Five-years-ago, France-based surf brand Oxbow was acquired by Emmanuel Debruères and Jean-Christophe Chetail, under their company Rainbow SAS – and ever since have revamped the brand after a series of smart wins.
Before the acquisition, Oxbow had experienced shifts in brand identity and was in need of a new direction. Under Debruères’ leadership, the company has returned to its core roots — which aims to put surfing first.
Their surf team is already a fabulous mix of deliciously-talented European cover stars; Natxo Gonzalez, Maud Le Car, Miguel Blanco, Kepa Acero and Gilbert Teave, to name a few. And now, Oxbow’s taken a look at the UK surf scene, offering to kit-out three new members from the county’s south west: Josh Hughes, Noah Capps and Jack Gregorius, who all now have the Oxbow logo attached to the business end of their boards.
Leo Kehrir, Oxbow’s Export Sales and Marketing Manager, said the brand is back in UK retailers.
“Oxbow is willing to support local surfers across Europe and UK, cold-water core lords are in our mind,” he said. And how it came about? “I first met Chris Thomson [DYSUJO CEO] through 10 Over Surf shop a few years ago. We had good chats and he started talking about Jack [Gregorius].
“We started sending Jack a few boxes of clothes and a wetsuit. We then met in Newquay for the Oxbow Movie Night at the Newquay Cinema in 2024. That has been a great success with over 200 people attending the night, something we’re keen to do again every year I reckon.”
From there, Jack joined the Oxbow rider’s meeting in Hossegor to connect with the rest of the team and mentioned Noah Capps – who was quickly brought on board too.
“I then got in touch with Joshua Hughes and sent a wetsuit,” said Leo. “Few days later, got a message from Bucko [Paul Buckland, running Oxbow’s sales across UK and Ireland] with a pic of Joshua saying ‘Josh! Sick rider. Good addition.’ Was enough to convince us to go ahead with sticker on the nose, like the boys. In the end, just a group of friends carrying each other. We are happy now to support these three lads as part of the Oxbow UK surf team.”
We tapped up Josh, Jack and Noah to get their take on things – and give them space for a formal welcome. Here’s what they all had to say.
Noah Capps
Noah’s a name you’ve heard of. Photo: photosofthulusdhoo
“I’m 23 years old and currently living in Newquay. Im half English and half French. I grew up in South Devon, surfing waves like Challaborough and Bantham, then spent summers in France. My father lives and breathes surfing, so naturally, I fell in love with it too. My earliest ever memory was clinging onto my dad’s back as he surfed a wave on a summers day at Chally.
“To be able to represent a brand that is so core is a real honour, and I’m even more stoked to do it alongside my friends (Jack and Josh).
“Jack is my best mate. We do almost everything together, so to be sharing the same sponsor is super cool. Josh is such an epic guy and absolutely charges, so I’m really looking forward to spending time all together chasing some good waves and scoring some footage.
“My sister and I both started to surf super young. I turned to competing when I was around 12 years old. I was really obsessed with improving as much as I could. My father and I would surf every single day there were waves. We’d watch all the comps and really nerd out on it all.
“There was a really strong group of us all competing together at that time, which really pushed us all forward. The standard in the juniors was really high, but I started to get some results, including two English junior titles and three UK Pro Tour titles. I also represented England in the Europeans and Britain in the ISA World junior championships.
“I have been lucky enough to travel a lot with surfing. I have now taken a step back from competing, but I still try and surf the best I can. I enjoy entering a few events here and there, but these days I am having so much fun when I surf, especially when it’s with friends and family.
“Having a surf team, it’s an awesome way to plan more strike missions and score waves with your friends. Oxbow has a really strong team in Europe as well, so it will be super cool to connect with everyone over there.
“I just want to surf the best that I can, ride some different shapes, and enjoy each moment. Oxbow is such a core brand that focuses on the lifestyle and community element, which comes with surfing, so I think it ties in really well.
“The UK surf scene is super strong! I think we are often overlooked by other nations but you only have to visit somewhere like Newquay to see how many people live and breathe the sport.
“One way we can push the UK to being more globally relevant is by releasing more surf clips from sessions within the UK. We have so many beautiful spots and amazing waves that it would be rad to have some edits/short films on some of the surf scenes here in the UK.
“Many surf brands have strayed away from what surfing is truly about. Oxbow have it right in that they focus on the core values of surfing, and to me, if I am representing a brand, this is really important, so I’m stoked to be with them.”
Jack Gregorius
Mr Gregorius knows his way around the nose of longer-craft. Photo: Nathan Benham.
“I’m 25 years old and based in Newquay, on the north coast of Cornwall. I grew up in South Devon, in a small town called Sidmouth, where I started surfing at the age of 11. I’m loving being part of the Oxbow team. It’s exciting to ride for a brand with such strong heritage, and they’ve really looked after me.
“Sidmouth doesn’t get many good swells, especially outside of winter, which is what got me into longboarding from a young age. I competed regularly in national comps and on the BLU (British Longboard Union) circuit when I was younger, and became junior national champion at 18. These days I still jump in the odd comp, but now that I’m living in Newquay with access to quality waves year round, I’ve been loving riding all sorts of boards and travelling to waves around the world, as well as also coaching longboarding.
“I had the pleasure of going to Hossegor in June to meet the full team, everyone was super friendly, and I was blown away by how talented they all are. Proper bunch of shredders. It’s inspiring to see the level everyone’s surfing at; it definitely motivates me to keep pushing my own surfing.
“It’s great to have a crew of talented surfers to look up to, feed off, and learn from. Being part of a team keeps you motivated and pushes you to surf better, especially when you’re surrounded by such rippers.
“I’ve stepped back from competing a bit lately. I still do the odd event, but my focus has shifted more towards travel and exploring waves around the world. I’ve also been putting more energy into my own projects, like my longboard coaching and my movement/sports therapy business; both of which keep me connected to surfing in different ways.
“I’m super grateful to Oxbow for hooking me up with great quality kit for both my surfing and my coaching, which keeps me ready to score wherever I go. They have also been incredibly supportive of my latest transition towards free surfing and travel, and have opened up some incredible opportunities to connect with new people in different places.
“We do get quality waves in the UK, but it’s not as consistent as a lot of other surf destinations, which means everyone’s absolutely frothing when there’s good waves! You’ll see everyone you know in the sea when it’s pumping.
“The UK longboard scene in particular has grown massively thanks to the BLU, run by Minnow Green, which gives loggers a proper platform to push themselves and compete regularly. I honestly think the level of longboarding in the UK is world class now.
“To get more global recognition, I think it comes down to support. We’ve got amazing talent, but many surfers struggle to travel, go to comps internationally, or get exposure due to funding and life pressures. Times are tough financially for everyone, including the surf community. But one thing’s for sure; the future’s bright when it comes to talent.
“I love that Oxbow is a brand steeped in heritage. It’s a brand which showcases surf culture at its finest. Some of my childhood idols like Laird Hamilton, were part of the original Oxbow team. It’s awesome to see the brand making a comeback and investing in the next generation. Big thanks to Leo and the crew for getting me involved; I’m stoked for what’s ahead.”
Josh Hughes
Josh in the Ments this year. Photo: Ifran.
“Newquay-based, 34-years-old (old man of the team) – however my WHOOP says I’ve got the biometrics of a 25.7-year old so let’s go with that! We moved to Cornwall in 1997 and I’ve surfed ever since. I learned to surf at Tolcarne, where I’m lucky enough to live a stone’s throw away from now, 28-years-later.
“Well, it’s been a journey, I’ll do my best to keep it short. I was lucky enough to grow up in a really supportive family and community, and at the time the UK had a flourishing competitive scene, so I spent most weekends of my childhood and teens in a coloured rash-vest trying to force a few turns to the beach. Sometimes it went well, more often not, but I was lucky enough to represent GB and Wales at the Worlds and Euros a few times and collect some silverware at the national level.
“Off the back of that, I was able to get some support from sponsors and spent some very fortunate years surfing around the world, where I picked up an insatiable appetite for travel and discovery. Less-fortunately, that also timed with the decline in marketing budgets, and, as an adventure thirsty young man, I decided to join the Army. Fast forward a decade, trying to balance surfing with a career (we all know how hard that is), and being in a job that no longer served my values, I decided to jump ship and give Life 2.0 a go.
“Now, I’m balancing a freelance career in film and TV, living with my loving partner, and working on building a future surrounded by things that bring joy, surfing, adventure and discovery and trying to give back where I can.
“I think the value that having a surf team brings are two-fold. Firstly, it shows integrity as a company by supporting the sport it benefits from, we live in a transactional world and, as a consumer, I want to know that my money isn’t just buying a piece of clothing or equipment, it’s also supporting the world I live in.
“Secondly, it fosters community. Surfing is individualistic in nature, so any opportunity to create teams, even local board riders, clubs or collectives, is an opportunity to make things more human and get us away from the self-serving stigma that surfing carries. What’s better than sharing amazing moments with friends.
“My main goal now is to have fun! We have some of the world’s best waves on our doorstep (maybe with a little bit of driving), some known, some yet to be discovered. I’m currently involved in a few projects looking to tap into some of the incredible resources we have, so let’s wait and see what comes of that. Fortunately for us, Oxbow make some amazing products to protect us from the elements, so I’m looking forward to putting those to the test with the team.
“I think the UK surf scene is already globally relevant, we just don’t always believe it ourselves. We’ve got world class waves frequented by international pros, and British surfers (the Skinners, Zoe Smith, Andrew Cotton), commentators, shapers, coaches and writers working all over the world. We already punch well above our weight as a ‘low-relevance’ collection of nations.
“What maybe holds us back is self-belief and the narrative we give off. For some reason, we only seem to make the headlines for the wrong reasons, when we should be championing what’s great here. We’ve got a solid grassroots community, growing industry support, wave pools popping up all over the place, and Surfing GB bringing in Olympic support. We just need to stop apologising for being British and owning it.”
