Former

words by ben stephens

I have fond memories of growing up on the west coast of Australia, down the south, near Margaret River. From the rolling hills stacked with rows of grapevines meeting the pristine surf coastline of Yallingup and Prevelly. Back then I remember stoking out as a young grommet on the surf shops – it was pure happiness. As I grew older, that feeling about a brand or line of fashion felt like it had peaked too early, until just last week…

Let me introduce you to Former.

Craig Anderson, Dane Reynolds and Austyn Gillette are the three dudes heading up this new surf/skate brand and you wouldn’t want anyone else in control.

You’ll know Craig and Dane from the surfing world. Both incredible free surfers in their own rights, then Austyn Gillette takes care of the skating world personality, a natural born street shredder.

The boys used to be sponsored by the big names, huge corporations that cared more about calendar schedules and release dates than the quality of the products the boys were endorsing. It’s from here that Former takes shape.

The brand is far from dedicated to target demographics or release dates, they care more about the quality of the t-shirts and the efficiency of their broad short design.

There a number of rumours rumbling around such as pop-up shops staffed by the lads, a fourth member joining in to even up the skate/surf vibe and due to the boys all being at the top of their sport, there are more goods like the promo clip below, to come. Think Austyn, shredding street sections and Dane taking to the air, all to launch a range of the Former brand.

Finally, I’m stoked again – yew!