Slow Learners, Another Transgender Spokesperson Forces The Closing Of 35 Stores

This really isn’t hard. There are women and there are men. If a man decides to dress like a woman, he is still a man. Clothing may make the man, but it does not change his gender.

There have been plenty of examples of the “Go Woke, Go Broke Syndrome,” but there is always a slow learner out there who insists on testing it again. In this case, Kathmandu Holdings, known as KMD Brands, reported a $82.9 million loss in 2024 after a boycott over its decision to use a transgender surfer to promote the sport to women. KDM Brands is the parent company of Rip Curl.

Rip Curl--a famous surfing brand--dropped Bethany Hamilton (who lost her arm in a shark attack) from their ad campaigns. They have instead used Sasha Lowerson to advertise women’s surfing. Their total contempt could not be more apparent.

The inclusion of Lowerson, a man pretending to be a woman, was highlighted in an Instagram post on the Rip Curl Women's account as part of their "Meet The Local Heroes of Western Australia" campaign. Almost immediately, the post attracted a wave of negative comments and replies. Many fans and activists called for a boycott of the brand, similar to the one that occurred with Bud Light. Shortly after, the post featuring Lowerson was quietly removed.

It is not surprising that the post angered both its intended audience of leftist wingnuts and those on the right. The post was made and then removed, indicating that the company had made a mistake by including a mental case in its marketing plan.

A spokesperson for Rip Curl shared with Surfer.com:

“Our recent post has landed us in the divisive space around transgender participation in competitive sport. We want to promote surfing for everyone in a respectful way, but recognize we upset a lot of people with our post, and for that, we are sorry. To clarify, the surfer featured has not replaced anyone on the Rip Curl team and is not a sponsored athlete.”

KMD Brands has not publicly connected its financial challenges in 2025 to the controversy surrounding transgender surfers and Rip Curl. In fact, the new CEO, Brent Scrimshaw, has been cautious in not addressing the issue at all.

In the 2025 earnings report, Scrimshaw stated:

“Since joining KMD Brands, what I’ve seen is clear; the potential of our brands is far greater than what we are delivering today. We are investing in product innovation that continues to ground our brands in technical performance whilst delivering improved speed-to-market, design, and style.”

Scrimshaw discusses the potential of their brands and the benefits of innovation and speed to market improvement, but his failure to address the elephant in the room is telling. The brand bowed down to a segment of the population that is mentally disturbed and arrogantly expected the majority of the population that disagrees with this nonsense to accept it.

Those on the outside looking in at this company are compelled to question the decision-making abilities of those in charge. The company lost $40.6 million year over year and will be closing 35 stores, which is 14 more locations than initially planned.

The company stated that it also has plans to open six new stores in selected markets.

"We have committed to opening six new stores (including three new Kathmandu flagship concept stores in the first half of FY26) and continue to pursue opportunities in line with our new integrated marketplace and store segmentation strategy.”

On its website, the company describes itself as:

"KMD Brands is a family of outdoor brands dedicated to designing products for purpose, driven by innovation and committed to being the best for people and the planet. Our products are specifically crafted for the outdoors and rigorously tested by experts in real-world conditions."

Will KDM remain loyal to what’s real, or will it abandon rational thought and leave its loyal customer base behind? 

Call me skeptical, but this self-description still has too many woke buzzwords. It’s not unusual for companies to describe themselves in exceptionally descriptive and complimentary terms, but to me, it sounds like a woke dog still chasing its tail.

KMD recently held one of those feel-good investor days, unveiling plans for future growth. At that company pep rally, they listed their priorities as:

• Resetting for sustainable profitability by addressing operational leverage and unlocking new pathways for growth.
• Refocusing product innovation to continue to ground our brands in technical performance whilst investing in speed-to-market, design, and style.
• Reenergizing our store portfolio, including new store segmentation to drive relevant consumer experiences and stronger brand expression for Kathmandu.
• Reimagining digital and data intelligence by adding new capabilities that enable the Group to accelerate its digital ambition.

As usual, all of that sounds logistically sound depending on how it’s interpreted. Operational leverage, new pathways for growth, new store segmentation, and stronger brand expression all have multiple interpretations, which rely wholly on who is behind the changes.

When a company finds itself at the crossroads of remaining sane or going woke, that destination was not inevitable; someone or a group of officials drove the company to that location in time. Destiny had nothing to do with it. Unrealistic, leftist delusions are responsible.

Will KDM remain loyal to what’s real, or will it abandon rational thought and leave its loyal customer base behind? It’s really not that hard.