The landscape of surf culture and event merchandising is ever-evolving, driven by creativity, community spirit, and the desire to reflect the essence of the local surf vibes. At Noosa Vibe House, we’ve been thrilled to play a role in this journey by creating exclusive, memorable merchandise for the Noosa Festival of Surfing. For the second year in a row, we’ve had the honour of designing the official merch range for this iconic festival, which celebrated its 33rd year in 2024. Through thoughtful design and collaboration, we set out to capture the essence of the festival and the passion that unites its attendees from all over the world.
Designing a standout merch range is about more than just throwing logos on tees — it's about telling a story. Our aim for the Noosa Festival of Surfing was to weave together the threads of surf culture, Noosa’s stunning natural beauty, and the vibrant energy of the event into every piece we created. This year’s range features a mix of nostalgia and modern surf style, celebrating the longboarding community while introducing fresh designs and collaborations that reflect the festival’s spirit and history.
Our mission was to capture the diversity and passion of the surf community through this vibrant merch collection.
A key highlight of the range was the ‘surfer tee’ - an intricate design featuring a local surf legend while paying homage to retro surf vibes in a distinctive colour palette. Harrison Roach was featured in 2023, and for 2024 we showcased Matt Cuddihy. Watch this space for 2025!
Collaboration has always been at the heart of our design process. For this year’s collection, we were honored to work with Jandamarra Cadd, a local Indigenous artist whose work is renowned for its depth and connection to the land. His intricate design couldn’t be digitized traditionally, so our team worked carefully to ensure that his artwork was respectfully translated onto the tees. This collaboration added a deeper layer of meaning and connection to the local Noosa community, making the collection even more special.
The blend of tradition and fresh innovation in this collection reflects the festival’s essence —c ommunity, creativity, and surf culture.
We also collaborated with Timmi Fresh, a longtime surfer and designer, to bring several new designs to life, offering something unique for both the seasoned festival goers and those experiencing it for the first time. A collab between Noosa Vibe House and the Noosa Festival of Surfing was a crowd favourite, with a playful animated surfboard available in four pop-pastel colours.
To make the merch range even more unforgettable, we took things a step further by hosting a live merch launch party during the festival. Attendees had the opportunity to create their own custom screenprinted tees, choosing from designs within the official range and bringing their creations to life on-site. This activation generated huge buzz, driving demand for the merch and creating an unforgettable experience that blended surfing, creativity, and community engagement.
The Noosa Festival of Surfing merch range, powered by our Apparel Boost service, has become more than just a collection—it’s a celebration of surf culture, creative collaboration, and community spirit. With a 100% sell-through rate and overwhelming positive feedback, the range has been a major success, cementing its place as a festival staple. We are already excited to see what next year will bring as we continue to push the boundaries of what festival merchandise can be.
By combining creativity, collaboration, and the power of community, we created a merch range that resonates deeply with the festival audience.
At Noosa Vibe House, we genuinely believe that event merchandise is more than just apparel — it’s a reflection of the whole experience and the broader community. Through thoughtful design, strategic collaborations, and memorable activations, we’ve created a merch range that connects with people on a deeper level. We hope this serves as inspiration for future projects and shows the powerful role design can play in creating lasting memories.
For more on our Surf Fest project, jump across to our case study
