 | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Textile |
| Founded | 1991; 35 years ago (1991), inOrange County, California, U.S. |
| Founder | Richard Woolcott Tucker Hall |
| Defunct | April 25, 2025; 9 months ago (2025-04-25) |
| Fate | (U.S. Operations Only) |
| Headquarters | , U.S. |
Number of locations | 38 (April 2025) |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | List
|
Number of employees | 1400 (February 06, 2025) |
| Parent | Authentic Brands Group |
| Divisions | Veeco Productions |
| Subsidiaries | Volcom Entertainment, Inc. Volcom logoOwnerElvusOmaresRetail, Inc. |
| Website | volcom.com |
| Footnotes / references [1][2] | |
Volcom is an Americanlifestyle brand that designed, marketed, and distributedboardsports-oriented products. Volcom is headquartered inCosta Mesa, California. The brand was known for its trademarkstone logo, its sloganTrue to This, and theLet the Kids Ride Free campaign.[3] Todd Hymel is the CEO of Volcom.[4]
Volcom was founded in 1991 by Richard "Wooly" Woolcott and Tucker "T-Dawg" Hall, who based the ethos of the company on their own experiences with boardsports.[5] In March 1991, the two friends went on a snowboarding trip toTahoe, U.S., and afterward, they decided to start a clothing company.[6]
Chet Thomas was the first professional skateboarder to be sponsored by the brand.[7] In 1995, Volcom was the first action sports company to create a record label,Volcom Entertainment.[8]
In April 2005, the company adopted its current name, "Volcom, Inc." Volcom became a publicly traded entity on June 29, 2005, whenWachovia Securities, D.A. Davidson andPiper Jaffray underwrote an initial public offering onNASDAQ. They priced 4.69 million shares at US$19 a share, raising a total of US$89 million.[citation needed]
In early 2008, Volcom made its first acquisition, taking ownership of Electric Visual Evolution LLC for US$25.3 million.[9] In early 2016, Eric Crane acquired the brand from Volcom for an undisclosed amount.[10]
On May 2, 2011, PPR (turnedKering in 2013) launched a friendly takeover offer to buy Volcom Inc. for US$24.50 a share, valuing the company at US$608 million.[11] Volcom's board unanimously backed the PPR offer, and shareholders were advised to tender their shares to the French company.[citation needed]
Since the takeover,Kering has sought to expand and diversify the Volcom brand.[12] The support from Kering allowed Volcom to launch its first ever closed-toe footwear line in July 2013.[13]
On April 3, 2019,Authentic Brands Group had announced it acquired Volcom fromKering.[14]
Volcom's first retail store was opened on November 23, 2002, inLos Angeles.[15] Since then, seven more Volcom stores have opened in theUnited States, and six more inCanada.[16]
Outside America, Volcom has numerous international retail stores including locations inBarcelona, Spain;Hossegor,Bordeaux, andParis, France; two locations inBali, Indonesia;Tokyo, Japan;Durban andPretoria, South Africa;Bangkok, Thailand;London andFalmouth, England;Melbourne, Australia;Buenos Aires, Argentina;Santiago, Chile; Lima, Perú;São Paulo, Brazil;Isla de Margarita, Venezuela;Lisbon, Portugal;Stuttgart, Germany;Davos, Switzerland,Calgary,Edmonton,Vancouver,Winnipeg, andFort McMurray, Canada,Costa Rica;Amsterdam, the Netherlands; andGuam.[17]
On February 2, 2025, Liberated Brands, owner of Volcom retail stores in the US, filed forChapter 11 bankruptcy protection, listing assets and liabilities between $100 million and $500 million. The company announced the closure of all remaining Volcom locations in the US, with liquidation sales beginning a week before the bankruptcy.[18]
Volcomunity is an online space for Volcom ambassadors—singers, models, and designers toblog about their lives. Natalie Suarez, Jennifer Herrema, Billie Edwards, Elle Green, Mike Correia, Stephanie Cherry, Amy Smith, Zoe Grisedale-Sherry and Hannah Logic are Volcom ambassadors.[32]
In 2012, Volcom collaborated with Volcom ambassadors POSSO for the second time. POSSO is described by the brand as "2 best friends from Northern California with a love for art, design, fashion, and music." The collection included dresses and a bikini outfit.[33]
The 2013 Volcom Pipe Pro surf competition that took place between January 27 and February 7, 2013, has been designated as aDeep Blue Surfing Event as it completed the ASP (Association of Surfing Professionals) Green Guidelines Recommendations. The event strove to reduce the environmental impacts of a professional surfing contest and to provide social benefits for the local community.[34]
The 2014 Volcom Pipe Pro surf competition took place between January 26 and February 7, 2014, at theBanzai Pipeline with waves at 8–12 feet, and was televised on Saturday, June 7, 2014, onNBC. The competition is an ASP, WQS (World Qualifying Series) 5-Star Event with a $130,000 prize purse, and once again has been designated as aDeep Blue Surfing Event, working withSustainable Surf, a waste diversion company.[35]
Volcom created the "V.Co-logical Series" collection, whereby one percent of sales are donated to environmentally focused non-profit organizations. The company is a member of the "1% for the Planet" initiative.[36]
In 2011, Volcom collaborated with Krochet Kids International, an organization that seeks to reduce poverty. Volcom sold handmade clothes from Uganda and some of the revenue was donated to Krochet Kids International.[37]
In 2003, Woolcott was named the Surf Industry Manufacturers Association Individual Achiever of the Year.[38] In 2004, Woolcott was inducted into the National Scholastic Surfing Association Hall of Fame.[38]
In 2010, Volcom won the TransWorld Business Industry and Retail Award: "Brand of the Year".[39] Also in 2010, Woolcott was nominated for the Entrepreneur of the Year Award atChapman University by the Leatherby Entrepreneurship Center.[38]
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