FUTURE THIS

A little over 20 years ago, in a small corner of the Haiku Cannery, in a small town on the island Maui, a small region of the vast Pacific Ocean, my friend Dan Bolfing and I were churning out kite boards under the Cabrinha design label. The work we were doing was something we both had done separately for many years but somehow this moment felt very different. The infant sport of kite surfing was a bottle rocket about to take off and we were holding on to the fuse in one hand and a box of matches in the other.

At the time, sugar cane was Maui's biggest export but innovation in surfing and wind sports was the island's most coveted asset. Innovation was literally oozing from Maui’s fertile grounds. There was so much happening in a short span of time. It seemed that by the time the resin was dry on our latest board prototype, we had already designed the one that would replace it. It was strange to deal with the concept of making something obsolete by also making something absolutely ground breaking in the same week. But it was fun. It was uncertain. Exciting. Heartbreaking. Rewarding. Full of optimism.

The last 20 years have been an incredible time for Cabrinha and the sport of kitesurfing. Each passing year has laid yet another foundational block. Every year a new deposit has been made into our knowledge banks. We’ve innovated our way through the past two decades... taken risks, won awards, crowned champions, and celebrated the rise of our incredible sport. But most of all we’ve stayed curious. We’ve kept things fresh by never sitting on a success for too long. We are constantly looking around the corner to see what’s coming… and where we are headed.

With nothing but the future ahead of us we have the fortunate ability to combine experience with perspective to craft a future that will support the next 20 years. The 2020 Cabrinha collection speaks volumes about who we are as a company. It defines a clear course as to where we are headed as a brand. 2020 is about clear vision. It’s about defining our future. It’s about time.

All of you have played a huge role in the success of Cabrinha but more importantly, you have made the brand a diverse and dynamic cultural icon. For this and all of your continued support, I want to thank you all.