SWIM & SURF
SIMA Image Nominees Honor the Best-in-Class Surf Brands
Surf Industry Manufacturers Association released a list of its nominees for its 2013 Image awards on Nov. 14.
The awards honor the most influential companies in surf as well as the products, marketing campaigns and stores that made a splash in the past year. Most of the nominees are some of the best-known names in the surf industry. However, some newcomers were nominated this year.
Beach Riot is a women’s swim and fashion label that made its debut at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim in Miami in July 2012. It was nominated for “Women’s Swim Brand of the Year” and will compete with high-profile brands such as Billabong, Rip Curl and Roxy, along with L*Space by Monica Wise, which won the SIMA “Women’s Swim Brand” award in 2012, along with Billabong, Rip Curl and Roxy.
Nicole Hanriot, designer and owner of the Costa Mesa, Calif.–based Beach Riot, said it was an honor to be nominated along with some of the most well-regarded labels in her business. “It’s an honor because all of the executives of the surf industry nominate the brands,” she said. The nomination could help with sales, too. Retailers who would otherwise not stock Beach Riot might hear about the award nomination, or if the retailers are SIMA members, they will get acquainted with the brand when they vote for the category, she said.
The SIMA Image awards will be presented in a ceremony Feb. 13, 2014, at The Grove of Anaheim in Anaheim, Calif.
One of the highly anticipated IMAGE award categories is the “Breakout Brand of the Year.” The 2013 nominees are Captain Fin, based in Oceanside, Calif.; Futures, based in Huntington Beach, Calif.; Matix, based in Los Angeles; RAEN, based in Encinitas, Calif.; and Roark Revival, based in San Juan Capistrano, Calif.
