JOHN JOHN FLORENCE SIGNS WITH UK-BASED VIVOBAREFOOT

The natural health lifestyle brand will also be launching a footwear line with the 2X World Champion in the summer of 2023.

UK-based natural lifestyle brand Vivobarefoot has announced a multi-year partnership with John John Florence. It comes as John John makes his full-time comeback on the CT at the Billabong Pro Pipeline.

Florence progressed through his first heat at his homebreak and will next face Kolohe Andino in Round 3. Since winning his second World Title in 2018, John John has kept adding an ever-widening circle of interests to his number one passion of surfing. 

He is a conservationist, explorer, sailer, trail runner, entrepreneur, and more recently, a barefoot enthusiast. Last year he sailed his 48-foot catamaran, the Vela, on a three-month, 3,500-mile sailing trip from Hawaii to Fiji. 

“Nature is where I find myself getting the most enjoyment out of life. Being in the ocean, surfing, sailing, or in the mountains exploring just feels natural,” Florence said. “It’s where I choose to spend my time. It all starts with getting moving, using your feet. When I think of the best moments of my life, I’d be barefoot and when I can’t be barefoot, I want to be Vivobarefoot.”

The partnership will launch a series of online natural health courses featuring John John and other lifestyle practitioners that form part of the Vivohealth ecosystem. A John John Florence x Vivobarefoot capsule collection will be available in the summer of 2023, with an expanded Autumn/Winter line to follow.

It’s an interesting pivot for one of the most interesting surfers on the planet. With most professional surfers firmly ring-fenced within the traditional surf and skate brands, Florence has, not for the first time, chosen to go well beyond the bubble. 

“Surfing has changed so much and is not just about logos on t-shirts or stickers on the front of boards anymore,” said Adam Wagner, Brand Lead at Vivo. “John wants kit that is super high in utility, enables you to get outside, and is kind to the planet. He grew up barefoot and the barefoot proposition just resonates with him. He got it straight away.”

Founded in 2012 by two seventh-generation cobblers, Galahad and Asher Clark, Vivobarefoot is based on one simple insight – barefoot footwear is regenerative to human health. This is the company’s first foray with a high-profile surf ambassador, but Wagner believes that the surf community will understand that strong, stable feet and heightened sensory feedback are fundamental to surfing with power, and help with the prevention of injury. “Surfers just get it,” he said.

“We are honoured to have John John Florence as a partner. This partnership is a big moment for us. John John’s passion for nature, alongside our commitment to sustainability, makes this a perfect match,” said Asher Clark, CMO and co-founder of Vivobarefoot. 

Rumors that John John plans to sail from Hawaii next summer and set up anchor off the coast of Devon have so far been unfounded. There has also been some talk of future arctic exploration down the track, but for now, John is concentrating on Pipeline. If he wins, he will have done it barefoot.