SURFER magazine once asked the question: Is Kassia Meador the perfect 21st century surf girl? We certainly think she is. That’s why we’ve collaborated with her not once but twice. We caught up with the longboard legend to find out what the ocean means to her, what keeps her chasing waves and why she loves being part of the TWOTHIRDS community.
1. Your relationship with TWOTHIRDS has been a longstanding one. How did you first come to collaborate with us and what keeps you wanting us to work together?
The first collection we collaborated on was around 2017 and was inspired by our shared sustainability ethos and surf lifestyle values. Lutz (TWOTHIRDS founder) and I hit it off right away and the first collection was a lot of fun. I’m super excited for this new collection because it’s a genuine evolution, with more surf/swimwear to support the lifestyle pieces.
2. What can you tell us about the clothing featured in the collab? We love the tie-dye long sleeve swimsuit!
We wanted to create a collection that would have all you need for a surf holiday/getaway. To make packing easy, we created a cozy oversize terri cloth overcoat for the plane or post surf session, as well as comfy sweatpants and a t-shirt to go with it. Once you reach your tropical surf destination you have yoga/surf leggings, a swim/surf 2-piece and a long-arm surf suit for sun protection. We wanted to support women who need surfing, yoga and swimming essentials.
“Riding waves became my love and focus. From that point forward, I was truly obsessed!”
3. What are your earliest memories of being in the ocean? Who was the first person who encouraged you to surf?
My first memories of being in the ocean are my early childhood when my family would take a summer drive through the canyons and I would swim in the ocean all day. I just loved feeling the waves rock me back and forth. I would watch my dad surf in awe, dreaming of riding waves one day.
From swimming I went to boogie boarding and then was enrolled in the Jr. Lifeguard program when I was 14. That’s when I really started to learn about the ocean and rode waves on a surfboard for the first time. The next school year me and dad would go surfing together all of the time, and I gradually met friends in the valley who I could surf with.
Riding waves became my love and focus. From that point forward, I was truly obsessed! I have so much gratitude for my dad for starting my surf bug, for my family supporting me, and my friends for sharing their infectious joy of the ocean. We all still ride waves and push each other to this day.
4. You teach longboard classes that according to The Inertia are the “world’s best”! What do you like most about teaching other people to surf?
Surfing has brought me so much in my life. It has given me purpose, joy, empowerment, health and harmony. I’m super grateful to be able to share that with other people, to support folks on their surf journey as they connect with an ocean community that will be with them for the rest of their life. I feel that surfing is the fountain of youth that just keeps giving. I get so stoked helping people truly come alive in the ocean.
5. Your surfwear brand, KASSIA+SURF, is the first wetsuit brand created 100% by women for women. Why did you think this was so needed?
Most surf companies have historically been men-first and women-second in their approach. Wetsuits have also been designed this way, by men for women, without any thought or awareness of what women want or need. When I used to design my own wetsuits for my past surf sponsors I really got into the process and realized there was a big gap in the market for wetsuits by women for women. That is why I decided to leave professional surfing and support the growing number of women entering the water and surfing in eco-conscious products.
“Surfing is a lifestyle that supports you for your entire life.”
Designing wetsuits and surfing are two things I know and love but running a business was a whole different journey, one that continues to challenge me with its own epic rides and occasional wipeouts.
6. Do you think women are more accepted in the line-up now, or does surfing still have a long way to go for women to be treated as equals in the water?
In the 26+ years I have been surfing I have witnessed women's surfing grow and evolve in the most epic ways. There is so much more space, support and equality for women in the water than ever before. It still has a long way to go but things are trending in the right direction.
At the same time, I feel like the early pioneers of women's surfing need to be honored and their stories shared more widely with the current generation. If it wasn't for them there wouldn't be the support that there is today.
7. We noticed that the wetsuits you make are “limestone based”. Can you explain the eco-benefits of this?
My wetsuits currently are made of recycled tire rubber and limestone, but I don't feel a wetsuit exists that is 100% sustainable, despite so much innovation in the space. I am always on the search for the lowest impact designs and materials, because I’m dedicated to creating the most environmentally friendly, functional wetsuits I possibly can.
8. You’ve done everything there is to do in surfing. What keeps you motivated and keen to keep hunting swells?
For 5-7 years I left professional surfing and started my own company which coincided with a bunch of injuries that left me a bit disenchanted with surf culture and the marketing machine behind it. During those years I distanced myself from surfing and focused on new things – getting my mind and body back to a good place where I could surf again without pain or fear.
“I am the biggest stoke monster in the water.”
In the past 4 years, since 2020, my body has been feeling epic and my focus has been on teaching more retreats. This has made me fall in love with surfing all over again, like when I was just a kid, obsessed with riding waves all day. For those of you who know me, or have joined my retreats, you know I am the biggest stoke monster in the water. I feel so grateful for surfing and all it has given me. I’m so grateful to share it with others.