FROM THE PACIFIC TO THE ARCTIC

Chasing wind in Lofoten with Pete Cabrinha

PETE CABRINHA

We first met Pete Cabrinha in Maui a few years ago. Legendary surfer, artist and waterman, shaped by the Pacific. We came from the other side of the world, from a heritage formed by northern seas, shifting weather and friluftsliv, the Norwegian belief in a life lived outdoors. Different oceans. Different light. Different landscapes. Yet we immediately recognized something familiar in each other. A shared pull toward the elements. A life lived outdoors. A belief that the best things are shaped by wind, water and time.

Though our worlds are far apart, they meet in the same eternal forces. In Hawaii, the ocean is not only a playground, but a way of life. Something to move with, listen to and respect. There is a deep sense of aloha in that way of being. Openness. Presence. Connection. We recognize that instinct. It is not so far from our own way of moving through nature, with curiosity, humility and respect for the elements. Over time, it became natural to create something together. Not a compromise between two worlds, but a merging of them. Pacific surf culture and Nordic expedition heritage. Pete’s instinctive knowledge of what works in and around the water, combined with our obsession with fabric, function and enduring design. Different origins, same philosophy. Build fewer things. Build them better. Build them to be used.

To bring the collaboration fully into our world, we invited Pete and his daughter Tahiti north to the Arctic. We met in Oslo and continued on to Lofoten, where we boarded Alma, a faithful replica of Roald Amundsen’s polar ship Gjøa, the vessel in which he conquered the Northwest Passage. On board came Pete, Tahiti and all the equipment needed for wing foiling. What met us there felt almost unreal. White sand beaches. Turquoise Arctic waters. Steep, snow-covered mountains rising straight out of the sea. The midnight sun stretched time and softened everything. Beautiful, endless — but without wind. So we drifted. We soaked in the silence, the light and the long northern evening before finally turning in.

ALMA AF FRØYA - A REPLICA OF of Roald Amundsen’s polar ship Gjøa, the vessel in which he conquered the Northwest Passage.

The next morning, we woke to perfect conditions. Wind at last. Alma moved forward in her own way. Heavy, sturdy and deliberate. Pete took flight beside us on foil. Slow time and fast action. The old polar vessel and the new wing. The tortoise and the hare. Contrasts, not in conflict, but in harmony. Different speeds, same freedom. It was a beautiful reminder that adventure can take many forms. That elegance often lives in the meeting of opposites.

From tropical Pacific waters to the far north, the idea remained the same. Create something honest, purposeful and lasting. A capsule born between worlds, shaped by sea and wind, and built for those who feel most at home in the elements. Pete went back to Maui with the first pieces — and has been living in these shorts ever since.