Key Takeaways
- Seager’s Q2 wholesale revenue grew 32% over last year, driven by category expansion among existing retail partners.
- Seager is now the official apparel partner of the WSL Trestles Pro and has added four new names to its athlete roster.
- The brand will premiere its film, “The Catalina Double,” on September 12 in Laguna Beach, Calif., before touring retail partners nationwide.
Shop Eat Surf Outdoor spoke with San Juan Capistrano, Calif.-based Seager’s co-founder and co-CEO Mattson Smith about the brand’s Q2 wholesale growth, its new partnership with the WSL, a wave of athlete signings, and an original film rolling out this fall.
You mentioned Seager had a lot of wholesale growth in Q2. What’s driving that growth?
Mattson Smith, co-CEO and co-founder, Seager:Â At the end of 2025, we strengthened our leadership team with experienced directors across sales, marketing, and merchandising. Each brings deep expertise in their discipline, giving those functions the dedicated leadership needed to support Seager’s next stage of growth.
That investment is already paying off. Q2 wholesale revenue grew 32% over the same quarter last year during what has historically been a softer selling period.
The biggest driver has been the continued growth of our existing retail partners. Many retailers initially came into the brand through headwear and graphic tees, but strong sell-through has given them the confidence to expand into wovens, pants, outerwear, and other categories. We have also remained disciplined about distribution and where the brand shows up, helping protect sell-through for the stores who have invested in Seager.
We opened 22 new doors during Q2 and officially launched in Canada with a full sales-rep network across the country. Our existing partners are making bigger commitments to Seager, and we are continuing to build the team and infrastructure needed to deliver for them.
Wholesale remains a major focus for us as a company. We have made an intentional commitment to becoming one of the best wholesale partners in the industry, and we believe that commitment is beginning to show up in the numbers.
Photo by Ryan Valasek, courtesy of Seager.
How did the WSL partnership come together, and what does the activation look like?
Mattson Smith:Â We are very proud to announce Seager as the official apparel partner of the WSL Trestles Pro. The WSL approached us about the opportunity, and it immediately felt like a natural fit.
Seager was born and raised in Southern California. Surfing is a core part of our DNA, and we are never going to lose that. On the personal side, I surf Lowers, Barbs, Uppers, and Church multiple times a week, so naturally I was excited to be offered the opportunity to own our backyard. On the business side, partnering with the WSL signals that Seager remains closely aligned with the surf world and will continue creating products for surfers.
For the partnership, we have created artwork and apparel that pay homage to the idea of the Old West meeting modern day surf. We are also planning a unique retail activation on the beach that we are excited for the surf community to experience.
What does a partnership like this signal about where Seager wants to be positioned in the surf world?
Mattson Smith:Â Our broader position is that we want to help redefine the modern outdoorsman. To us, the modern outdoorsman is someone who experiences the outdoors at a higher level. Whether it is hunting, fishing, rodeo, motorcycle racing, or surfing, we view the outdoors as a vehicle through which people can express the Seager lifestyle.
You’re at WESA Dallas, Surf Expo, and this August marks your first Mid-States Distributing appearance. What’s behind the push into Mid-States specifically?
Mattson Smith:Â We recently opened a permanent showroom at Dallas Market Center, giving Seager a year-round presence at WESA and other industry events. This August will also mark our first appearance at the Mid-States Distributing show alongside our partners at Dorfman Milano.
Mid-States represents many of the strongest farm-and-ranch and Western retailers in the country, and that customer is our customer.
The back half of the year will also be focused on building momentum in Canada, where our new sales representatives are now actively in the market, and preparing for our first complete selling seasons there.
At the same time, we have moved Seager onto a four-season calendar. That transition puts us on the same rhythm as our retail partners, allows us to plan further ahead together, and gives them a more consistent flow of product throughout the year.
Photo courtesy of Seager.
What is Seager Film, and what’s the rollout plan?
Mattson Smith: In addition to the WSL partnership and our growing athlete program, we will be releasing a new Seager Film, “The Catalina Double.”
The film follows two hunters as they attempt to harvest a Catalina Island mule deer and catch a Pacific bluefin tuna in less than 24 hours.
We shot the film last year and initially considered rushing the edit so that we could release it during Q4 2025. Instead, we took a breath and decided the project was too special to rush. We wanted the finished film to receive the attention it deserved, and we needed the entire organization, from sales to marketing, behind it in order to launch it properly.
We will kick off the release with a premiere on September 12 at the Rivian Theater in Laguna Beach. From there, our sales representatives will be equipped with the materials needed to organize screenings and premieres with retail partners from coast to coast.
This project was particularly meaningful for me because I was able to help produce it from the original conception of the idea, through the day-to-day filming, and eventually into the launch that is now coming together. I am very excited to finally see it roll out.
Beyond storytelling, we are continuing to invest in how we serve our retail partners.
Who are the new athletes joining the roster, and what made them the right fit?
Mattson Smith:Â We recently partnered with professional Supercross racer Justin Hill. Justin embodies the Seager spirit better than almost anyone. He is a legend within his sport and one of the most naturally gifted people ever to throw a leg over a motorcycle. Away from racing, he spends time on his ranch in Wyoming and has developed a passion for capturing the behind-the-scenes elements of his life through a distinctly Seager lens. Through the remainder of the season, Justin will be competing in his custom-painted Seager helmets.
Seager has moved into motocross. Photo courtesy of Seager.
We also welcomed PBR bull rider Keyshawn Whitehorse. This partnership marks Seager’s entry into professional bull riding alongside one of the sport’s top athletes. Keyshawn was born and raised in the Navajo Nation in Arizona and has become an incredible role model and steward for professional bull riding.
Additionally, we re-signed a long-term agreement with surfers Skip McCullough and Finn McGill, as he continues his pursuit of qualifying for the World Tour.
Together, Justin, Keyshawn, Skip, and Finn bring elite credibility to the Seager athlete roster, but their importance to the brand goes beyond performance. We choose athletes because they embody the mindset that defines Seager: independence, grit, creativity, and a deep respect for the places and communities that shaped them.
