BLUE PLANET SURF x KAIROU WATERMAN
Mark Mauikanehoalani Lovell, KAIROU Waterman's lead designer, with the “Whaingaroa” high performance SUP from shaper Robert Stehlik, of Blue Planet Surf.
“Around early June 2023, I was approached by Robert Stehlik - surfboard shaper, Stand-up Paddleboard innovator, avid multi-disciplinary waterman, and proprietor of Blue Planet Surf of Honolulu - to consider the idea of a collaboration.
Robert was in the final design phases of his latest Stand-up Paddleboard line. This line was gonna change everything. It represented several leaps forward in the production of his boards; a new production facility was applying and integrating cutting-edge technology to the board construction process; innovative board designs were evolving and improving to levels of performance that eclipsed nearly all his previous models. Could the graphics, then, be similarly upgraded to reflect this new energy, new purpose, and new beginning?
I was excited, and agreed immediately.
For the next several months, Robert and I found a common visual language that honored our shared appreciation for waterman history, Polynesia, Hawaiian culture, as well as the locations, stories, and experiences influencing Robert’s personal growth - especially his relentless stoke for wave riding.
This 2024 line of progressive Stand-up Paddleboards represents KAIROU Waterman’s first commercial product collaboration, and a new visual identity in the continually unfolding growth of Blue Planet Surf as a brand. There’s so much to come. I look forward to sharing what Robert and I have created with the world.”
- Mark Mauikanehoalani Lovell
The revitalized Blue Planet Logo
The 2024 EVOLUTION Surf SUP line features graphics and visual elements that boldly honor the enduring strength of Kanaka Maoli - the Native Hawaiians - and their Polynesian cousins, the Maori of Aotearoa (New Zealand). Titled “Ho’okipa” & “Whaingaroa” respectively, each composition adorns several sizes of board, ranging from 8’6” to 10’5”, in a range of head-turning colors.
The signature of KAIROU Waterman lead designer, Mark Mauikanehoalani Lovell, and the KAIROU Mon - a mark of precision and quality at the stylistic intersection of Japanese and Native Hawaiian influences - sits proudly to the bottom right of each composition.
The Blue Planet Surf 2024 EVOLUTION line will be available for purchase at the Blue Planet Surf Shop, at 1221 Kona St. in Honolulu, and Blue Planet Hale’iwa, at 62-620 Kamehameha Highway, on O’ahu’s famed North Shore.
