Press release:
The Haydenshapes ‘Hypto Krypto’ is Australia’s ‘Surfboard of the Year’, announced at the Australian Surf Industry Awards gala just held at Tweed Heads on the Gold Coast.
In a mix amongst the worlds best including Channel Islands, along with other industry heavy weights Rusty, JS, DHD and Firewire Hayden Cox is arguably the youngest board shaper to take out one of the Australian Surf Industries most important awards at the event supported by the Australian Surf and Boardsports Industry Association. An award decided by twenty percent public vote and eighty percent Surf Industry vote, Hayden was thrilled to be recognized in a room amongst peers he’d grown up idolizing.
“To be recognized by the industry at this level for my shapes and technology is an absolute dream come true. It’s so exciting to travel around the world and see so many people out there on their Hypto Krypto’s – it’s definitely been an exciting year for myself and the Haydenshapes brand. Australia is up there with the most influential markets for surfing globally so to take out ‘Surfboard of the Year’ is pretty exciting,” says Hayden.
Starting Haydenshapes at just 15 years of age and opening his first factory at 22, the years of hard work and persistence through a very fickle industry are paying off for the young Entrepreneur. Also responsible for the design and creation of patented stringer-less carbon rail surfboard technology, FutureFlex, in the last two years, Hayden Cox now 32, has taken his brand into over 70 countries worldwide, via licensing agreement with Global Surf Industries and now operates two offices and custom factory facilities in both Sydney and Los Angeles, where he is currently based fulltime.
Currently one of the best selling surfboard models in the market place globally, the Hypto Krypto has been propelled to popularity through the likes of pro surfing wunderkind and Haydenshapes team rider Craig Anderson (Quiksilver) along with a legion of followers from the everyday surfer, through to industry influencers.
“The Hypto Krypto attracts people from all walks of life. It suits such a broad range of surfer from people who are just starting out, to the most elite level. A lot of people describe it as their ‘one board quiver’ for its versatility,” says Hayden.
In an industry traditionally dominated by an older generation of shapers who have earned their stripes through time and decades spent on the craft and within the industry, Hayden Cox is recognized for his fresh youthful take on surfboard design using modern custom designed materials such as carbon fiber, epoxy resins and EPS foam.
“Being a young gun in such an old school industry definitely has its challenges – that is just surfboards. It’s super exciting to see a shift finally starting to take place and watching the industry embrace a new way of thinking when it comes to design. After all, without surfboards we don’t have a surf industry.”
