitation required one, and all of his surfboards were collecting dust in his parents’ garage. He had a thousand stories about growing up surfing, but they all belonged to a former version of himself. He seemed perfectly content swapping Malibu waves for an urban hike in Soho.
Then, around 2023, something started to change. Before long, our one-bedroom apartment looked less like a Manhattan rental and more like the back room of Huntington Surf & Sport.
If you’ve been reading for a while, you already know, we’ve found our way back to Southern California, living about a mile from the beach I grew up near. My high school had the #1 surf team in the state. You'd think I would've absorbed something by osmosis. Instead, I don't think my parents nor I knew a thing about surf culture until I met my husband.
Now, swell reports dictate our days, wetsuits dry in the garage, and I've learned there are far more types of surfboards than any reasonable person would expect. (Ladies, I equate it to believing there are never enough pairs of shoes in your closet.) I didn't exactly set out to become fluent in surf, but I have since become a willing participant.
Catching Up on Waves
This past weekend, coffee in hand, I caught up on Substack and WWD after a week of work travel. There it was: a leather Louis Vuitton surfboard.
Pharrell Williams, you have my undivided attention.
The more I looked at the collection, the more I realized it had absolutely nothing to do with surfwear. Instead, Pharrell introduced what he called the “surfer dandy,” treating the surfer less as an athlete and more as an archetype. Think Ralph Lauren and prep. Armani and businesswear. Neither brand sells a lifestyle most people actually live. They sell what people want to borrow.
Luxury has borrowed from sport for decades. Skiing. Tennis. Equestrian. Golf. Surfing always felt like the outlier because its values run in the opposite direction. Saltwater over polish. Weathered boards over pristine equipment. Utility over status.
Pharrell isn’t asking customers to become surfers. He’s asking them to borrow the mythology behind the sport.
The more my husband shared what he knew about the collection and its connection to the surf world, the more personal it felt. Every detail pointed back to a life Pharrell had already been living long before it arrived on a Paris runway. He spent his N.E.R.D. years immersed in board culture through skateboarding before investing in Atlantic Park, the wave pool development in his hometown of Virginia Beach. Even the people in the recent collection came from that community.
A Coastal Influence
The beach and I have an understanding. I’ll happily admire it. I just don’t need to spend even six minutes sitting on it.
Pharrell and I have more in common than I realized. We’re both after the romance behind the sport, filtered through a luxury lens.
Salt.
Ease.
Character.
Everything I love about the culture, without sand in my toes. Consider these four outfits: my version of surfer dandy.
1. Salt Bleached
Sun-washed colors and natural fibers with the kind of fade you'd expect from a surfboard that's spent the season strapped to the roof of a car. Pieces that only get better with wear. The formula: chambray, rope sandals, raffia accessories, a shell pendant, and a vintage Hermès Cape Cod Double Tour watch.
2. After the Session
Sunset is upon us, so it's time to ditch the wetsuit. The best uniforms are the ones you put on afterwards. Comfort has always been part of the ritual. The formula: open-knit crochet and a little sparkle, reimagined for dry land.
3. The Board Meeting
Business on top. Beach below. Your meeting just got moved down the coast. The formula: a navy blazer, embroidered silk shorts, and proof that practicality and polish aren't mutually exclusive.
4. City Girl, Beach Address
If I were taking cues from anyone, it'd be Cynthia Rowley. An avid surfer herself, she started designing printed wetsuits after meeting the Quiksilver/Roxy creative director while surfing. Since then, she's paired colorful suits with custom boards that are almost too beautiful to paddle out on. She has spent years proving performance doesn’t have to sacrifice style. The formula: a printed wetsuit, terry shorts, mineral sunscreen, and the baseball cap I'm far more likely to reach for than the surfboard.
This summer, I'm taking the hint.
Less polish. More ease.
Less perfection. More character.
Maybe the ultimate luxury is no longer looking rich. Maybe it's looking like you have nowhere more important to be than the beach.
I loved seeing the creativity behind the LV show, and your fits you curated are so fun! Can’t say I’ve ever been interested in surfing (unless Blue Crush is on, then surfing forever!) 🤙🏼
This was so interesting, Evonne - what a fun dive into surf culture (which I similarly know nothing about). I’m here for the early morning coffee and watching the ocean!