Dakine, building on its partnership of over 20 years with World Champion professional surfer John John Florence, has collaborated on a collection of surf products and accessories.
The Hawaiian-born Florence is one of five surfers to win back-to-back world titles and will represent the U.S. in surfing’s inaugural appearance in the upcoming Tokyo Summer Olympics. During the competition, Florence will use Dakine’s latest pro model traction pad and leash.
“I’m constantly tweaking my equipment and trying to get it dialed,” said Florence. “Dakine and I have spent a ton of time in the water and the lab making sure these vital pieces of equipment were built properly. With the WSL underway and summer games on the horizon, I’m psyched to have these pieces of equipment with me in the water.”
The pro-model five-piece traction pad comes complete with traction technology, including seven millimeters for a grippy center-arch hold and drilled holes through the pad’s kick to enhance water flow.
The traction pad has an eco-conscious lilt. Working in partnership with EcoLogic, Dakine developed Friendly Foam—EVA traction with EcoOne additives to accelerate biodegradation after entering biologically active landfills. After biodegradation, the leftover material converts to biomass with trace amounts of biogas that is either harvested as renewable energy or burned off to reduce environmental impact.
The traction pad ships in plastic-free packaging.
“Working with John on product development has been an amazing journey,” said Micah Nickens, surf marketing director at Dakine. “John becomes very hands-on when it comes to the product he’s going to put his name on. He literally hand-carved his traction pad with a knife until he felt it was right. His feedback on the leashes has been more important than ever. Since he’s always traveling, his insight into his board bags has made them lighter and more protective. In addition to the product, John was very specific with eliminating plastic from all packaging with his name on it. It lit a fire for us as a brand to reevaluate how we can do the same with the entire traction and leash line.”
The collection includes traction pads, leashes and surfboard bags. For more product information, go here.
