Sloat
*Ode to the outerlands

Sloat is a golf and surf apparel brand built on real culture — the kind that comes from a specific place and a specific way of moving through the world. The golf landscape had split into noisy hype brands and quiet minimalism, neither of which fit a brand whose soul lived somewhere more specific. The breakthrough was place. I rooted the brand in Ocean Beach, San Francisco — "The Outside Lands" — a stretch of coastline blanketed in lore, known for harsh swells, cold inky water, and ubiquitous fog.

The creative strategy, "Ode to the Outerlands," gave Sloat a foundation that was real mystique to those who know and symbolically rich for those who don't — grounding the brand in something no competitor could replicate because it wasn't a positioning, it was a relationship to a place.

I defined Sloat's archetype as "The Master Maker" — serious but expressive, someone whose confidence is evident in how they move through the world rather than in how loudly they announce it. The architecture ran through three pillars — Perpetual Renewal, Mindful Design, and Easy Camaraderie — describing a shared spirit among people who take their craft seriously without taking themselves too seriously. The activation device, "Celebrate the Practice," directed the brand to design for the entirety of the ritual: the before, during, and after of play.

Agency Partner—PSA

[Creative Strategy, Engagement/Activation Strategy]