Australian surfing icon Mick Fanning has today been announced as the face of Akubra’s ‘Bush to Beach’ summer campaign. This comes as the hatmaker launches its first full straw hat collection for summer and reveals its biggest retail expansion in history.
The 149-year-old brand will introduce three new straw hat styles in a variety of colours. Alongside the new collection, Akubra has expanded its east coast footprint, with new stores opening in Byron Bay, Noosa and Bondi.
This brings the brand’s total retail footprint to seven, including one in Sydney International Airport, another in its workshop in Kempsey, New South Wales, on at Strand Arcade in Sydney CBD and another in Brisbane City.
For the campaign, Fanning appears in the campaign shoot alongside the Akubra cowboys, first introduced at the Mt Isa Rodeo.
Akubra chief commercial officer Peter Fowler said the campaign aims to bridge Akubra’s bush heritage with the energy of the coast.
"Akubra has always been about more than hats,” Fowler said, “it’s about celebrating the Australian way of life.
“With ‘Bush to Beach,’ we’re connecting our heritage with the freedom and energy of the coast. Bringing the cowboys to the beach is a nod to the diversity and spirit of Australia, and having Mick Fanning in the campaign further captures that authentic, adventurous energy.”
The campaign has launched across its website and social channels.