The name Outerknown references the furthest reaches of what we know possible today. As designers it pushes us to build better and more sustainable products. As producers, it forces us to lift the lid on our supply chain bringing the consumer along on our journey to transparency. As storytellers, it enables the concept to always evolve and never get stuck in one place. And as global citizens, it begs us to blaze our own trails, always going a little further around the next bend or traversing the next peak discovering the Outerknown.

Finisterre, the brand I founded 20 years ago, to now be a sponsor. Thank you TSJ, for all you bring us, and we look forward to seeing you in US soon as the brand heads over. – Tom Kay, Finisterre founder.

Born from the needs of hardy British surfers, Finisterre makes enduring outdoor wear for an inspired life in and around the ocean.

 It started in 2003 in a flat above a surf shop, with an innovative waterproof fleece designed specifically for the rigours of a cold water surfing lifestyle. A lifestyle that was a long way from the bikinis and board shorts shown in most surf magazines of the time. Since these early days, they have continued to pioneer better, more sustainable product whilst forging deep connections with ocean communities around the world.

The name of one of the most rugged headlands that bravely bears the full brunt of the North Atlantic gales, ‘Finisterre’ literally means end of the earth or land’s end. And from their cliff top workshop in Cornwall, England, Finisterre stay true to this original design ethos of functionality and sustainability, brought to life in an understated style and identity. Backed up by their B Corp certification, they continue to stay true to their founding commitments to product, environment and people, using the business to drive change.

In the densely populated surf-gear landscape, the true necessities in actually getting out there and sliding one are few but vital. Foam and fiberglass. A pair of trunks or sewn rubber. Wax. And, this side of Tom Blake, a skeg or three or five.

Since 1995, the year they launched their game-changing removable system, FCS has remained not only committed to surfboard fins as an essential hardgood, they’ve elevated it. From design innovations to multipurpose functionality to template aesthetics, FCS has in many ways changed the way we craft and ride surfboards, and is the go-to for some of the most respected shapers and surfers in the game.

Those foundational principles—an application to the next while bound in the traditional, are ones to which TSJ can relate.

Though Vans sits comfortably as one of the largest apparel companies in the world, they have never wavered in their support of the core users who made their original “Authentic” shoe a universal hallmark of surfers and skaters, nor have they forgotten their sub-cultural start as a Southern California store-front all the way back in 1966. Today, Vans boasts the most eclectic surf team in the industry, from world tour professionals to alt-craft luminaries, and gives back to the sport in the form of event sponsorship all over the surf-spectrum map, from the Vans Triple Crown to the Duct Tape Invitational to the U.S. Open of Surfing.

As a family-owned title since being founded in 1992, The Surfer’s Journal can relate to Vans’ grass roots beginnings and continued commitment to the authentic, making this sponsorship/partnering feel particularly organic.

YETI was born from a marketplace void. Brothers Roy and Ryan Seiders, lifelong outdoorsmen, were frustrated with the performance of existing coolers: short ice-retention windows and under-spec construction led to critical failures and spoiled game. In 1996, they set out to build coolers that met their own requirements for life in the wild. Today, YETI represents the industry standard.

The Surfer’s Journal finds Yeti’s commitment to top-tier quality a fitting—and familiar—pursuit.

When Jay “Sparky” Longley officially began making Rainbow® Sandals in 1974, he had one goal in mind: to build the best quality sandal in the world. His experience as a boutique leathersmith in the 60s gave him workshop bona fides, and trial and error led to one of our culture’s most dependable products. Today, Rainbow® Sandals crafts nearly 2 million pairs of hand made sandals a year.

A lifelong friend of the Journal, Longley and Rainbow® Sandals have been in the pages of TSJ since the first issue.

Patagonia sprang forth in 1970 from founder Yvon Chouinard’s coastal California blacksmith shop. A surfer and alpinist, Chouniard wanted to create an outdoor apparel brand without sullying the ethics of his beloved pursuits for the sake of profit margins. Today, Patagonia is a thriving, right-sized, privately held company known for the quality of their goods and the leveraging of Chouinard’s earth-first consciousness.

At The Surfer’s Journal, we relate and aspire to that sort of commitment. Perhaps that’s why the sponsor relationship between the two organizations rings especially true. We are both committed to the protection of our natural resources. Leveraging their reputation, Patagonia helped forge 1% For the Planet—a fellowship of like-minded companies responsible enough to pass along one percent of gross sales to non-profit environmental groups. TSJ proudly joined in that effort nearly a decade ago.