Reef - Fashion Company Profile
Reef is the surf lifestyle brand built by the Aguerre brothers in the 1980s - the name behind generations of surf sandals and flip-flops, headquartered in Carlsbad, California, and owned by The Rockport Group since October 2018.
Company Snapshot
- Status
- Operating - an independent global surf lifestyle brand within The Rockport Group, which acquired it from VF Corporation in October 2018
- Type
- Private - owned by The Rockport Group, a portfolio company of Charlesbank Capital Partners; previously a VF Corporation brand (2005-2018)
- Headquarters
- Carlsbad, California, United States
- Founded
- 1980s - built by the Aguerre brothers on the surf culture of South America, before moving its headquarters to California
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Company Profile
Current products are on the Reef website, linked above; the shop box covers Reef products sold through Amazon and eBay. Reef operates as an independent global brand under The Rockport Group, the Charlesbank-owned footwear group whose other brands are Rockport, Aravon and Dunham, and it kept its Carlsbad headquarters through the change of ownership. Its filed description - short, confident, and entirely about waves - is kept in the profile below, along with the VF-era context in which it was written.
When this filing was made, Reef was a division of VF Corporation, described here as a multi-billion dollar apparel powerhouse with an incredibly diverse, international portfolio of fashion brands and products that reach consumers wherever they choose to shop. Reef shared that VF roof with the other two brands filed in this letter that carry the same 'division of VF Corporation' heading - Riders and Rustler - and the three filings together are a small fossil record of how VF organized its brand family at the time: a surf label, a women's jeans line and a working men's denim brand, each presented with the same closing invitation to learn more about VF Corp.
The Brand After VF
Reef's founding, before either of its big corporate homes, was a surfers' project: the Aguerre brothers built the brand in the 1980s on the surf culture of South America before it moved its headquarters to California and became known worldwide for cushioned, surf-inspired sandals. VF Corporation acquired Reef in 2005 and held it for thirteen years, through the period when the filing above was written. In October 2018 VF completed the sale of the Reef brand to The Rockport Group - the footwear group owned by Charlesbank Capital Partners - where Reef operates as an independent global brand and kept its Carlsbad, California headquarters. That is the ownership a shopper meets today: the same beach footwear, under a footwear specialist's roof rather than an apparel giant's.
Common Questions
What is Reef best known for?
Beach and surf footwear - sandals and flip-flops above all. The brand describes itself as a genuine surf brand inspired by perfect waves and the journey to find them, sharing the surfing lifestyle through authentic, innovative and fashionable products.
Who owns Reef?
The Rockport Group, which completed its acquisition of the brand from VF Corporation in October 2018. Reef operates as an independent global brand under that group and maintains its headquarters in Carlsbad, California.
Was Reef part of VF Corporation?
Yes. VF acquired Reef in 2005, and the Apparel Search filing was written while Reef was a VF division, alongside the Riders and Rustler filings in this same letter.
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