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Since Seea’s debut in 2012, the brand’s elegant mix of retro-modern, surf-inspired shapes in contemporary colors and prints has earned a dedicated fanbase of both female surfers and active lifestyle women. Truly unique in the marketplace, Seea offers a fresh, innovative point of view to women’s surfwear that seamlessly translates out of the water to fashionable ready-to-wear.
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A distinctive brand, Seea is dedicated to the pioneering women who first braved the waves, and to every woman who has ever searched for a suit that is feminine, comfortable, and fun.
We’re often told that Seea is distinctly California. Indeed, Seea was born in The Golden State and many of our Seeababe ambassadors — with their perennially sun-streaked locks, and breezy attitudes cultivated from a lifetime of happy, sunny weather — are third generation Californians.
NICK LAVECCHIA
ON THE COVER: Leah Dawson wears the Zuma Surf Suit in Black Stripe. Photo by Nathan Oldfield.
TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S
But for Seea’s 2015 collection, which was inspired by the vibrant colors and geometric prints of designer Amanda Chinchelli’s homeland of Italy, we wanted to celebrate Seea’s growing family tree branches beyond the West Coast. Inside, you’ll meet our Seeababe ambassadors and collaborators in their homes around the world. From historic cities in Italy, to the Hawaiian islands, we are connected through a shared creative fever, and our love for playing in the waves. We welcome you into our homes!
Our Homes 7 13 19 25 33 43 57 63
Swell Day in Southern California On the Road in Southern California Edge of the World in Southern California Sapore di Sale in Sicily, Italy Cultura in Sicily, Italy Vintage California Seea in Sayulita, Mexico CasaLove in Sayulita, Mexico
Our Family 11 Seeababe: Makala Smith 12 Seeababe: Mele Saili 17 Seeababe: Karina Rozunko 23 Photographer Nick LaVecchia in Maine 35 Stylist Elisabetta Dal Bello on Italian Style 41 Onde Nostre Filmmaker Luca Merli in Italy 42 Photographers Cristian Corradin and Enrico Gorrea 49 Fresh Air Family: Photographer Gabe and Model Sierra Sullivan in California 51 Garden Island Bloom: Seeababe Ashley Johnston in Hawaii 53 Deep Blue: Seeababe Chrystal Dawn Fitzgerald explores Tonga 61 Princess of the Point: Seeababe Lola Mignot 65 Bon Vivant: Seeababe and Photographer: Luki O’Keefe 71 In the Flow: Seeababe Leah Dawson explores Australia
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Mele wears the Zuma Surf Suit in Burgundy.
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Swell Day It takes a rare fantastic swell to wake up sleeping giants in the open ocean and make points and coves sing in octaves unimaginable. East Coasters can keep their snow days off, when once-in-a-lifetime cosmic energy arrives at our shorelines, we’re calling in a swell day. Sail away to the beautiful spectacle of nature’s raw forces, unfolding in perfect rhythmic lines for us to dance upon.
Photography by Nick LaVecchia
Luki wears the Cambria Bustier Top in Black Stripe and the Chicama High-Waist Bottoms in Porto.
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Mele wears the Zuma Surf Suit in Burgundy.
Jenayl wears the Palmas Surf Suit in Nautique. Luki wears the Cambria Bustier Top in Black Stripe and the Chicama High-Waist Bottoms in Porto.
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Summer wears the Riviera One-Piece in Rosa.
Makala wears the Swami’s Playsuit in Tiles.
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SEEABABES SPOTLIGHT: Makala Smith If only we could bottle Makala Smith’s particular flavor of stoke and gain a zap of her electric superpowers. A total wild card, you never know what Makala’s gonna do next, but it’s going to be oozing with vintage style and spitfire zing. Makala grew up in a creative surf family in Dana Point, California, where her summer vacation routine was to play in the waves and sand from breakfast to dinnertime. In her world, the beach is not a place — it’s a lifestyle. “SanO [is my favorite surf spot] ’cause of the surf culture. It could be a terrible day for the beach and we will be having an awesome day — just always surrounded by good people.” Makala wears the Swami’s Playsuit in Tiles.
Mele wears the Hermosa Surf Suit in Earth Waves.
SEEABABES SPOTLIGHT: Mele Saili
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Descended from generations of California surf legends — her grandfather is Larry Gordon of the famed Gordon & Smith Surfboards founded in the 1950s — Mele Saili was born to ride waves. “My grandfather would talk about what Pacific Beach was like when they were growing up. How they would just go down to the beach with their board, and stay out all day,” she says. The dirt pathways leading to those same peaks her grandfather surfed are now parking lots, but Mele says the reasons why they surf and the comfort of familiar faces in the lineup hasn’t changed. “It’s just like a little surf family. The older guys come in the morning, the adopted grandparents. Then a whole different crew comes in the afternoon. It’s kind of cool to see the same people I grew up with surfing there.”
On the Road The trailblazer surfers of Southern California were unreliable misfits when the water beckoned. Mysteries that disappeared for weeks onto dirt roads that hugged the jagged coastal edges. Free spirits that slept on the beach and in their unwashed cars. Yup, these are our grandfathers and grandmothers, our role models for living in a weekend state of mind. For the day or an open-ended vacation, nothing’s impossible on the open road.
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Photography by Nick LaVecchia
Karina wears the Leucadia Bikini in Luna.
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Mele wears the Zuma Surf Suit in Black Stripe. BELOW: Makala wears the San-O One-Piece in Coral. Karina wears the Zuma Surf Suit in Black Stripe. Luki wears the Tofino One-Piece in Blue Tide.
SEEABABE SPOTLIGHT: Karina Rozunko Karina Rozunko still remembers the rush of her first rides caught in tandem with her dad. “He would paddle into some waves with me that felt really big!” explains the San Clemente-born surfer. That feeling of being carried by the sea stuck with her so much that she constantly travels with the drifting ocean currents in anticipation of the next glide. Whether she’s sleeping in a tent off the coast of Australia, or in her own bed in California, the sound of the ocean nearby feels like home. “Our front yard is the beach, so I have grown up around surfing. I’ve always loved the ocean and surfing was just another way to ‘play’ in it.”
Karina wears the Hermosa Swim Shirt in Prarie and Capitola Bottom in Prarie.
The Zuma Surf Suit in Black Stripe.
EDGE OF THE WORLD
Tiptoe along the furthest fringes where the earth ends and the untamed vastness of the ocean begins. Photography by Nick LaVecchia
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The Windansea Shirt in Deco Waves and San-O One-Piece in Coral.
The Jalama Bikini in Geo Gold.
The Tofino One-Piece in Blue Tide.
NICKLAVECCHIA Maine may not be the surf capital, and that’s how photographer Nick LaVecchia likes it. Words by Johnie Gall Photography by Nick LaVecchia
New England is not an easy place to be a surfer. During the winter months, going surfing means waking up at the crack of dawn to shovel the snow off your truck, struggling into the thickest neoprene you can afford, and clutching onto your board as you fight through wild coastal winds and frigid water (all while hoping you remembered to bring the hot chocolate). To some people, it sounds like a nightmare—then there are people like Nick LaVecchia. Nick is a member of an elite guild of East Coast surfers who’ve ditched the lure of a life in sunny Southern California or the tropical islands of Hawaii in favor of the more rugged, dramatic coastline of New England. “There’s just so much character and beauty,” says the surf photographer, who left his dream job designing for Burton Snowboards in Vermont to put down roots and pursue a sea-based career in York, Maine. “The environment, the waves, the people, and the ever-changing seasons all keep me grounded here. Living in a place that goes through 100-degree mood swings in five months is pretty radical, and an exciting place to make art.” It’s not always cold in Maine, and besides, it’s not like he lacks perspective: Nick regularly travels to some of the warmest, most welcoming surf spots on the planet to shoot surfers for his long list of clients—National Geographic Adventure, Surfer magazine, Outside magazine, and, of course, Seea. And while he admits the idea of sliding into the sea wearing nothing but boardshorts can sometimes sound appealing, it’s the wideopen spaces—and near-empty lineups—of Maine that keep him there. “There’s so much space to roam here without an overload of human traffic,” he says. “Plus, California doesn’t need another photographer on the beach. Travel will always be there, but coming home to the surf and making work here will always be the most special.” Soon, home will look like the 1,000-square-foot passive solar house Nick is building with his wife for the duo and their young son, a stylish cabin on a slice of farmland that’s walking distance to the beach. It’ll make surfing in Maine easier all year, from the warm summer months to the brutal winter ones—not that Nick’s ever been all that concerned with what’s “easy.” “Surfing on the East Coast prepares you to love all conditions, not just the perfect ones,” he says. “Besides, when you love what you do and where you live, you’ll find a way to get out there.”
Seea in Italy
Sapore di Sale Photography by Cristian Corradin
Surfing in Italy is a pursuit of pure love and devotion. In the absence of waves, the heart is filled with romantic longing. Every day, you wait. You obsess over the moon cycle of tides, the methodical calculation of how the distant oceanic energy will crest and break into the coastline’s topography. You channel the instinct of ancient sailors that were carried by the wind and stars onto Italy’s shores. You hope in suspense that Poseidon will smile upon you.
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Starting in Florence, Italy, we plunged into a more than 20-hour journey by ferry and automobile to Sicily in southern Italy. All to feel the glide. Our first dip into the aquamarine jewel waters was a baptism. The Mediterranean Sea is our church, the gateway to heaven.
ABOVE: Mele wears the Hermosa Surf Suit in Luna and sunglasses by Super. Jenayl wears the San-O OnePiece in Coral and hat by Borsalino. RIGHT: Mele wears the Hermosa One-Piece in Luna and sunglasses by Super.
ABOVE: Mele wears the Leucadia Bikini in Purple Sail. Jenayl wears the Riviera One-Piece in Geo Gold.
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Jenayl wears the Belmont Romper in Prarie.
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Mele wears the Chicama Bikini Top and High-Waist Bottom in Porto, and Rincon Neoprene Jacket.
Walking amongst the stone ruins and cobblestone pathways, we could feel the history of Syracuse (a historic city in Sicily founded in 734 BC) as the largest city amongst the Greek, Byzantine, and Judaic civilizations. We played in the salty sea for enjoyment, but thousands of years ago these ancient world powers battled for control of the Mediterranean as a strategic position for war, empire, and trade economy. Modern day shipwreck dives under the surface revealed preserved vessels that rested on the ocean floor, swallowed up by storms or lost in battle.
Despite Italy’s venerable maritime history, the idea of riding upon waves for recreation— and what we know as modern surfing—didn’t arrive to the country until the 1970s. Like disparate cultures around the world probably all discovered the wheel in their own way, the pioneering surfers of Italy were not that different from the pioneering surfers in other parts of the globe. They were sailors, swimmers, paddlers, and watermen addicted to the ride, creating wave craft in their cultural style. From new world California to old world Italy, surfing was our universal language.
Mele wears the Chicama Bikini in Porto and Rincon Neoprene Jacket. Jenayl wears the Capitola Bikini Top in Geo Gold, the Windansea Shirt in Deco Waves and the Marina Neoprene Pants.
Jenayl wears the Capitola Bikini Top in Geo Gold, the Windansea Shirt in Deco Waves, and the Marina Neoprene Pants.
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Mele wears the Tofino One-Piece in Blue Tide, sunglasses by Super, and gold necklace by Atelier VM. Jenayl wears the Palomar Crop Top in Porto and the Solimar Bikini Bottoms in Black Stripe.
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Mele wears the Tofino One-Piece in Blue Tide.
Jenayl wears the Lima Romper in Purple Sail.
Mele wears the Leucadia Bikini in Purple Sail. Jenayl wears the Riviera One-Piece in Geo Gold.
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Mele wears the Mundaka Wrap Top in Luna and the Avalon Overalls in Deco Waves.
Jenayl wears the Montara Rashguard in Antique and the Calafia Leggings in Prarie.
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Seea in Italy
Cultura & Moda
Photography by Cristian Corradin
Old world Italy meets the new world as the Seeababes wandered the streets of the ancient city of Siracusa in Sicily wearing a juxtaposition of Seea suits made in California and Italian brands representing traditional craftsmanship passed down through the generations. Proudly featuring handmade Atelier VM jewelry, Super handmade sunglasses, Alberto Biani which follows the traditions of bespoke menswear tailoring and Borsalino hats that have been molding headwear for 150 years.
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Mele wears the Hermosa Surf Suit in Luna, pants by Alberto Biani, and jewelry by Atelier VM.
Mele wears the Mundaka Wrap Top in Earth Waves, pants by Alberto Biani, sunglasses by Super, necklaces by Atelier VM, and rings by Ines Susaeta. Jenayl wears the San-O in Luna, pants by Alberto Biani, gold necklace by Atelier VM, and belt by HTC.
Watercolor artist and Sardinia-based Seeababe Natalia Resmini paints Sicily’s must-eat seasonal delicacies.
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Italians are easily recognizable from the understatement of elegance. Italians are always wearing precious pieces but not too loud, and always wearing the most elegant shoes and bags… My motto is “elegance fits with everything.” The simplicity of wearing something because it make us feel confident is the casual elegance that I name Italian style.
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- Elisabetta Dal Bello, stylist for Seea
Mele wears the Leucadia Bikini in Luna, hat by Borsalino. Jenayl wears the Tofino One-Piece in Geo Gold and hat by Borsalino.
Elisabetta Dal Bello, stylist for Seea
For stylist Elisabetta Dal Bello, elegance is the ultimate accessory. Words by Johnie Gall Photography by cristian corradin
MAURO LADU
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Fashion week in Milan is a big deal. Models, designers, bloggers, and the editors of some of the most prestigious magazines in Italy all converge on the city in a flurry of well-tailored pants and effortlessly tousled hair (the kind that actually takes an hour to achieve). Then there’s fashion stylist Elisabetta Dal Bello. “My editor at Vanity Fair sometimes pokes fun at me because I always look like I’ve arrived straight from the beach,” says the sunbleached blonde. “Even during fashion week in Milan!” Elisabetta, a renowned stylist who’s contributed her innate eye for fashion to magazines like Italian Elle and Vanity Fair Italy, is living proof that style isn’t what you wear, but how what you wear fits who you are. It’s an instinct bred into her through her deep Italian heritage. “It’s hard to explain what Italian style is,” she begins. “It’s much more than the actual clothing. It’s the art
Mele wears the Avalon Overalls in Prarie, cotton shirt by Alberto Biani, and hat by Borsalino.
Mele wears the Mundaka Wrap Top in Earth Waves, pants by Alberto Biani, sunglasses by Super, necklaces by Atelier VM, and rings by Ines Susaeta.
of putting things together, of using unusual elements to create something amazing and unique.” That can mean mixing a classic, well-tailored shirt from a small Italian design studio with something that’s more specific to the season, like a pair of surf leggings and a piece of bohemian jewelry. “Italian style is a legacy of know-how,” she says. “It’s a country with an old and important tradition, but we are also travelers. It is all about mixing something classic with something eccentric and out of the blue.” To style the Seea collection, Betta was inspired both by traditional Italian architecture and the Mediterranean Sea, marrying beautiful, structured pieces from her favorite Italian designers with the softer, earth-toned and pastel swimwear for adaptable beach-to-street looks that feel perfect for any moment of the day. “I followed my motto,” she explains. “If it makes you feel wonderful in the water, it will be perfect in the street because elegance fits with everything.”
Mele wears the Zuma Surf Suit in Burgundy, sunglasses by Super, and jewelry by Atelier VM.
Seea in Italy
Natalia wears the Hermosa Surf Suit in Earth Waves, sunglasses by Super, jewelry by Atelier VM, and shoes by Superga.
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There’s something about wine villages. Because when there is local wine, there are multi-generational gatherings of family, friends, and strangers. There is food freshly caught from the nearby sea, and just-picked vegetables cultivated from the same mineral-rich soil as the bottled and aged grape elixir of the gods. Bolgheri, Tuscany, is a fairytale wine village that greets you by the Viale dei Cipressi. The three-mile drive between 2,000 tall magnificent trees neatly lined up one after another feels like a carriage approaching your castle. Entering Bolgheri’s charming town square of stone and brick houses, food and wine shops, and a real towering castle, you breathe in the scent of a good life. This is where living simply is living to the fullest.
Tuscany’s hearty cuisine naturally complements the local wine. Illustrated by Seeababe Natalia Resmini.
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Mele wears the Belmont Romper in Deco Waves. Jenayl wears the Maderas Shorts in Prarie.
LARGE PHOTO AND BELOW: Jenayl wears the Windansea Shirt in Deco Waves, and Pavones Bikini Top, and Balboa Leggings in Porto. Mele wears the Capitola Bikini Top and Balboa Leggings in Blue Tide, and jewelry by Ines Susaeta.
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1.
There were no waves at Bagni Nettuno, the historical resort in the Castiglioncello region of Tuscany. Sure it was tranquil as a lake, and gray rainclouds above, but none of that could dull the shine of this famous riviera and its undeniable grandeur.
Clio wears the Zuma Surf Suit in Black Stripe and towel by Spumafun.
Clio wears the Swami’s Playsuit in Tiles.
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Luca Merli Milan, Italy
In today’s instantaneous communication through Snapchat photos that appear and disappear in a blink, and super cameras that can document every peach fuzz of hair on the skin’s surface, filmmaker Luca Merli holds on to his affection for tactile film and all its grainy imperfections.
From left, filmmaker Luca Merli and cinematographer Giovanni Sbrokked Barberis.
Luca’s cinematic film methods haven’t made him into a dinosaur—just exactly the opposite. His romantic analogue style has attracted an impressive client roster across all industries including Jeep, Fiat, Replay, Nike, Nescafè, Persol, Valentino Fashion Group, and Universal Music to name a few. Luca parlays his love affair with film, surfing, and his Italian homeland in the ongoing series “Onde Nostre,” which documents surfers, shapers, and artists connected to the Italian surf culture. His full-length film “Peninsula,” (shot over the course of three years using only 35mm, 16mm, and Super 8 film) is a tender love letter to the founders of Italian wave riding, including unseen archival footage, and the lengths that modern Italian surfers go to chase waves.
CRISTIAN CORRADIN
“Film is something which has a special and unique look. It resembles memories—the way we dream. I like the idea of sacrificing details for style,” explains Luca, founder of block10 productions based in Milan, Italy.
Luca adds, “I think also there’s something about carrying an old camera around that makes people curious and interested and more at ease with it.” Watch the “Seea in Italy” full-length film directed by Luca Merli, and cinematography by Giovanni Sbrokked Barberis at theseea.com.
CRISTIAN CORRADIN
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Regardless of the subject matter, Luca lives for telling emotional stories. In collaboration with a crew including cinematographer Giovanni Sbrokked Barberis, you catch a glimmer into the souls of his subjects, opened up by Luca’s talent of making self-consciousness melt away.
The crew filming “Seea in Italy.”
LUCA MERLI On the road with photographer of “Seea in Italy,” Cristian Corradin.
PHOTOGRAPHER
Cristian Corradin
CRISTIAN CORRADIN
GUÉTHARY, FRANCE
Casa Maccaroni Surf Lodge ENRICO GORREA FUERTEVENTURA, CANARY ISLANDS guests to the family-style dinner table. All these eclectic travelers inspired Enrico to create a web video series called, “Casa Maccaroni meets,” which profiles the different characters staying at the surf lodge against the unique natural environment. We turned the tables on our documentarian and asked Enrico: why the name Casa Maccaroni? “Maccaroni was the nickname of the Italian immigrants in the ’50s to the USA. We are Italians and we moved to a foreign country to look for new luck, and for sure we got it!” Enrico exclaims. Watch the “Seea in Italy: Behind the Scenes” short film by Enrico Gorrea at theseea.com.
ABOVE: Enrico Gorrea, founder of Casa Maccaroni and the behind-the-scenes documentarian of “Seea in Italy.”
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It’s part of our tribal biology to gravitate toward what feels familiar in unknown territories. In the hot barren desert and golden beaches of Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands, Enrico Gorrea’s Casa Maccaroni Surf Lodge is a magnet for kindred creative-minded surf travelers escaping winter in Europe. “It’s really nice to see how people meet here, get in contact in friendship after a vacation in Casa Maccaroni, and sometimes come back here together,” Italian-born Enrico says. The renovated farmhouses possess DIY grit that’s palpable to all the senses. Hand-painted signs adorn the wall, the sound of skate wheels against a wooden ramp reverberate from the backyard, and the aroma of barbecue in the garden invites
Cristian Corradin’s first experience of sliding sideways was on skateboards and snowboards. The Padua, Italy-born photographer was immersed in shooting photos of both boardsport pastimes until surfing—and the ocean—stole his heart. “I started surfing late, but never stopped,” Cristian says. Like any dedicated Italian surfer, the hunt for waves led him to faraway islands and foreign coastlines. One such seaside town was Guéthary, France, and after 15 years of being a repeat visitor, Cristian put down roots in the Basque Country. “[In Guéthary] I find solid surf, culture, beautiful waves most of the year, and amazing landscapes. All this makes me feel I belong here,” Cristian explains. He recently published a book dedicated to the area surrounding his new home and his next book plans to focus on the many faces of a new travel destination through the changing seasons. His favorite time to photograph? As seen throughout the “Seea in Italy” shoot, it’s also the best times to surf: dawn and sunset. “What I like the most is the effect of natural light on reality. If I may choose, sunset, but especially dawn is the best moment of the day. I think those lights make reality more magical, more beautiful, and I tested that everywhere photography took me,” he says.
Vintage California Photography by Gabe Sullivan
From left, Ashley wears the San-O One-Piece in Coral; Emily wears the Tofino One-Piece in Geo Gold, and Sierra wears the Leucadia Bikini in Luna.
Ashley wears the Zuma Surf Suit in Black Stripe.
Emily wears the Tofino One-Piece in Geo Gold.
Michelle wears the Zuma Surf Suit in Burgundy.
Vintage California Models: Sierra Sullivan, Emily Sanders, Ashley Leines, and Michelle Miller Makeup: Elizabeth Root Hair: Cassie Bowerman
Emily wears the Tofino One-Piece in Blue Tide.
Imagine discovering the wild California coastline. No PCH, no suburbs — just endless land meeting the raw sea. Pitch your tent on any flat patch of earth in the shade of ancient trees, sleep on the sand, and camp out until the wind changes. In the early years of California’s development, the history of Crystal Cove located between Newport Beach and Laguna Beach began as a free-spirited community of beach bums, mixed with the halo of Hollywood. The 1930s and 1940s was the golden era of Crystal Cove as a summer haven, and we sought to capture the natural California seascape and neighborhood, as it was decades ago.
The film crews started setting up tents along the beach, and legend goes that the shacks (which would later become the Crystal Cove Cottages) were built with scraps from shipwrecks that floated ashore. The blossoming beach community thought living at the beach for free was amazing, so they stayed. The Irvine Company started charging rent and formalizing the camping leases, in which generations of families annually frolicked the summers away at Crystal Cove. In 1979, the land was sold to the state of California. With the help of the Alliance to save Crystal Cove, the area was preserved from being turned into luxury resorts. Instead, the cottages were restored to the nostalgic glow of 1930s to 1950s era of Crystal Cove, and made available for rent to visitors wanting the vintage California experience. Step back in time with us to these historic decades.
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Surrounded by cliffs and agriculture farms, Crystal Cove was part of the huge 125,000acre Irvine Company Ranch — yes, that’s the same Irvine family that the city of Irvine is named after. Around the 1920s and 1930s, the Irvine Company hired a Hollywood technical director to manage camping, beach access, and filming production. Moviegoers thought they were seeing Hawaii or Tahiti on the big screen, when in
fact the thatched huts and long-fronded palms were in Crystal Cove, California!
Emily wears the Mundaka Tie Top in Earth Waves and the Palisades Neoprene Shorts.
Sierra wears the Chicama Top and Balboa Leggings in Porto.
SUN-KISSED SoCal make-up artist Elizabeth Root and hair stylist Cassie Bowerman swear by these tips to a fresh-faced summer glow. Photography by Luki O’Keefe
Michelle wears the Belmont Romper in Prarie.
Sierra wears the Leucadia Bikini in Purple Sail.
Telling tan lines no matter the time of year and copious sunscreen applied, and radiating with an I-just-had-the-noseride-of-my-life smile — the ultimate beauty tonic for a sunkissed glow might just be playing in the waves.
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Our go-to makeup artist for Seea, Elizabeth Root, says post-surf au naturale glow is the best makeup. But to freshen up before heading out, she recommends a Stila cheek and lip tint for extra color, moisturizer to restore salty skin, and brow pencil combed through. “I love a good tomboy brow,” says Root who’s been painting faces professionally for eight years, and surfing since she was 11 years old.
Resist the urge to tame your tangled, messy, and unruly tresses at the beach, advises hair stylist Cassie Bowerman, who discovered her talent for hairstyling backstage while dancing in a hip-hop crew. “It’s all about working with the natural texture of your hair,” she says. Sea spray is best for curly hair and a bit of mousse on straight hair adds perfect texture to a messy bun. All else fails? “Let it flow.” We’ll take that last piece of advice for wave-gliding too.
BEN SASSO
Fresh Air Family Meet photographer/ model duo Gabe and Sierra Sullivan and their quintessentially California life.
GABE SULLIVAN
LUKI O’KEEFE Sierra Huisman (her maiden name) in the Spring 2000 Prada campaign shot by Rob Wyatt.
Gabe and Sierra Sullivan have had their share of traveling to dream destinations for work (South of France and Bali are a few), but their perfect Saturday doesn’t require a film location scout and plane ticket. Cruising up to their local Laguna Beach spots in a greenstriped vintage 1972 VW surfmobile, shaking out artisanal beach towels, and unpacking a hand-shaped log, the Sullivan family is their own lifestyle photo shoot of effortless California cool. Covetable beach accessories aside, Gabe and Sierra’s natural aesthetic chemistry and down-to-earth hospitality make them a dynamic power couple. Gabe photographs and writes the longstanding column, “Curious Gabe” in Surfer Magazine, and is the West Coast Editor of Men’s File magazine. Sierra has been a model since the age of 17, appearing in campaigns for Prada, Ralph Lauren, fashion editorials for Harper’s Bazaar, Australian Vogue, and slews of runway shows. Sierra can do a fierce catwalk, but growing up in “the Palm Springs of Washington State,”
she feels at home in the outdoors sliding down the snowy mountains, and hiking, camping, backpacking, and canoeing in the Yakima River. They pass on their love for fresh air fun in Southern California to their son, Elijah. “With Elijah, we spend a lot of time outdoors when possible, going camping, biking, surfing, and of course he has developed a love for those things as well,” Sierra says. “[Laguna Beach’s] unique geography is almost unlike any other part of the Southern California coastline. We have great schools for Elijah, are connected with our community… There aren’t many places in Southern California that has a close-knit community feel. It’s fun to go downtown and almost always run into someone you know.” Traveling with a family isn’t as easy as Gabe and Sierra’s solo lives as photographer and model, respectively, but they don’t feel like they are missing out one bit. “We travel less often now that we have a child, which is fine because we love where we live,” Gabe explains.
Garden Island Bloom Ashley Johnston finds the loves of her life on the green island of Kauai. Words by Johnie Gall Photography by Bryce Johnson
When you grow up in Hawaii, everyone is family. Not because the cluster of islands is some tiny genetic melting pot—it’s because, blood relative or not, you’re raised to call your neighbors “Auntie” and “Uncle.” So, if you think about it, surfer Ashley Johnston was family with her husband Bryce long before they made it legal. “If you were to tell me in high school, ‘Hey, you’re going to marry that guy,’ I would have been like, ‘You’re crazy!’” she laughs. For Ashley, that life-long relationship with her photographer husband is just a manifestation of the unhurried and deliberate way that life on the Garden Island unfolds. “Growing up on Kauai, life is slow,” she says. “You’re never in a rush to get anywhere. I think that’s shaped me into a really easygoing and patient person.” Both Ashley and Bryce were raised on Kauai, a landscape so lush and dramatic that calling it one of the most beautiful on the planet is by no means a stretch. And Johnston knows how lucky she is to live there—in fact, she named her clothing brand accordingly: Lucky We Live Hawaii. “There are those moments where you’re out and about and you just stop and stare,” she says. At roughly 550 square miles, it’s hard to imagine Kauai would hold enough mystery to satiate avid travelers like Ashley and Bryce.
Ashley wears the Zuma Surf Suit in Black Stripe.
Ashley Johnston in the Leucadia Top in Purple Sail and Solimar Bottom in Black Stripe
spot for camping, surfing, stargazing, and invariably getting her four-wheeler lodged in the sand—that feels most like home. It’s where Bryce made that whole “family” thing official. “Yes, he brought the engagement ring in the water,” she laughs. “He attached it with fishing line to his surf shorts. It was a perfect morning — nobody out, glassy waves, and clear blue water. I still can’t believe it was real.”
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But within the microcosm of the tiny island, the duo has found a lifetime of adventure. There are the verdant mountain ridges of the Napali Coast and the Kokee mountains, the “longboard heaven” of Pakala, and the 45-minute drive to the North Coast (a long trek for island-dwellers) for a hike along the Hanakapi’ai Trail followed by a Chai Coconut Yum smoothie at Harvest Market. But it’s Polihale Beach—Ashley’s favorite
Deep Blue
Water so clear you can see straight to the bottom, eggshell white sand, and rustling palm trees overhead as you sink into your hammock — Tonga exceeds the imagination with a magical ancient beauty that feels like the world before time. Words By Chrystal Dawn Fitzgerald Photography by Ming Nomchong Majestic and wild, the Kingdom of Tonga is 21 degrees south of the equator in the Polynesian Triangle. Tonga is remote, pristine and her people strong and proud of their unique culture. It took two full days of international and domestic flights, airport transfers, and a boat ride for my dear friends writer Lauren L. Hill, photographer Ming Nomchong, and me to arrive at the beautiful eco resort Treasure Island Eueiki on Eueiki Island in the Vava’u Island group of Tonga.
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The 22-acre private island of Eueiki is completely self-sustaining using solar power, rainwater tanks, and traditional thatched fales. Locally staffed and operated by conscious caretakers Veronica and Mark Belvedere, Treasure Island is a haven of coconut trees, rain forests, and white sand beaches surrounded by colorful shallow coral reefs that drop off to fathoms within a few feet from the shore. The clear cosmic blues — hues from every imaginable mix of ocean and sky — juxtapose the rich greens, thick sand, and earthy thatched bungalows in a seamless marriage of tropicana that transfixes the soul.
Chrystal wears the Riviera One-Piece in Rosa.
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Chrystal wears the Swami’s Surf Suit in Tiles.
Chrystal wears the Gaviotas Neoprene One-Piece in Tea Leaf.
This is Tonga, alive and flourishing, hardly touched by our modern western society; still raw, real, and honest to nature’s grand design. Tonga is free and breathed life into me with her Mana (Hawaiian word for the life force or energy that flows though everything and everyone). Ming, Lauren, and I adventured by day with the guidance of island caretakers Mark and Tongan waterman Nolo. We swam though underwater caves to hidden chambers, kayaked to nearby islands, and explored the surrounding reefs. When the sun went down we ate ‘til our bellies were busting of local staff Fitu and Luella’s home cooking, sang songs fireside under the stars, and fell asleep to the sound of the elusive cetaceans breathing just off shore. Spending our time playing in the tropical waters and soaking up the serenity of the Eco resort were blessings enough, yet we had really hoped to swim with whales. To learn more about these mammoth cetaceans we met up with our scientist friends Malia Rouillon and Alice Forrest, from the Australian conservationist group Protect the Reef that had a team stationed in Vava’u doing research. According to Malia’s organization, Sirens for the Sea, these South Pacific humpback whales were hunted to near extinction
Chrystal wears the Riviera One-Piece in Rosa.
Chrystal wears the Swami’s Surf Suit in Tiles.
in the 20th century. Now protected, their populations are growing. Whale watching and whale swims have aided in bringing awareness and education about them. The humpback whales migrate from their feeding grounds in the Antarctic to the warm waters of Tonga, to mate and give birth to their calves from late July though October. Tonga is one of only three places in the world where swimming with these humpback whales is legal, which is the main reason we chose to visit Treasure Island Eueiki.
This experience was deeply profound, inexplicable on so many levels and totally unforgettable. Being in the company of these mammals, whilst swimming alongside, was a dream come true. There is a vital and delicate balance to be upheld in these encounters
with whales, and the respectful ethical practices of Captain Mark and his team were exemplary throughout. The morning after our miracle swim with the whales at Eueiki, we departed to Tongatapu, Tonga’s main island, to ready for our flight home to Australia. In sync with divine timing as our entire trip had been, just hours before our flight, Lauren, Ming, and I scored fun waves at Ha’atafu Beach. We surfed the clean reef pass until our taxi arrived to whisk us away to the airport. With sandy feet, wet hair, and salty as can be, we boarded our plane home, filled with gratitude to the Kingdom of Tonga and to all her people, islands, whales, and waves for the trip of a lifetime!
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On our final day at Eueiki, Mark and Veronica’s trusty dog Honyo sounded her signature whale alert of rapid barking along the shoreline. Led hastily by Mark and Nolo, the rest of us piled into the wooden outrigger and set out to sea. Honyo who is renowned for her gift of knowing when whales are near even when they are far out of sight, was right yet again.
Within minutes gliding on the wooden outrigger that Mark built, three gentle underwater giants graced us with their company. Nolo led our intimate group four at a time, to swim with a full-grown mother, playful baby calf, and large male escort. Excited and humbled we marveled at the grace of their movements, agility, and deep peace that they emanated. High-pitched sounds of what I felt were curiosity and wonder rang forth from the calf, as deep songs of guidance reverberated the waters from below as the mother whale, and male escort, too embraced our presence.
Seea in SAYULITA Words by Leah Dawson Photography by Luki O’Keefe
The sun, how it shines to make the day. The heat evokes the water to feel like home to us, we feel magnetized. We schedule our day by the way the moon moves the tides, we too follow the earth’s cycle. We jump in the sea, and it is as if we are being hugged by the earth. Ladies of the sea, we know ourselves by watching the way the ocean moves, predicting her ways, moving with her, harmonizing.
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Rejuvenating lineups in female numbers, when women surf together, the whole lineup can feel it, because their bright energy radiates and penetrates the crowds and the seas. When the sun goes down, we reflect happily upon the gifts the day’s light brought to us, holding that light in our eyes.
Lola wears the Zuma Surf Suit in Black Stripe. Karina wears the Capitola Top in Dot Dot Dot and Solimar Bottom in Black Stripe.
Hallie wears the Mundaka Wrap Top in Luna and the Leucadia High-Waist Skirted Bottom in Luna.
Lola wears the Palmas Surf Suit in Nautique.
Hallie wears the Mundaka Wrap Top in Luna and the Leucadia High-Waist Skirted Bottom in Luna.
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Lola wears the Chicama Top and Capitola Bottom in Aquaflor
Karina wears the Chicama Top and Bottom in Rosa.
Hallie wears the Palomar Crop Top in Black Diamond and the Leucadia High-Waist Skirted Bottom in Black Iris.
Karina wears the Zuma Surf Suit in Rose Petal.
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Princess of the Point Well-traveled and talented beyond her years, the world is Lola Mignot’s home. Words by Leah Dawson Photography by Luki O’Keefe
Lola wears the Zuma Surf Suit in Rose Petal.
Lola Mignot takes you by surprise, in that she’s so unique of a human, you have to double take, triple take. Her age is a decimal of her character; carrying herself calmly, she’s lovely to be around, and all are always surprised to find she is just in her second decade here on earth. Lola is from Sayulita, Mexico, born in Paris, raised on boats, on islands, with wonder — the world is her home. There’s a saying that goes, “Once you go somewhere, it never really leaves you, and a part of you is always there.” Perhaps Lola is carrying the magic of her multicultural upbringing. “It’s about the people and the environment that is around you,” Lola answers about what home means to her. “Sayulita, it is about the people, and that is what attracts me.” In the sea, her elegance shines and her technical growth is transparent, even in just a session. She’s on this fast-track path to excellence and mastery. Her footwork is delicate and purposeful; she takes small steps. On the tip of the board, Lola is magic. I can see that she is influenced by my favorite lady surfer, Kassia Meador, whose iconic posture, beauty, and technicality in the pocket has inspired our generation of surfers. “Our favorite thing to do is surf and play in the ocean,” says Lola about opening her home to the traveling Seeababes. “I loved taking them to all the secret beaches around the town, and introducing them to all my close friends.”
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Being in the water with Lola, time slows down when she is on a wave, everyone watches. How can we take our eyes away from nature’s creations in perfect harmony? And then she paddles by you, and you can often hear her laugh, an exclamation of her pure enjoyment of life. Instantly, you are reminded to be like that — to laugh and feel the freedom of your inner child celebrating.
CASA LOVE Karina wears the Zuma Surf Suit in Rose Petal. Lola wears the Ensenada Reversible Bikini in Ginko.
Photography by Luki O’Keefe
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In the hot midday sun, decompress from the glassy morning revelries, and the vibrating energy of the city below. Yeah, in this bohemian artist and surfer’s utopian retreat, every day here is the best day.
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Lola wears the Zuma Surf Suit in Black Stripe.
MING NOMCHONG
BON VIVANT
Photographer Luki O’Keefe shoots with the flow of nature.
Surrounded by a rambunctious family that sails, dives, fishes, canoes, and does pretty much any saltwater activity you can name, Luki O’Keefe is comfortably calm in rough currents. She doesn’t think twice about climbing a 75-foot mast to get the perfect viewfinder angle on her family’s sailboat, and she’d rather sacrifice a bit of neoprene warmth by donnwing a one-piece swimsuit so her limbs can feel the most free in the water.
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“Growing up in a family of go hard watermen (and women) has toughened me up in a wonderful way,” she says of her fearless childhood raised on the beaches and open oceans of Southern California. Her latest love affair with the sea involves putting on swim fins, but they aren’t for body surfing. “I would much rather be in the water swimming and shooting than on the beach just sitting there with a camera,” Luki says about her passion for taking photos from the waterline perspective at the beaches near her home, during her family’s annual sailing trips abroad, and spontaneous road trips to Baja. Like longboarding, she moves with the flow of the waves, shooting her dancing subjects in the moment. “I like to capture talented people doing what they do… it’s all pretty natural,” she explains.
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AMBER MOZO
MING NOMCHONG
INTRODUCING
A capsule collection that ventures beyond the playful ocean and into the waters of sophisticated resort wear. leibyseea.com Photography by eeva rinne
Frida One-Piece
Belinda Bikini Top.
Joyce Top and Keala Legging.
Lynne Top and Keala Leggings.
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Isabel Bikini.
Maya Bikini.
MaryAnn Dress worn over Belinda Bikini.
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In the Flow Seeababe Leah Dawson doesn’t overthink it in the land down under. Words by Leah Dawson Photography by Nathan Oldfield
Leah wears the Zuma Surf Suit in Black Stripe.
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Australia is a land of wonder. The Noosa Festival of Surfing is the largest surf event in the world, with over 600 competitors this year. At times there would be 60 people on the break and 30 of them were the best men and women on logs in the world. I picked the most crowded week to be in Noosa, but many of my heroes were there, and I got to share the sea with them. Tom Wegener, Thomas Campbell, Devon Howard, Derek Hynd, all zooming past me with grins on their faces. Some of my favorite moments of the trip were the intrinsic gathering of Seeababes in the lineup at Tea Tree. Lola, Mele, Karina, Makala, Hallie, and I traded off waves, all inspired by each other’s unique style and movements — singing, whistling, laughing, and dancing as we all did circles and circles in the bay. Each of these ladies carries an elegance with her surfing; surfing for her soul and camaraderie with the ocean and her friends above all else.
I decided I wanted to surf as simple as possible on the trip, to move slowly, delicately allowing the board to find the fastest parts of the wave. It was reiterated to me countless times how powerful simplicity and minimal effort speaks volumes by the surfers I look up to. Just standing there has never felt so good.
A quote I heard and will never forget sums it all for me: “The closer we get to pure source, the less choices we have to make.” Just like riding a wave, the closer we get to oneness with the ocean while we surf, the less deciding we do on the wave, and the more in the flow we become. Being in harmony with the ocean teaches us this simplicity that is so very healing and applicable to every walk of life.
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At the unique surf invitational hosted by a coffee shop called Glass, I joined a collection of surfers who all marveled and chose from 35 1960’s Hayden Longboards, each in mint condition, all different and all heavy. I listened to participants speak about the subtleties, the uniqueness of the resin colors at that time, the age of board by the fin design, the way the board responds in the pocket. Their excitement invigorated me; there was such respect, knowledge about our past, and application into their present surfing.
After 60 hours in the water during one week, and not keeping up with my normal alkaline diet, a small cut from the rocks turned into an infection. I rested my knee-with-a-fever in the company of legendary Australian surf filmmakers. They reiterated their adoration for simplicity in surfing, working life in the flow, less is more.
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Photography by Nick LaVecchia and Dylan Gordon
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EDITORIAL Creative Directors: Amanda Chinchelli and Emiliano Chinchelli Managing Editor: Rhea Cortado Photo Editors: Giulia Bacci and Luki O’Keefe Art Director: Dwayne Carter Copy Editor: Kim Oswell CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Nick LaVecchia, Gabe Sullivan, Cristian Corradin, Luca Merli, Nathan Oldfield, Luki O’Keefe, Chrystal Dawn Fitzgerald, Ming Nomchong, Bryce Johnson, Dylan Gordon, Amber Mozo, Eeva Rinne CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Johnie Gall, Leah Dawson, Chrystal Dawn Fitzgerald SPECIAL THANKS
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For their hospitality and friendship during our trip to Italy, special thanks to: Alessandro Ponzanelli, Casa Maccaroni, Atelier VM jewelry, Super handmade sunglasses, Ines Susaeta jewelry, Alberto Biani, Borsalino hats, Saline Reliques bags, Spumafun towels, Hotel Gutkowski in Syracuse, Bagni Nettuno in Castiglioncello, Casale Del Mare, Bolgheri Piu in Bolgheri, Nonna Lilia, and Lore Naive. In Mexico, special thanks to: Pachamama, Mignot family, Israel Preciado, and Rozunko family. In California, thanks to Sonny Nigro and Green Fuz.
Seea 2016 Photography by Dylan Gordon
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