brand update
One of the surf industry’s most iconic brands, Lightning Bolt is celebrating 50 years since its inception by founder and legendary surfer Gerry Lopez and Jack Shipley. We speak with the brand to find out how they leverage their heritage to maintain relevance in a noisy market. Tell us how Lightning Bolt started. Lightning Bolt Unlimited Surf Company Incorporated was founded by Gerry Lopez and Jack Shipley in 1971, in Hawaii. As Gerry Lopez shared in the interview for our 50th anniversary: “In the beginning nobody knew what a Lightning Bolt had to do with surfboards. I used to draw it while I was on the telephone! Then I put it on the surfboards and it looked pretty good! So, that was the beginning! And then it became more and more popular, and our shop became very well known”. There was no strict plan, besides shaping the best boards for the best surfers, and welcoming everyone that wished to be part of it. What is the brand’s USP? A lifestyle with an unparalleled historical heritage. Since the beginning, the brand is LIGHTNINGBOLT-USA.COM 28
far beyond surfing as just a sport. The core message is that surfing is a lifestyle with adventurous spirit and tolerance, stimulating physical and mental development whilst allowing a deep connection with Nature. How has Lightning Bolt prospered over the years whilst so many of its competitors have disappeared? Lightning Bolt is a pure, authentic source of inspiration and a lifestyle that everyone can relate to. Our attitude is something we are admired for and we strive to keep it that way. We proudly embrace everyone that feels a historical connection to the brand or simply just identifies with it, with Bolt everyone is welcome. Over the years we have had the most legendary shapers working with us and have added some amazing new artists from different cultural backgrounds to our team. Most
of all, we paid attention to what was happening around us and adapted to the changing industry while staying true to our roots. It’s your 50th Anniversary, what have been the highlights? There’s so much to share! But if we’d to go through these five decades in a glance, we must obviously highlight the foundation of the brand, as well as the role it played in the Shortboard Revolution and surfing’s professionalization. If we look at the ‘80s, we have those pioneering and adventurous road trips with Rory Russell that truly are the iconic memories of the surf lifestyle. We would also have to underline the educational role that Lightning Bolt always had, especially in the 90s. We managed to organise some of the first surf championships in
