Several brands continued their winning streaks at the SIMA Image Awards last night, and there were a few surprises this year as well.
Monica Wise and L*Space won their seventh straight Swim Brand of the Year Award. L*Space continues to be the only brand that has won the award every year since its introduction in 2007.
Channel Islands repeated again also, winning Surfboard of the Year for its New Flyer board. This is the sixth straight year Channel Islands has won this important category.
And it was another huge night for Hurley, which bested the competition again for Boardshort of the Year with Phantom Fuse 2. It was the sixth straight year the brand has earned this achievement in this coveted, competitive and much-watched category.
RVCA had another good year also, winning Men’s Apparel Brand of the Year for the fourth straight time. The new leadership team at Billabong has big plans for RVCA, and it will be interesting to see what the brand will achieve in 2014 and beyond when the increased investment and global plans take root.
Rip Curl had a great night, winning two awards. It earned the top nod for Wetsuit of the Year for Flash Bomb Plus, the third year in a row it has won in this category.
Rip Curl also won for Women’s Marketing Campaign of the Year for its “My Bikini” campaign, and the brand has been gaining momentum on the Women’s side of the business, especially in swim.
It was also a huge night for Roxy, which won the coveted Women’s Brand of the Year award. This marks a big comeback for the brand, which has renewed itself in its core market by returning to its roots after several difficult years.
Curl in Orlando won an important retail award for Breakout Retailer of the Year. Curl recently expanded and elevated its high-volume store at Downtown Disney, and has become a very important retail partner for brands. (See photos of the store and our previous interview with Sammy and Susan Duvall here.)
HSS, which has won three prior retailer awards, earned the top nod this year again in the Men’s retail category.
And Surf Diva had a big night in the Women’s retail category, winning the top award after several years of being nominated.
Two newer brands and one established brand that is newer to the surf scene also had big nights.
Roark Revival won Men’s Marketing Campaign of the Year for “Camp Tokyo” and Captain Fin won for Breakout Brand of the Year.
Patagonia, relatively new to the surf market, won in the Environmental Product of the Year category for its R2 Yulex wetsuit.
Other winners at this year’s awards included:
- Vans in the Footwear Product of the Year category for its Surf Siders
- Stance in the Accessory Product of the Year category for its socks
- FCS in the Hardgoods Accessory Product of the Year for its FCSII Fin System.
