Wetsuit manufacturing in New Zealand has a long and reputable history. But with the globalisation and introduction of big-time surf brands entering our markets in the last decade, the dynamics of making and selling wetsuits has changed vastly. Josh Berry looks into how our top wetsuit companies are differentiating themselves from the big boys and what it is taking to stay at the forefront of the New Zealand wetsuit market.

In the balmy New Zealand summer of ’88, whilst the nation was recovering from the global financial meltdown and new doors and opportunities were arising for start-up businesses, Matt Hall and Rod Voyce were unleashing a new force within the New Zealand surf industry.

In an old garage along Papamoa Beach in the Bay of Plenty, Hall and Voyce formed a partnership making and selling wetsuits for the local market. With a three-way investment of $9000 between Matt, Rod, and Matt’s father Bob, the Bodyline brand (originally Bodyline Custom Sea-suits) was formed.

One year prior, at the opposite end of the country, a similar commotion was occurring. Paul Zarifeh and a group of mates had noticed a hole in the South Island wetsuit market for serious coldwater surfing apparel.

In the Christchurch region where water temperatures rarely reach above 16 degrees Celsius in the summer, the demand for quality wet weather gear was strong. So in June of 1987, Paul and friend

Geoff White set out to make the best quality cold water gear that they could, operating under the title of the Canterbury Wetsuit Company. The company name changed several years later to the more commonly associated Seventhwave Wetsuits brand.

With the introduction of these two game-changers to the, at the time, niche market of wetsuit manufacturing, New Zealand surfers finally had a medium to buy locally made surfing hardware to maximise time in the water and further enhance their surfing experience.

New Zealand has had a strong and rich affiliation with wetsuit manufacturing throughout the last 40-50 years with some records dating back to the late 1960’s. During this time many people have dabbled with the art of making wetsuits in New Zealand including the founding father of O’Neill wetsuits, Jack O’Neill. According to Jason Falconridge of O’Neill New Zealand, some of wetsuit manufacturing’s roots lie right here on our own shores.

“Michael Beehan was the director for O’Neill Wetsuits here in New Zealand from the start,” Falconridge says. “He met Jack O’Neill at a trade show in Las Vegas 1978 then formalized an agreement to distribute and manufacture for the New Zealand Market. With this agreement he also manufactured for supply for O’Neill into the US and Australian markets as well following 1978. Prior to this around the late 1960s he was manufacturing for supply to an Australian company wetsuit product as well, I would think well before anyone else.”

It is through examples like this of the manufacturing roots of yesteryear that Bodyline and Seventhwave wetsuits have been able to place their own brand names on the mantelpiece of New Zealand surfing. With both brands crossing the 25 year mark in recent years, Hall and Zarifeh have both seen the dynamics of a changing industry, including its many ups and downs.

“Most of the wetsuits back on the market in ’87 weren’t that good ya know, there wasn’t much on offer,” Hall says. “There was probably only at least a dozen other wetsuit manufacturers at the time making wetsuits of various kinds.”

After a successful first couple of years in the trade, Voyce decided to part ways with Hall and Bodyline

THE WETSUIT DIARIESBy Josh Berry | Images by Jim Culley and 7th Wave

due to tough times financially. Following this, Murray Bingle approached Hall regarding buying out Voyce’s shares in the company and soon Bodyline wetsuits were back in business. With Bingle on the road reforming relationships with retailers and Hall taking care of the manufacturing side of the company, things really took off. The brand was revamped and turned into more of a boutique approach with high quality surf suits being the desired goal.

Sadly in 2001 tragedy struck at Bodyline. Murray Bingle passed away from a battle with cancer which left Hall with the job of deciding upon the direction of Bodyline, something that Hall has done up until this day.

“I had to run the business which I’ve done since 2001” Hall says.

Since 1988 the company has moved four times to locations within Papamoa and Mount Maunganui, finally settling in at their current location on Totara Street. This series of ups and downs has tested Hall many times but his resilience shines through in the fact that Bodyline have made it this far.

Seventhwave have also had to persevere

through changing and challenging times. Something Zarifeh believes has strengthened the company.

Zarifeh and White had their first shipment of Yamamoto limestone neoprene delivered into Lyttleton Harbour from Japan. From here they found a factory and began making their first bulk order of wetsuits. Their relationship with their neoprene supplier has lasted to this day.

The next step was to push sales through retailers which the company did through White touring the South Island promoting the brand. The promotion was successful but retailers had leftover stock from competitors which meant they were less willing to take on new stock.

To counter-act this, Zarifeh and White angled their focus toward the cold winter waters of the South Island. Custom fit suits were the next phase which led to the creation of new models and increased clientele. Sadly, ventures into the North Island didn’t pan out as initially planned and direct sales were moved to a new location on Dyers Road in the suburb of Bromley, Christchurch which still stands to this

day as the home of Seventhwave wetsuits. The day before moving location,

Christchurch was hit by a 7.1 earthquake. Luckily for the team at Seventhwave, there was minimal damage to the store and families associated with the company. However, on 22nd February, 2011 a magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck the region devastating the city with major damage and loss of life. This event had much worse results for Seventhwave.

“2011 was hard,” Zarifeh says. “Our local beaches were polluted for a year – only about 20 percent of residents still surfed post-quake.”

As a result the company had to rely heavily on loyalty from local customers and e-commerce through their Seventhwave website.

The Kiwi mentality of putting your head down and trucking on through the hard times has seen both Bodyline and Seventhwave make it through in today’s economic climate. In doing this, Bodyline and Seventhwave have grown steadily by sticking true to their heartland roots and emphasis on locally made, quality product. This prestige of quality workmanship and locally

owned and produced suits has been the driving force behind the success of each company and has meant that customers have developed loyalty to the brands.

But things in the current New Zealand wetsuit industry are not what they may seem.

With the current surfing population in New Zealand increasing dramatically over the years, companies have caught on to the socio-economic changes with vigour. The market penetration of industry giants has made things difficult for Bodyline and Seventhwave.

In the early nineties The Warehouse started selling Body Glove wetsuits which sent retailers around the country into panic mode. Something that Hall has coined The Warehouse effect.

“The mentality of how people buy in New Zealand is not like it used to be,” Hall says. “I really think that they (The Warehouse) have brainwashed New Zealanders to an extent on how you should buy and shop. They’ve stuck these big fucking ugly red barns up around the country – it’s closed small town New Zealand right down!”

And he has a point. Kiwi manufacturers are facing difficult times and not just in surfing realms. With large scale stores popping up and having regular clearance sales, it means our locally-made goods aren’t getting a foot in the door of consumers’ minds as they have in past times.

“I was at the doctors the other day getting my leg plastered – my doctor is a surfer and he goes on ‘you got any sales on mate?’” Hall says. “He’s a doctor probably getting $300,000 grand per year! – it’s the way people shop these days!”

Over at Seventhwave, Zarifeh believes that the kiwi-made philosophy is still standing strong.

“I think people are really aware of kiwi-made at the moment,” Zarifeh says.

He also believes that consumers are seeking out positive customer service experiences. New Zealanders like to deal directly with manufacturers which may very well be the defining gap between consumers sticking to locally made brands instead of global corporations.

“Repeat customers are what got us through the earthquakes,” Zarifeh says. “Customer

service is what it’s all about, you’ve got to look after your customers!”

The gap between Hall and Zarifeh’s thoughts on the matter could be put down to the North Island and South Island market separation but one thing is certain: Both companies are working hard to push the Kiwi-made aspect of their wetsuits.

So what are Bodyline and Seventhwave doing to differentiate themselves from larger companies in the market? At this stage, quite a lot more than one may assume.

Over at Bodyline, Hall has taken the changing industry into account and has found other niche markets. In doing this he believes the overall percentage of surfing related wetsuits Bodyline produce has dropped dramatically.

“Surfing’s probably only about 20 percent of what we do now, maybe even less,” Hall says. “I guess in the last five years it’s showed that there are other markets out there to be catered for, not just surfing.”

Bodyline has taken on large orders through many New Zealand outdoor education

“The mentality of how people buy in New Zealand is not like it used to be,” Hall says. “I really think that they (The Warehouse) have brainwashed New Zealanders to an extent on how you should buy and shop. They’ve

stuck these big fucking ugly red barns up around the country – it’s closed small town New Zealand right down!”

organisations. The Sir Edmond Hilary Outdoor Pursuits Centre (OPC) is a regular customer as well as Hibiscus surf school, New Zealand surf school, Queenstown Rafting and Rotorua Adventures. Their biggest gig of late would have to be through Surf Lifesaving New Zealand, with individually branded wetsuits being produced for surf clubs throughout the country.

“Our competitors aren’t too worried about doing big bulk runs like that,” Hall says. “This is where our niche is ya know! It’s not in the surf shops anymore.”

Bodyline has also adapted to the modern market by ramping up their approach to e-commerce, social media outlets, and the opportunities that can come with them.

“Twitter and facebook advertising is important and we do all that – I wouldn’t say we’re very slick at that but we do it.” Hall says. “If you hadn’t changed your company to be in e-commerce in the last 5 years then things would be difficult – If we hadn’t made changes then we might not be here now.”

Seventhwave have learnt many business lessons along the way as well. In doing so it

has managed to build on its strengths and adopt a loyal following. Their focus on quality and customer service has taken wetsuit manufacturing to a new level.

“We’re doing really well at the moment,” Zarifeh says. “People have been bamboozled in past years when buying wetsuits - they’ve bought on price, on brand name, but we’ve managed to find our niche in quality/custom fit.”

Zarifeh believes that there are three main factors that when used in conjunction will give the best fit:

“1. Fit. It is the most important. Custom fit is even better.

2. Construction. Sealed is the best. 3. Neoprene/type of rubber. Traditional

petro-chemical based neoprene versus Limestone based neoprene. The difference is huge.”

Zarifeh also stands by Seventhwave as a quality brand and has re-enforced this through providing educational e-books for customers on how to look after their wetsuits and maximise their use of them.

“Quality is the thinking man's weapon these days. Great products and customer service get repeat business every time,” Zarifeh says.

E-commerce and internet promotion is also a step that Seventhwave has taken to ensure success in today’s economy.

“We’ve been concentrating online in the last five years,” Zarifeh says. “Research is so much easier now with the internet. Forum participants don't hold back with criticisms. Good or bad about any product or brand. We've found new business a constant from telling the customer what we do and how we do it.”

The team-rider aspect has also been an important factor for both Bodyline and Seventhwave. They have used it as a means of promotion and a medium to help support their local communities.

Bodyline has sponsored team-riders for some time. Although Hall places more importance on supporting the upcoming groms rather than the small amount of exposure gained from it.

“All it does is get the name out there,” Hall says. “We’ve only really ever considered

ourselves a stepping stone for those guys - like Tim O’connor and all those guys, we’ve sponsored all of them over the years pretty much.”

Seventhwave has the same approach when it comes to sponsoring rising groms.

“It’s great exposure and you’ve gotta support the community and everything,” Zarifeh says. “I’ve helped out with the scholastics comps over the years which I don’t see as a bad thing – If you can find the right kid to fit the mould then you are on to a winner.”

Both Bodyline and Seventhwave have made it through the last 25 years very well considering the ups and downs they have both faced. The two brands have been at the top of their game from day one and through relishing in and promoting the kiwi can do spirit, they have managed to forge unique identities.

Where the wetsuit industry is headed in New Zealand is a tough one to predict. Unless you have a magic surf genie in a bottle or the economic mind of a surf industry guru then the next best thing to do is sit back and see

what happens. Hall and Zarifeh have extremely differing views on the future of the trade but both are content on the futures of their companies. Despite the increase in competition, Hall and Zarifeh are fairly confident about the future of the wetsuit industry and their companies positions within their respective markets.

Zarifeh has high hopes for the future of Seventhwave Wetsuits and credits the Christchurch rebuild as a contributing factor to the sustainability of the company.

“After the earthquake Christchurch thinned out big time,” Zarifeh says. “But now the local scene is building and is predicted to grow even more this year with another 10’000 jobs being created.”

Another contributing factor to Seventhwave’s success will be through the web and inbound marketing.

“We’re a small business but everyone is highly skilled,” Zarifeh says. “The key to survival and success will be to refine what we’re doing now!”

Back at Bodyline, Hall is uncertain about how much longer he will stay in the wetsuit

game.“I don’t think I’ll be doing this in ten years

time,” Hall says. “If I do it for another 10 years, that means I would’ve been doing it for 35-40 years and that’s way too long. I’m probably at the end of my reign to try and grow it - I’ll be doing something else, I don’t know what that is yet.”

“It’d just be nice to know that the next time a punter out there or anyone who’s buying a new wetsuit to stop and consider exactly what they’re buying.”

“I mean where else can you go and meet the owner of the business and get a wetsuit?!”

Despite this, Hall believes there remains of hope and prosperity for the future of the Bodyline brand.

“There’s definitely a market out there for what we do. We just need to keep nurturing and building on those things that we’ve been doing, and keep on doing it. Our suits are kiwi-made, made by the people that use them – we’re still surfers, that’s why we started the business.”

“Quality is the thinking man’s weapon these days. Great products and customer service get repeat business every time”