Press release:
(Carlsbad, CA)– July 9, 2015- Reef, the global surf lifestyle leader, has partnered with Venice Beach’s Christine Chang to create a capsule collection, BOY+GIRL x Reef. Chang is best known for her premium children’s apparel brand that is rooted in her native Californian heritage of effortless styling and fine craftsmanship. For this collaboration, Chang has channeled her understanding of California surf lifestyle into a heritage-rich collection rooted in her appreciation for the modern adventurer and Reef’s ‘Just Passing Through’ spirit. The men’s apparel offerings, as well as men’s, women’s, and children’s footwear, will be available in limited release to select retailers, February 2016.
Chang’s BOY+GIRL brand of surf-inspired menswear has the same appeal as the children’s line: high-quality materials, good craftsmanship, and it’s locally designed in Venice Beach. Chang’s simple, contemporary style combined with attention to detail creates a classic, timeless approach to Southern California beach fashion. For this collaboration, Chang was inspired by the 70’s California explorer and wanted to put a modern twist on that concept.
“When Reef approached me about doing this collaboration together, I was really excited because having grown up in California, Reef is such an iconic brand to me,” says Chang. “I love the Reef ‘Just Passing Through’ spirit, and I think it defines a lot of who our modern adventurer is today. I call him an adventurer because he’s really not just one thing—he’s not only a surfer, he’s out in the world on the move, he’s active and experiencing new things everyday. So the apparel is classic, it’s clean, but it has little tweaks for functionality—a ring for your key chain, a little zipper pocket for your money, hidden pockets—things that make it easier for our guy to be on the go.”
“I was looking for up-and-coming designers with new ideas. We wanted a more feminine perspective for this collaboration, and she’s from Venice and totally gets the Southern California vision of elevated surf lifestyle,” adds Tom Cooke, Reef’s Vice President of Footwear. “It seemed like a natural fit. I think right away, she got Reef and we connected with her. She had this great design sensibility—this idea of modern minimal. A lot of her focus was on timeless silhouettes and unique materials, but ones that are still extremely wearable.”
The 13-piece collection is about being on the move—to the mountains, through the jungle, into the ocean. The BOY+GIRL x Reef collection blends the mood and style of the vintage explorer and the modern adventurer, complimented by details and color palettes reflective of the sights and sounds of Bali. The multi-purpose apparel range of great cottons and spring color includes a striped tee with vertical pockets, a simple crew tee, vintage-stretch boardshorts, and an outdoor-inspired corduroy walkshort with a built-in belt, designed with simplicity, versatility, and wearability in mind.
In the spirit of surf travel with a focus on style and function, Chang naturally gravitated to the Reef Rover XT (featuring Swellular™ Technology), and it’s Japanese sensibility and home slipper feel. She put her twist on the iconic cage sandal by adding a striped, textile look to the super soft, cotton twill straps. Chang’s clean, feminine touch was applied to the Reef Voyage sandal silhouette. The premium raw leather deck and iconic Vibram outsole of the men’s Reef Voyage is complimented with a simple, yet elevated cotton webbing for the men, and a crackled matte leather with a gold buckle detailing on the women’s Voyage. In true BOY+GIRL form, Chang delivered a crackled matte leather Shaded Summer shoe, and simple, black canvas men’s Rover Low (featuring Swellular™ Technology). In a classic nod to her own roots, Chang designed the Little Ahi sandal for children with subtle, splatter micro star print.
Rounding out the collection with Chang’s personal touch of modern simplicity are the twill cap and water-resistant canvas tote.
BOY+GIRL x Reef delivers the essential pieces for wandering with classic silhouettes tweaked for functionality and versatility, paying homage to the brand’s iconic California surf style and Reef’s Just Passing Through spirit.
ABOUT REEF
Reef is the surf lifestyle leader that encourages your journey of discovery. Rooted in California surf culture since 1984, our purpose is to provide premium, comfortable, and innovative products in a sustainable manner.
