Something to protect ya head, like this cute cap from ROXY.

A super hot and comfy bikini by Stella McCartney for ADIDAS.

Chunky and pinkish sunnies from TOPSHOP.

Mount Kimbie’s latest album grrrrrrrrreat.
And some inspiration and reading of course! London Based magazine “Vinyl Riot”.

And don’t forget the sandals, JuJu Jelly Sandals!

X Maria Pizzeria

photography by Mia Kingsley

So after dispelling the myth that an arbitrary link between our body and a random fruit should determine what type of bikini we should wear we decided to wear fruit on our bikinis instead.

1 and 3: American Apparel, 2: J.Crew, 4: Asos, 5: Pull-In, 6: Topshop, 7: Insight

Do you have to look hot in a bikini to wear one?

It’s that time of the year again. The trees are teeming with life, the days are long and bright and almost every women’s magazine and web site on the planet is banging on about bikinis. How to squeeze your skin into one, how to match one to your shape (be that pear, apple, pineapple… what are we cartoon fruit!?), bikinis to stop your man cheating on you, bikinis to make your friends love/envy you and so on until infinity.

My two favourite responses to the collective brain melt are this facebook post (excuse the swearing):

And this Bikini Bodies and Me piece on The Vagenda which includes the killer line:

“What happens if you put on a bikini, without having the requisite ‘bikini body’? I’m here to report: nothing happens, you just have a bikini on.”

You’ll notice we’ve never joined the bikini freakout chorus. And we’re proud to have never uttered the word diet either, nor will we ever in the future but still we’d be wrong to not acknowledge that the pictures we run both in the mag and on the site of surfers and models (often two in the same thing) looking smoking hot in bikinis (Alana Blanchard and Laura Enever for example) could have some subliminal, or even quite conscious, influence. From ‘buy this bikini and you’ll look like Alana Blanchard‘ to the more worrying ‘you need to look like Alana Blanchard to wear any bikini ever’. To the one that worries me most of all, ‘to be a good surfer you must look like Alana Blanchard‘. Now I like to think everyone is post-modern and knowing enough to deconstruct the brand messages at play here and not be negatively influenced by them but it’s kinda tricky to check, without drilling into your skull which could get a little messy.

Which makes it all the more important to remind you of the facts every now and then, which are:

1. You’re in way better shape than you think you are

2. The only person fretting over any cellulite you may have is you

3. Not giving a shit and having a laugh on the beach is far more attractive TO EVERYONE than sitting joyless and rigid at a weird angle on a sun lounger because your stomach looks better that way

4. Anyone who disagrees with the above is a douche and not worthy of your friendship

5. If you want to wear a bikini, wear a bikini

6. Wearing a bikini in summer feels nice

7. Swimming in a bikini feels even nicer

8. Surfing in a bikini is also pretty nice, especially if you like the added buzz of wondering if you’ll be surfing in no bikini after your next wipeout

Sermon over, go play in the waves!

As we saw her on the coaches list for Surf Sistas Green Waves programme this summer, we thought back to our Cover Girl interview with her back in 2010 and notice that this gem still needs to get up online! So here it is for your reading pleasure….

Words by Sam Haddad, lifestyle photography by Bella Howard, action photography by Gerhard Engelbrecht + Paul Gill

At 16 Gwen Spurlock had your bog-standard dream life. She was a sponsored surfer with heaps of friends, growing up in a picturesque part of South Wales. Her best friend Beth Mason was also a pro surfer and their parents were also the best of friends. The previous year she’d won pretty much every contest she’d entered and was the reigning British Under 18 Champion, UK Pro Surf Tour Women’s Champion and Quiksilver Queen of the Groms in England and Wales.

Kapow! everything changed. And instead of charging warm water reef breaks in a bikini she spent the summer lying in a hospital bed while doctors drilled holes into her brain

She was about to head to the Maldives to surf and shoot pictures while her school friends hit the books. But then Kapow! everything changed. And instead of charging warm water reef breaks in a bikini she spent the summer lying in a hospital bed while doctors drilled holes into her brain. She faced not just the unthinkable prospect of never surfing again but a genuine fight for her life. If there’s ever a real life story that should be optioned for a Hollywood movie, or at the very least the Christmas cliffhanger of a soap opera, this could well be it. But first let’s roll back to the start…

Gwen lived in the USA until she was nine, when she moved to Mumbles, Swansea. She hadn’t lived by the ocean before so was a bit scared of its might but she’d swum a lot in pools so signed up for the local lifeguard club. Soon after she was given surf lessons for her tenth birthday at the same time as her slightly older friend Beth Mason. They both loved it right away and swiftly moved from foamies to mini mals to proper shortboards thanks to regular sessions in the water. But it wasn’t until Tracey Boxall, a surf coach from Australia, started coaching their classes that they began to take it to the next level.

As Gwen says, “My surf lessons started to focus when I was around 13 or 14. Tracey would make us catch waves in five-minute sessions, to prepare us for contests. We’d then have to get out and run around her on the beach and do another five minutes in the water. She’d make us practice blocking each other from getting waves, and work on our quick wave selection.” Tracey also got Gwen her first sponsorship deal with Voodoo Dolls. “I wouldn’t be talking to you know if it wasn’t for Tracey,” she says.

I don’t think anything could have taken the love out of surfing for me at that time!

I wondered if this fairly intense approach from an early age might have made surfing less fun and more chore-like for Gwen but she reassures me. “I don’t think anything could have taken the love out of surfing for me at that time! I had so much energy and we only had lessons once or twice a week, every other time we went to the beach we freesurfed.”

Besides Gwen, who also played hockey and netball to a county level, loved contests from the start. She says, “When I started going to contests I was in awe of the older sponsored surfers and knew right away I wanted to be like that.” Aged just 14 she was British Under 18 girls Champion and a member of the British Junior Surf team. And aside from her enforced time out on medical grounds (more of which later) she’s dominated the UK rankings ever since.

Her parents were super-supportive and took her to all the events, until Beth, who was a couple of years older than Gwen, learnt to drive. But in spite of competing together at all the same comps there was never any real rivalry, or nod towards fisticuffs, between the two. “We were friends before we started surfing,” says Gwen. “So even though we compete it doesn’t affect the way we are towards each other. In some ways it’s made us closer as we both understand the competitive side of the sport and if one of us beats the other, you might be annoyed at first but we’d rather the other one won than someone else.”

Maybe it’s thanks to their Welsh roots, as Wales is a notoriously amicable place. As Gwen says, “Camaraderie is the main thing that makes Wales different from other countries. It’s a small country and everyone is friendly with everyone.”

Having such a strong support network would help Gwen a lot when disaster did strike, following a seemingly innocuous day on a new fake wave machine at a local leisure centre. Gwen and some other local pros including Beth were practicing before the main media day. They all slammed plenty of times and both Gwen and Beth were wiped out with tiredness when they got home. Gwen also had a headache, which she presumed was dehydration, but when it was still there the next morning, accompanied with a serious neck ache, she headed to the doctor.

First off the doctor thought it was whiplash, then post-concussion syndrome, but when her symptoms persisted they sent her for a CAT scan. The diagnosis was a massive shock – Gwen had bleeds on both sides of her brain, and a cyst. The cyst was apparently common and would have been there anyway, but the medics were concerned that the bleeding would trigger the cyst. Still she was told she should be ok. Then on the morning she was due to check out a potential university her Mum stopped her going, as she still wasn’t right. They then got a call from the hospital telling her to come right in and not eat anything as they were going to operate. Not going to the university open day had probably saved her life.

They drilled two holes in either side of her head to drain the blood and she was told the operation was a success, as long as the stitches didn’t become infected, as that could lead to an infection in her brain. So when she was resting at home and liquid started oozing from her skull she was understandably concerned. The doctors told her it was fluid from the cyst rather than an infection but after another scan gave her the choice of having another operation to drain the cyst, which had a 75 per cent success rate, alongside the petrifying risk of brain damage.

Gwen wanted to be fixed, and pronto, so, using the same mental strength that served her so well in competitive surfing, decided to go for it.

But Gwen wanted to be fixed, and pronto, so, using the same mental strength that served her so well in competitive surfing, decided to go for it. Unbelievably while in recovery after a successful operation she had another bleed on the other side of her head and was rushed in for more emergency surgery, which went well. Thankfully. As just listening to this story is tough enough, let alone it actually happening to you. It wasn’t quite over then, she had more scans and a lumbar puncture and was so done in physically she lost over a stone in weight, but crucially she was on the mend at last.

Talking to her now it’s amazing how she takes the whole episode in her stride. While her chances of brain damage were teetering on a knife-edge, her fellow British surfers were in the Maldives, then winning the contests Gwen had been owning the year before, and her school friends were enjoying those heady summer days before their final year at school.

But she only sees the positives, and believes surfing played a massive part in her rehab. “The whole experience made me grow up a lot. The doctors told me I’d never surf again but I knew I would. I’d been out of the water for around six months but the thought of being able to surf again was one of the leading factors in my recovery. That first surf back at Caswells was the best ever, easily as good as winning my first title. It was so refreshing and so nice to have an outlet to express myself having been staring at walls for the past six months.”

The whole experience made me grow up a lot. The doctors told me I’d never surf again but I knew I would. I’d been out of the water for around six months but the thought of being able to surf again was one of the leading factors in my recovery

Understandably she didn’t compete that year, but deservedly won the UK Pro Surf Tour Women’s Most Inspirational Surfer Award. She says, “The amount of support I had from the surfing community in Britain, not just Wales, was extremely touching.”
 
But the following year, in 2009, she was well and truly back in the game winning back her British Under 18 and UK Pro Surf Tour Women’s titles, with the Most Inspirational Surfer Award thrown in to boot. Her plans for this summer include more of the same, with the help of her current coach Simon Tucker. At the time of going to press she’s leading the UK Pro Surf Tour again and, ahem, gearing up for a sponsored cycle from London to Paris with the Oakley girls’ team in September. We’re not cheesy enough to use phrases like “hers is a truly humbling and inspiring story” but if we were this would be the time to get them out.

Gwen is sponsored by Oakley, Skullcandy and EFX.
Styling by Poppy Smith, 
Hair: Nina Beckert @ Soho Managment, 
Makeup: Megumi Matsuno using Bobbi Brown @ Carol Hayes Management, Makeup assistant: Chisa Takahashi
, Fashion assistant: Rosie Monks

Double World Cup winner and interviewee in our current print mag Rachel Atherton had a chat with the guys over at DirtTV after the Val di Sole World Cup in Italy. Find out all about her racing, winning and what it takes to be on top.

The lovely Leah Dawson just sent over this heart warming clip, which came about as part of the Sea Appreciation Project and showcases a 9 year old girl’s love for the ocean…

A short film from the point of view of my favorite little surfer, 9 year old Lily Richards.

Join 9 year old Lily Richards and her friend Honu the turtle, as they take our hearts into the Hawaiian sea. Filmmaker Leah Dawson collaborated with Lily to tell a story true from Lily’s heart, giving her a canvas to share her endearing energy, incredible knowledge, her love of the sea, and remarkable musicality. 

The song performed in the film was an improvisation by Lily and Leah on stage at the Kanikapila (Open Mic) Night at Surfer, The Bar at Turtle Bay Resort.

All you always wanted to know about ocean loving girls and how to make a label out of your passion…

Interview by Anna Langer

No matter how I felt before, as soon as I’m at or in the ocean everything is alright.

I love the feeling of freedom that the ocean gives and its expanse. No matter how I felt before, as soon as I’m at or in the ocean everything is alright. Everyday problems and stress are suddenly far away… I can kick back and just enjoy the sea.

For as long as I can remember, I loved spending holidays by the sea. Getting me out of the water was a tough task! I only started surfing in 2011 though, but took every opportunity to get to the beach since. Changing my job also allowed for a little time out and I made good use of that going surfing.

It was also a great chance to put some more dedication into Hi Oceanlovinggirls, our own little fashion label for and from ocean loving girls. My sister Franzi and I started the brand 2,5 years ago after one of our Portugal trips. We wanted to get some nice souvenirs and noticed how the choices in surf shops are mainly aimed at male customers. And since we didn’t want to by just any girls shirt, we left empty handed. Actually not quite, as we did bring home the idea to create a brand for women and girls, expressing our love for the ocean in a cool and stylish way. We started with hoodies and are even doing accessories now, like the Feel Good Capes for example. And we’re not running out of new ideas any time soon…. There’s still a bunch of stuff every ocean loving girl needs!

We wanted something to express our love for the ocean in a cool and stylish way

Surfing connects. And I have the feeling there has been a lot going on in the female surf community lately. There are so many blogs around the internet to exchange and communicate with other females. Just working with our brand we had the pleasure to meet some truly inspiring girls. And in the end, we all have the same heart, loving the ocean, no matter if boy or girl…

Listen to your heart and follow your dreams! That will save you from regretting anything later on and having the feeling you never lived your life. I don’t regret anything and wouldn’t change a bit, everything is always good and necessary for something.

With a little less than a month to go, some more updates on the one and only Wakestock Festival, rocking the UK shores July 12-14 2013!

The crowds will be treated to what is sure to be an epic show from indie torch bearers ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN. Very few British bands have been as hugely influential and distinctive as these guys. The post-punk heroes formed in Liverpool in 1978 and went on to have chart success with hits like The Cutter, The Killing Moon, Silver and Seven Seas. 

RALEIGH RITCHIE has been making waves online. People are hearing his name, but still don’t know too much about him. His tracks Birthday Girl, I Know You and New Start feat. Tanya Lacey have been getting interest from fans across the globe, and having recently signed to Columbia records 2013 is proving to be the start of big things for Raleigh Ritchie.

YR EIRA will join them on the line up after taking the title of Wakestock 2013 Battle of the Bands Winer. The competition proved to be hugely popular and Wakestock worked closely with the team at BBC Radio Cymru to listen to the hundreds of entries received. 

The latest acts join the likes of EXAMPLE, RUDIMENTAL LIVE, JAMES, BASTILLE, MAGNETIC MAN, WRETCH 32, TWIN ATLANTIC, WILEY, THE 1975, ZANE LOWE, THE TODDLA T SOUND, KIDS IN GLASS HOUSES, LITTLE COMETS and loads more.

For a breakdown of which acts are playing on which night, head over to wakestock.co.uk

And we’re obviously super keen to know what we’re going to wear next summer before we even get ready for this. Who needs the present when you can have the future?

Here are the latest trends, directly from this week’s London Fashion shows…

There’s clearly a bit of a 90s rave vibe going on at Shaun Samson. We love the classic futurism of the tinfoil reference, combined with a visible boxer short elastic band (we’ll go for something cheap and cheerful and embarrassing or maybe CK, in honour of Mark Wahlberg when he was still Marky Mark). Open shirt and key chain essential, lose your mind somewhere in the middle of a field but never your keys.

Topman Design is completely unisex (i.e. it will translate directly into what will be in our wardrobe in 2014) and all about the trousers. The lose slacks above will be so fashionable next summer that true Topman devotees and hopefully the rest of the world won’t wear any other type of leg attire. The design team is so confident about this that they only sent one style in one colour down the catwalk. Cute embroidered Western style shirts and jumpers optional.

This KTZ one isn’t necessarily trendy, but possibly our favourite look of the week. It’s got it all. Cool cartography prints, a cape, two hoods, something that looks like a snood, jogging bottoms (we hardly ever wear anything else, ask all the much smarter looking non-fashion people in the office), a gym bag that we’d never use to go to the gym and that will hopefully end up looking like this, sandals, some random vest top in the knee area. And everything matches!!