Professional surfer Alana Blanchard has opened up on the reason why she believes her long-running partnership with iconic surf brand Rip Curl came to an end.
Blanchard had long been one of the faces of the brand, designing and modelling a swimwear range which included a line of wetsuits made just for surfing. But after enjoying a sponsorship of almost 15 years, the partnership ended earlier this year.
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In early 2020 her fans noticed her surfboard no longer featured the Rip Curl sticker on its nose and began raising questions.
Blanchard addressed the break up in a video on her personal YouTube page and stated the partnership fell apart because the brand, according to the surfer, wasn’t happy when she fell pregnant.
“As some of you probably already noticed, I’m no longer sponsored by Rip Curl,” she said.
“It was kind of a big change for me from going from being sponsored my whole life, pretty much since I was like 14 to now not having a main sponsor.
“As a professional surfer that’s a huge thing. As excited as I am for change and what’s to come it’s definitely a little bit scary and I think that it’s affecting me a little bit more than what I thought.
“Things ended OK with them, they pretty much stopped using me after I had Banks, or found out that I was pregnant. They really didn’t like that I had a kid.
“I kind of just decided, we kind of both decided to go our separate ways. They no longer really wanted to use me anymore and I kind of want to be with a company that really supports me, who I am today and that just wasn’t Rip Curl at the time.”
The last time Rip Curl appeared on Blanchard’s Instagram page was in a video post on January 25 which showed her and her son paddling out into the ocean.
Blanchard, 30, gave birth to Banks in December 2017 and remained under the Rip Curl banner until early 2020 when the partnership came to an end.
The Hawaiian star has built her popularity on tour by cashing in on social media where she has amassed a whopping 1.8 million followers, among the highest of all surfers.
After joining the professional circuit over ten years ago, Blanchard has claimed some major tour wins along the way with her highest end of year ranking being seventh back in 2012.
Despite her appearances on tour diminishing over the years, Blanchard remains a high-profile presence thanks to her social media following and will surely see brands line up to sign her.
But it’s her statement on the partnership breakdown with Rip Curl that’s grabbed the surfing world’s attention.
In a statement provided to Stab magazine, Rip Curl denied the reason behind the split was due to Blanchard falling pregnant.
“Rip Curl has supported Alana Blanchard for the past 12 years and she has been a legend within our brand and a huge influence in our sport. When Alana stepped into the next phase of her life as a mother, we went to great lengths to support her throughout her pregnancy and months after,” the statement read.
“Rip Curl wanted to re-sign Alana and continue her relationship on our surf team, and made an offer to do so, but unfortunately could not agree to terms.
“We are a little surprised by the comments in her most recent video, but can empathise with her disappointment in leaving the brand. We did some great things together.
“We wish her all the best; we value her contribution and legacy at the brand and we are sad to see her go.”