A young brand at Surf Expo stood out on the show floor for a few reasons – the brash, long, and baggy boardshorts, shorts, and big boxy T’s it was showing; the loud rap music it blared; and the anti-authority aura that emanated from the booth.
Steko, owned by pro surfer Kolohe Andino, has just shipped its first season to a select group of stores. Chris Wagaman, formerly with Raw Elements, is heading up sales and provided some info about the brand and its strategy.
Steko boardshorts. Photo by SESO.
“We’re not anti-industry, we’re just saying, ‘Hey we’re going against the grain, we’re going to poke a little fun at the big boys,’” Wagaman said, as the music boomed around him at the Steko booth, where there may or may not have been some extracurricular partying happening. “And, we’re going to have a lot of fun doing it. Think Volcom in ’91.”
Aaron Hennings, one of the co-founders of Stance and prior to that, a long-time employee at Billabong, is helping to design the line, Wagaman said.
Steko had just completed a 12-day tour of the East Coast that coincided with the release of its movie, “The Late Great Youth.” Wagaman said the first collection hit stores on the East Coast just before the tour.
Steko walk shorts. Photo by SESO.
“We’re getting instant retail, which doesn’t happen all that much in our industry,” he said.
So far, the main products are T’s, boardshorts and shorts, with everything baggy and long, and fleece. There’s lots of camo, skulls, and faux denim on boardshorts, and most pieces have a vintage vibe. Some of the walk shorts are as long as 24 inches, Wagaman said.
Stores that have picked up the line include Brave New World, Farias Surf & Sport, Heritage Surf, Sunrise Surf Shop, Surf Station, Catalyst, Island Water Sports, Jack’s Surfboards, Spyder Surf, and ET Surfboards, Wagaman said.
The Steko line includes lots of camo. Photo by SESO.
Steko arrived about a week ago at ET in Hermosa Beach, Calif., so it’s too soon to say how is is performing.
But Sebastien Talbot of ET, who brought the line into the shop, said ET wanted to support the brand and what it stands for.
“We are stoked to introduce and support a small company run by surfers who care about the direction in which the industry is going,” he said.
When it comes to retail partners, the plan is to focus on select accounts so shoppers must search for the brand rather than sell it to everyone, Wagaman said.
“We want to use the Stüssy and Obey model. We want people to have to seek it out,” he said.
A Steko T-shirt for Spring ’26. Photo by SESO.
