QSW: A demise?

All images via Quiksilver

As a keen surfer who had more than a passing interest in fashion, the Quiksilver Women's line, comprising French-flavoured garments cut for a modern and clean aesthetic really appealed to me. I built up quite a collection of pieces, accumulated over my time working for the brand and even after I'd moved on from there my wardrobe still held the integral elements of that laid back, but still modern and with a touch of smarts styling; the silk blouses, the loose knit sweater, the swing dresses and boxy tees that were an easy part of my daily dresscode.

It's with a touch of nostalgia I look back at these pieces as I fear the Women's element of the Quiksilver brand is no longer; the price points were high to reflect the premium quality materials used and despite a couple of strong seasons there were some definitely underwhelming collections which leads to the Wikipedia intonement: 'As of 2013, the company had lost money for six years straight but was initiating a turnaround plan^.'

^{I don't think that such a plan, if even executed, has been successful as QSW is nowhere to be found (apart from eBay.) It has no presence on the Quiksilver or Roxy websites and even a few independent web stores thrown up by a Google search have only one or two pieces for sale, heavily discounted and usually of the more unusual variety; a racer back best with heavy fringing is reduced by 80% to £7 on one site, for example. My last purchase was a dress that was also incredibly heavily reduced and since, the website has held no trace of this once edgy, interesting and desirable brand.}

^{I'm not sure for certain what has become of QSW; all indications are that it is no longer in production and I think this is a shame because finally a brand that stood for what is quite an extreme sport had catered to women who loved to get into the sea but didn't necessarily want to wear a bright pink hoodie with a heart shaped logo splashed across it afterwards. It's a shame, and perhaps one day another brand of a similar ilk will be able to tackle this corner of the market and make the product stick. I hope so, because I will miss the product that QSW had to offer, and so will my wardrobe.}

^{XO Amie}