Paul Naude and the History of Vissla
Quick answer: Paul Naude is the founder of Vissla, a surf brand built around quality, sustainability, and community — not corporate shareholders or quick profits. Naude is a former professional surfer from South Africa who won at Sunset Beach, ran Billabong as president, and then walked away to start something smaller and more honest. Vissla is at Hawaiian South Shore.
When Paul Naude first showed up on the North Shore, he was crashing at Randy Rarick's place and figuring out how to compete against the best surfers in the world. He won at Sunset Beach. He finished third at the Pipe Masters. By any measure, he had made it — a kid from Durban, South Africa, who chose a shaping bay over college and ended up as one of the most versatile figures surfing had produced.
That's the version of the story most people know. What happened after is more interesting.
How Paul Naude Ended Up Running One of Surfing's Biggest Companies
Naude's path from pro surfer to surf industry executive wasn't planned. While competing, he started getting involved in the business side of things — learning publishing and media, eventually founding ZigZag Magazine, South Africa's premier surf publication. He picked up the regional license for Gotcha in South Africa. One thing led to another, and he was eventually hired as president of Billabong.
That's a long way from ding repair in a Durban shaping bay. And for a while, it worked.
But Billabong went public. The surf industry started chasing growth over everything else. And Naude watched what happens when brands that started in the water get pulled too far from it.
What He Saw Wrong with the Surf Industry
Naude had a clear-eyed view of what too many surf brands had become. The pattern was predictable: build a following, flood the market with product, go public in an IPO, then sell to a corporate umbrella company or run the brand into the ground extracting profit. He called this what it was — a race to the bottom.
The brands that followed this path had one thing in common: they stopped being about surfing. They became licensing operations, pushing cheap products through retail channels, chasing the next season's margin instead of making things that actually lasted. The surfers wearing the logos had nothing to do with the decisions being made.
Naude had been inside that world long enough to know he didn't want to keep building it.
Why He Started Vissla — and What It Was Always Meant to Be
After leaving Billabong, Naude started a company called Stoke House, with several branches — one of which was Vissla. From the beginning, he was clear about what it was supposed to be: a surf brand, not a street brand, not a skate brand, not a snow brand. Just surfing.
The idea was to build something that got back to how the early surf industry actually worked — where brands were run by real surfers, the products were things people genuinely needed, and the people making decisions were the same people paddling out every morning.
That's not a nostalgic idea. It's a practical one. When the people running a surf brand actually surf, different products get made.
What Vissla Is Actually Built On
Sustainability isn't a marketing angle for Vissla — it shows up in how the products are made. The cocotex boardshorts are built from coconut husks: sustainable material, naturally prevents odor from building up, and they hold up through a board bag stuffed wet after a surf trip. That's a product made by people who actually use it.
The brand also collaborates with artists in Hawaii and California — which leads to product lines that look different from what every other brand is putting out, because the people involved are actually different from what every other brand is working with.
The People Paul Naude Built Vissla Around
Vissla's team reflects what Naude was going for. The roster isn't built around the biggest names or the most exposure — it's built around people who have something to say beyond surfing contests.
That includes shaper Danny Hess, filmmaker and artist Thomas Campbell, PhD scientist and native Hawaiian environmentalist Cliff Kapono, and surfers like Cam Richards and Town resident Noa Mizuno. Cliff Kapono has even run a web series called Cliff's Notes, profiling surfers with different passions and following Cliff as he learns from artisans while exploring what it means to be an environmentally conscious surfer.
These aren't just names on a sponsorship list. They're people who are genuinely doing things — which is exactly the kind of team Naude said he wanted when he started.
Why Hawaiian South Shore Carries Vissla
We're a boutique surf shop in the heart of Honolulu — where surfing started. The brands we carry matter to us, because we're not a big-box retailer moving inventory. We're a surf shop, and we talk to our customers about this stuff every day.
Vissla fits that. A brand that started from frustration with how the industry had drifted, run by someone who has been in every corner of the surf business and chose to build something smaller and more honest. That's something we respect.
Nearly 50 years after Paul Naude first picked up a surfboard, he's come full circle — now the one offering opportunities to young surfers, the same way others offered them to him. That's what the brand is actually about.
Frequently Asked Questions About Paul Naude and Vissla
Who is Paul Naude and why did he start Vissla?
Paul Naude is a former professional surfer from Durban, South Africa who won at Sunset Beach and finished third at the Pipe Masters before moving into the surf industry. He ran Billabong as president, then left to start Vissla — a brand built around surfing, sustainability, and quality rather than corporate growth or quick profit.
What makes Vissla different from other surf brands?
Vissla was built specifically to avoid the "pump and dump" model Naude saw from inside the industry — brands that flood the market with cheap products, go public, then sell out. Vissla is independently owned, focused on surf culture rather than street or skate crossover, and emphasizes sustainable materials and long-lasting products.
What are Vissla's cocotex boardshorts?
Cocotex boardshorts are made from coconut husks — a sustainable, upcycled material. They naturally prevent odor buildup even after extended use, and hold up well through the kind of wear surf travel puts on gear. They're one of the clearest examples of Vissla building products for surfers who actually use them, not just for retail.
Who are Vissla's team riders?
Vissla's team includes shaper Danny Hess, filmmaker and artist Thomas Campbell, PhD scientist and native Hawaiian environmentalist Cliff Kapono, and surfers like Cam Richards and Noa Mizuno. The team is built around people who are doing things beyond contests — which reflects what Naude says the brand is about.
Does Hawaiian South Shore carry Vissla?
Yes. You can shop the full Vissla collection at Hawaiian South Shore in Honolulu or online at hawaiiansouthshore.com/collections/vissla. We carry boardshorts, wetsuits, and apparel.
Where is Vissla based and who owns it?
Vissla is based in the United States and is independently owned. It was founded by Paul Naude through his company Stoke House. Unlike many surf brands that have been absorbed into large corporate portfolios, Vissla has remained independent — which Naude has said from the beginning was part of the point.
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1 comment
To make a long story shorter..check your buttons for lousy sew jobs..between two shirts, 5 buttons went missing.