Coastal apparel brand supports marine conservation and research in an impactful way.
(Greenville, SC – May 20, 2020)
Southern Tide, the premier apparel brand that continues to be the authoritative voice of coastal style, has announced a global partnership with non-profit marine conservation and research organization, Beneath The Waves. With 2020 marking the start of a new decade being touted as critical for safeguarding the oceans, the partnership marks Southern Tide as the official apparel partner for Beneath The Waves.
The relationship between Southern Tide and Beneath the Waves has evolved and grown organically, as both brands have our earth’s coasts and oceans embedded into their DNA. Beneath the Waves’ mission is to use cutting-edge science to improve coastal sustainability and ocean health. With such a shared and intertwined passion for marine conservation, the partnership between the two brands was a natural fit. The Southern Tide x Beneath The Waves partnership will focus on research up and down the Atlantic coast, with the goal of catalyzing change for oceans and inspiring conservation in our communities through content development, immersive research activities, and a special collaboration capsule collection launching on May 20th, followed by a more extensive collection launching Spring ‘21, both with a give-back component.
Recent work by Beneath the Waves’ researchers, published in leading scientific journals Science and Nature, demonstrated the need for the creation of large marine protected areas to conserve threatened species like sharks, which are imperiled worldwide due to overfishing and other human impacts. Why are protected areas important for keystone species like sharks? The ocean provides important services to humanity such as food security, jobs, oxygen, and coastlines serve as a critical buffer to protect coastal areas from storm surge. Setting aside areas of the ocean allows for population recovery, which can then also improve fisheries, tourism, and support other socioeconomic and sustainability activities.
“Southern Tide has strived to positively impact coastal and marine conservation since our inception. We are proud to truly be doing the work that we believe is at the core of our brand. Southern Tide would not be a brand without the preservation of our coasts – and we consider this the purest part of our DNA. We could not be happier to be partnering with Dr. Austin Gallagher and Beneath The Waves in our efforts to continue this great responsibility,” said Christopher Heyn, Southern Tide CEO.
When partnering with Beneath the Waves, Southern Tide found Beneath the Waves’ content creation was one of the most valuable assets in building a community of awareness. By combining authentic, impactful, and exciting research with curated content, Beneath the Waves has fostered a community of socially responsible members who align with Southern Tide's experiential and adventure-driven fanbase.
Beneath the Waves is devoted to using science to protect the ocean, its most threatened species such as sharks, and is working towards a shared global vision for 30% of our oceans protected by 2030. They have a three-pronged approach that includes a focus on marine protected areas, deep-sea conservation, and coastal sustainability. In addition to financial support and apparel, Southern Tide is supporting Beneath the Waves via a social media sharing program entitled #99percentseries. The program, which will appeal to Southern Tide’s social media followers, will highlight the coastal lifestyle and impactful ocean work being done by a credible, youthful, energized, and socially-aware tribe of conservationists and entrepreneurs.
The meaning behind the campaign name is simple according to Southern Tide CEO, Christopher Heyn, "Our oceans represent 99% of the living space on Earth and are estimated to be home to millions of marine species. Life beneath the waves is critical to the health of our planet. Let’s work together to protect it.”
“We’re incredibly excited about the partnership with Southern Tide, which comes at such a pivotal point for the future of our oceans. Since founding the organization, we’ve strived to create a platform for change, one that would – in addition to doing impactful conservation work – be a hub for technology, content, and an opportunity for engaging with innovative brands. The Southern Tide partnership exemplifies this vision, and is a great example of how science, business, and marketing can work together authentically, for positive outcomes across the board,” said Dr. Austin Gallagher, CEO of Beneath the Waves.
Southern Tide announced its partnership with Beneath the Waves to help build brand awareness of marine conservation efforts and to educate the public on marine species and habitats. Both brands look to continue to partner in different ways as they hope to create a better planet for future generations. For additional information on Southern Tide, visit www.southerntide.com. To learn more about Beneath the Waves, visit www.beneaththewaves.org/.
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About Southern Tide:
Founded in 2006, Southern Tide is a Greenville, S.C.-based lifestyle apparel brand that boasts exceptional craftsmanship and classic design. Southern Tide is best known for its Skipjack Polo, deemed by many to be the finest, most comfortable polo shirt. Innovative, yet timeless in its youthful style, Southern Tide offers an array of apparel and accessory products for men, women, and kids that deliver their authentic lifestyle through quality, experience, and service. Southern Tide is available for purchase in Southern Tide Signature Stores, more than 850 specialty retailers and premium department stores in more than 49 states across the United States, as well as online at www.southerntide.com. Southern Tide is a wholly owned subsidiary of Oxford Industries (NYSE: OXM).
About Beneath The Waves:
Founded in 2013, Beneath the Waves is an ocean NGO using cutting-edge science to advance scientific discovery and catalyze ocean policy, with a focus on threatened species and ecosystems. Led by a group of established and emerging leaders in the marine conservation world, they have initiatives focusing on the conservation of biodiversity and highly migratory species such as sharks throughout the Atlantic, Caribbean, and Pacific Ocean. Their work has generated nearly 100 scientific publications and is frequently consulted in the ocean policy world, and has been used to inform the protection of oceans and species at the global scale.
