Hawaiian Kelia Moniz, two-time world longboard champion and face of Roxy for two decades, has parted ways with the brand, she announced on her Instagram last week.

Moniz said that after the company was acquired by Authentic Brand Group, she was offered a 90% pay cut, which she said was the best contract she had ever received and which still had a year to run.

“It took a lot for me and my team to get to this point and this contract was supposed to last for another year. But unfortunately after they bought Roxy the contract was terminated and then I was offered a 90% pay cut to resign,” he said.

“After years of fighting for fair pay and equality there was no way I was going to sign that deal, especially knowing I wasn’t the only athlete this was happening to. I’m not going to let myself be pressured by a corporation that knows nothing about the sport and doesn’t give a shit. If you’re wondering why I’m leaving, it’s not because I don’t love what I do. I’m a surfer, as real as can be and no one can take that away from me,” she added.

“I’m leaving because if I sign that agreement I would be setting the industry standards for women who look and surf like me and that’s something I want nothing to do with. The surfing industry has been consolidated by two large corporations that don’t care that there’s been a dismantling of the monetary value of an entire generation that’s happening right now, and I refuse to be a part of that because it looks good on a spreadsheet,” she said.

And he concluded: “My sincere hope is that I can inspire some of the next generations to maybe create a new path to be what traditionally was being sponsored, being independent, and I know I can't do that if I tie myself to their value.”

Quiksilver and Roxy had become part of Boardriders after the companies declared bankruptcy in 2015. In late 2023, Boardriders, which united the aforementioned companies with Billabong, RVCA, Von Zipper and Element, was bought by Authentic Brands Group, owner of Volcom and a couple dozen global brands of all kinds.

The purchase has triggered a chain of layoffs and changes in the surfing team.

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