Outerknown, Firewire Surfboards, and Slater Designs announced Monday that Oakley veteran Marty Mathiesen is joining the company as general manager, wholesale. Mathiesen will oversee the wholesale business for all three brands, focusing on forging deeper retail partnerships and expanding their global footprints.
Outerknown in particular is launching a major wholesale push.
Mathiesen brings more than 20 years of leadership experience in retail and brand development across the surf industry. Most recently, he served as sales director for Oakley’s Sport Division, where he played a key role in shaping retail culture by launching and running the Oakley Surf Shop Challenge. This grassroots initiative became a defining feature of surf retail over the past decade.
Beyond Oakley, Mathiesen held sales leadership roles at both O’Neill Clothing and Reef, where he advanced category growth in apparel, footwear, and accessories.
“Connector and Builder,” Says Dylan Slater
Dylan Slater, CEO of the brands, said Mathiesen’s relationships with retailers and understanding of the importance of the wholesale channel made him a good fit for the role.
“Marty’s track record of building best-in-class partnerships and leading high-performing sales teams makes him an extraordinary fit at this exciting time for our brands,” said Slater. “He’s a connector, a builder, and deploys a growth mindset. I have full confidence Marty’s leadership will propel our wholesale strategy to the next level.”
Mathiesen said he appreciates the brands’ commitment to the surf space and its focus on quality design and environmentally conscious manufacturing.
“I’ve been lucky to work with brands that truly shaped the surf space, and I see that same level of purpose and creativity in this collective,” Mathiesen said in a statement. “Outerknown, Firewire, and Slater Designs are raising the bar across performance and design—and their commitment to responsible sourcing is something that really resonates with me. I’m honored to be joining the team and look forward to building with our retail partners around the world.”
Firewire Surfboards was founded in 2006, Slater Designs in 2016, and apparel brand Outerknown in 2015.
