GEORGE GORROW, creative director of Australian surf brand Ksubi (pronounced Soo-bee), seems remarkably unassuming as he sips a glass of wine at the Costa Cafe in the IFC.
Gorrow started developing his sense of style early in life. When he was a child, his mother, a creative ex-model, made his clothing. Growing up in the northern beaches of Sydney, Gorrow's heroes were surfers with an eccentric taste in fashion. 'They would wear fluffy top hats to the beach with matching fluffy shorts,' Gorrow says. 'They were guys who I looked up to, so fashion was always on my mind.'
His friends formed close bonds. To entertain themselves they created their own small world of photographers, poets, painters and artists who inspired each other and pursued their own interests.
The idea for Ksubi was born in a garage, among four close friends drinking wine and having a laugh. Dan Single, Gorrow's best friend, described by Gorrow as a 'really eccentric, amazing, influential, flamboyant character', was among the original four, as well as Oscar Wright, one of the top 10 most promoted surfers in the world according to an American surf magazine, and Paul Wilson, now the brand manager of Ksubi, carried at Lane Crawford in Hong Kong. They locked themselves in the garage for two days and emerged with an idea for Australian fashion week that would shape their careers.
Gorrow smiles as he reminisces on the carefree days when it was just him and his friends. 'All these people still work with us which is amazing after eight years. It's not about the money. You only have one life and it's short and you don't want to do something just for the money or a couple of bucks. I'd rather be broke on an island.'
In their relentless pursuit of something different, they settled on the name Ksubi for the brand. 'We liked the way it rolled over the tongue and wanted a word that was not even a word,' Gorrow says. 'It was a made up sound that had no attachments to it other than whatever we gave it.'
Since that day in the garage, Ksubi has gone on to bigger and better things, but despite its global recognition, it has remained low key. It doesn't advertise or promote the brand, relying on word of mouth. And its antics get people talking. When asked about his first runway show during Australian fashion week, Gorrow grins proudly. He and Single were discussing which model would come first for their forthcoming runway show when Gorrow, drunk on Chartreuse, shrugged and said that he didn't care: if it were up to him, he would have rats scrambling over the catwalk.
