As a result, this version of the Doheny Rashguard is almost already sold out, but not to worry - another brand new, limited edition version is on the way in September!!

When we first approached Chris and Masa at Surfindian about carrying Seea, they were stoked! A veteran retailer and savvy merchandiser, Chris noted "For something this unique, we really need to showcase it. A custom display would be awesome..." Chris even suggested putting a video screen up on the backside of the display, to keep the late night PB crowd entertained. It seemed like a tall order at the time, but with Summer right around the corner, it was time to step up to the plate!

Took another trip up to the wood graveyard in Orange. Old fence boards can work miracles! Chris from Captain Fin stopped by to help with the finishing touches.

Our good friend Colt from Voila Press came down with his lovely wife to catch The Mattson 2 and to bring the Seea Lady logo to life!

Unique display + video screen! Colt and Chris show off the finished product.

Amanda showed up after a fun session in Cardiff, posed for a photo, then pocket dialed Masa. True genius at work!

Masa and Chris, stoked!

Seea x Surfindian Rashguard - available exclusively through Surfindian & Seea!

Can it get any cuter? Airi & Naki - our friends and representatives for Seea in Japan!

Airi and Naki are two very unique people we are happy and lucky to have met. One of the first Japanese professional surfers to compete in California in the 80's, Funaki Mitsuhide, aka "Naki", has been surfing for over 30 years. With cat-like grace on any size board, Naki's sense of style can only be matched by his beautiful fiancee Airi, a former Japanese news reporter and newcomer to the surfing world. Together, they are an inspiring duo - a true intersection of culture & experience, blending the best of California with Japanese style and flair. 

Naki waxes up his "kook box"- a hollow wooden surfboard modeled after boards from the 1930's

Trimming out parallel on a small day at San O

Stylish bottom turn on a not-so-small day

Naki's is also an excellent water photographer. His shots are coveted by collectors around the globe.

When did you start surfing, Naki?

I started surfing in Japan when I was 18. I would surf 6 or 7 hours a day back then – even if there was no surf, I would still go out and just paddle! There was no internet then, no surf report, nothing - it was like discovering a new world!

Later on I became a professional surfer in Japan – I moved to the US when I was 28, and was one of the first Japanese surfers to compete on the PSAA circuit. I took competition pretty seriously back then, but through my travels, I began to explore new places and new waves. The spirit of surfing here on the coast of California is very free in comparison to Japan, and eventually, my attitude towards surfing began to change. I learned to surf for myself and be happy, even when things aren’t perfect.

Your name means “smile” in Japanese, right?

Well, “Naki” is my nickname. It’s short for my last name, Funaki, which was easier for most people to say than “Mitsuhide”. I wanted to bring the same sense of joy and freedom I discovered in California back to surfers in Japan, so when I started my company, I named it “Smile Surf”, or “Nikorin Surf” in Japanese. It made perfect sense since “Naki” was already my nickname. Smile - Surf!

So what’s Naki Surf all about?

My purpose is to help others get to know the ocean, and to enjoy happiness through riding waves. I encourage my friends to discover surfing on their own terms – not just when the surf report says “good”.

What is your favorite place in Japan?

Amami Island, for sure. Usually, you go to islands, people can be unfriendly, and have a tendency to be protective of what they have, particularly with waves & surf spots. But everyone in Amami is so open and kind. The waves, food & weather are all very good, and it never seems to get crowded. The ocean is so blue & beautiful - it's a true paradise!

Just one of over 200 different surf breaks in Naki's favorite paradise, Amami island.

When did you and Naki meet?

3 years ago. At the time I was living in Japan and was a member of a traditional Japanese surf shop. There were many rules, and Japanese guys don't always make it easy for women to learn to surf, either, so I was very scared to surf! Then I met Naki, and he taught me to go beyond this small way of thinking. He gave me different boards to try, taught me to understand the waves, and showed me a new vision of surfing. Meeting Naki definitely changed my life!

What do you like the best about surfing?

I just love to be in the ocean. I don’t even have to catch any waves - I’m just happy to be there. I feel like I’m cleansing my soul... I need to go there, for my heart!

What is your favorite spot to surf?

I love San O very much. The waves are good, people are so nice. I can feel the history of surfing in the atmosphere there. Hamburg is a small town by the ocean, but really it is a very spiritual spot for surfing - so many artists and legends have lived and surfed here - it's an exciting, original surf town.

What did you think when you first saw SEEA?

I was so excited!! I was always so unhappy with the suits I found before in Japan. Finally suits that look amazing and still stay on - just what I had been looking for and could never find!! That is why I feel the need to tell everyone about Seea - because I know many other Japanese girls feel the same way I do, so I have made it my mission to let them all know!

Airi in the Seeaside rash tank, coming this June!

What would you the two of you like out of the your lives in the future?

Airi: Our lives are so fast and busy – so many things come and go. I am a full time student, while Naki is an artist, a surfer, a business owner. We love the freedom our lifestyle provides, but sometimes we would like to unplug from it completely and live more simply – 

Naki: I would like to go shoot photos just for me, instead of shooting for an article, or just go score a great day of surf alone, or with friends - no cameras or blogs. A slow life with no wind, that is what I would like...

It's been a real pleasure getting to know Airi & Naki, and we couldn't be more please to be working together. For more information on becoming a Seea dealer in Japan, contact [email protected].

We stopped by Forward Screen Printing last week to pick up a new batch of Seea Lady T's, and to check out their new digs. With a steady stream of orders and a trustworthy crew, owner Sean Tully recently moved to expand the business, locking down a larger facility, complete with a retail space & showroom.   

Brian and Sean show off the goods in the new front office

Ever wonder how screen printing works? Check out this KTV video as Sean walks us through the process!

Seea Lady screen on the left - printed shirt on the right. See the machine in action in the video below.

One pass through the oven, and we're done!

In business for nearly ten years now, Forward's quality work and environmentally friendly approach has really paid off. Sean still maintains the "customer first" principle on which his business was based, and it's inspiring to see him succeed. 

 

Thanks to Sean & the entire crew at Forward for letting us take photos and film - we are stoked to be working together, and are happy to offer our 100% organic cotton Seea lady T, now back in stock!

Cindy gets cheeky on some classic California concrete

Amazing full pipe shot

One footed nose wheelie

Cindy hits the tiles backside with a stylish rail grab

Cindy on Seea:

"I've lived at the beach my whole life and not much surprises me when it comes to women's surfing whether it be wetsuits or swimsuits. But when I stumbled across this awesome new line SEEA, I was stunned. The retro styling, the attention to fabric & fit, as well as the cool print patterns, had me in a second."

To find out more about Cindy and her amazing work, check out her blog, or visit cindywhitehead.com.

From Seea with love,

Thanks Cindy!!

1) 1" wide roll of your favorite color stretchy spandex

2) Old school elastic strap machine, AKA "the pasta maker"

3) Ruler & scissors

4) Good tunes!!

Mint green spaghetti - our favorite!!

As you can see, the process is pretty simple: Cut and unroll the fabric in an empty box, feed it into the machine, and out comes your pasta! This ingenious little device has a separate pickup in the back for the actual elastic strap, and in one smooth motion, the machine wraps the spandex around the elastic and sews it in place - pretty neat! All you need to do afterwords is measure and cut the straps to the right length, and you're done!!

Spaghetti comes in all colors - another factory fun fact brought to you by SEEA!

The sun is out and the surf is good - so why not make someone's day, and giveaway the perfect surf bikini? That's exactly what's going on right now with our friends at Liquid Salt!

Check out the interview with Amanda and find out more about Seea and the inspiration behind her designs!

Extra bonus giveaway!! Be the 500th like and score a Seea x Mollusk rashguard!

1) Head over to Liquid Salt Facebook page and tell them which Seea suit is your favorite

2) "Like" Seea on FB

3) 500th like scores a Seea x Mollusk rashguard as well. Stoked!!

Once again, thanks to all of you who have sent in photos of yourselves in Seea gear! The rashguard / bikini is the ideal surf trip combo, so if you're headed somewhere tropical and just can't wait, the suits are available at Mollusk Surf Shop in Venice / SF, and also through their online store.

Here are a few shots of Danielle "hard at work", testing out the Swami's Playsuit!

Pre-session stoke!

Fun rights peeling through

The Salt Gypsy alone in her element. Love this shot!

Danielle takes her surf wear pretty seriously, and the Swami's passed the test with flying colors. Check out Danielle's full work wardrobe here, and get a taste of the Gypsy lifestyle.

Photos:  Jade Rogers

After a quick trip out to the junkyard in Orange, CA, we headed home with a load of old fence boards with some intriguing graffiti, broke out the sander, and got to work...

Before and after shot. The cream colored paint underneath was a surprise bonus!

From concept to completion, the display starts to take shape!

The final product, complete with thrifty monitor and DVD player from the second hand store.

Not bad for a day's work! Where will this display end up, you might ask? Check back soon to find out!

Created by master illustrator Simone Massoni, the Seea Lady exemplifies Simone's comic, cartoon-like style, and his penchant for distressed, colorful prints. Originally a creator of children's books, it's easy to see the magic in Simone's whimsical images and storybook design. 

With the manifesto "Original, push the visual", Simone has explored illustration, photography, art, graphic design, and music for a large list of international clients. Intent on "defending and spreading passion" for everything visually stimulating, Simone has created an impressive body of work, including recent projects for Nokia, Guess Kids, & Wired Magazine.

Instrumental in creating a visual voice for our brand identity, we are forever grateful to Simone for bringing the Seea Lady to life, and we look forward to seeing whatever comes next!! 

Moral of the story: Don't be afraid to look Simone up, if you every need to "Sketch This Out"!

Kelsey is right! The flat back hook closure and fixed triangle top of the Solamar bikini are super comfy underneath your suit. Pretty stylish out of the water as well!

Thanks to everyone who commented on our blog/FB page during the contest. Your number's up soon!!

Back at our LA factory, we never imagined that our fabrics would need a break, too...

Strechy fabrics like spandex need to be laid out flat to "relax" before being made into suits!

Amanda looking relaxed while planning her next crazy color combination. Love the neon zippers!!

Turns out that when using stretchy fabrics, you need to let the fabric relax a bit before starting to sew. When in large rolls, all fabric is under tension, and laying it out flat allows the fabric to loosen up and return to it's original state. Giving our fabric time to "relax" is in your best interest - and will assure your Seea suit fits fabulously from day one.

We hope you enjoyed this fun-filled-factory-fact.

Now just relax & catch some waves this weekend - TGIF! 

Friend and Seea lover, Meredith Ambruso, came away from the show with a new perspective. 

Meredith crash tests Mr. Brian Bent's new 4 wheel bike. 

Surfer/Artists Tyler Warren, Mason Dyer, and Harry Daily holding it down. At the end of the second day, some Japanese collectors came and bought out Tyler's whole booth. Crazy!

Gorgeous Native American blankets from the '30s

Get wild!

Seea suits in the new display. We busted out this whole setup the day before the show!