Hayden Cox, known as Hayden Shapes, has always been one to push the boundary.

He did it when he designed and patented FutureFlex, a carbon fiber frame surfboard that became one of surfing’s most progressive innovations. Again when with the large scale resin installation with Akin Atelier for The Art Gallery of NSW’s SANAA-designed Sydney Modern wing. And again with collaborations with fashion powerhouses including Woolmark Company and Alexander Wang. Now he’s back with another contemporary approach to designing the usually boring seal vests we hate to need and want - wetsuits. And of course, in collaboration with high end designer Dion Lee. A guilty admission of mine is to assume someone as successful as Hayden would be a bit of a….too cool? But I can honestly say he is anything but. He’s someone who has clearly just stayed in his own lane, not looking to the outside for validation but rather just inspiration on how he can be different. I had a chat with him about life and his latest collection that is sure to stir the pot among the old surf crowd who are quick to knock anyone doing things against the grain, even though they eventually come around, because there is truly no one who does it better.

Hayden, how are you, how’s the little fam going?

Good and chaotic! I wouldn’t have it any other way. Our little boy Aries, who is number three, arrived in January and life has been busy.

remember seeing a sneak preview of some of the collection last year when I came over to the warehouse, how long from the start to finish has this been in the works now?

We were quite open during the process of developing this collection throughout the past two years since kicking things off in mid 2021 with Dion Lee and his team.  There are a lot of very technical design details and construction techniques in the collection that had never before been applied to wetsuits, particularly corsetry design in the womens styles as well as Dion Lee’s signature neoprene braided spine ‘gill’ detail. Taking the time to really nail the product from both an aesthetic and surf performance standpoint was always a huge priority and that really shaped the release date more than anything. 

Why Dion Lee?

Dion is not only incredibly talented, but a great person and someone I’ve loved collaborating with on this category. He’s also one of the most innovative designers in the world in terms of architectural tailoring and his knowledge and experience working with neoprene though his own fashion collections over the years was such a natural fit in re-imagining the wetsuit with us. Collaborations that contribute to rather than just borrow from surf are exciting to me.  Applying that creativity and blending it back with Haydenshapes performance and surf DNA led us down a path of something new and unique, which I think there’s room for and perhaps even a need for within the wetsuit category in general.

You’re known for pushing the boundaries of surfing innovation – what drives you to keep challenging the norm?

Haydenshapes is an independently owned and run business, which is less common in surfing these days. To back a new category as a small team, I’m personally more motivated by exploring new ways of doing things and finding that point of difference in the product which sets us apart from the more corporate brands who work with big budgets and are far better resourced. It always starts with the product first and being open minded and not stuck in one lane vs forcing ideas for the sake of it. 

Do you ever slow down?

Ask me that in ten years. Being grounded during the pandemic gave me way too much time to think and it sent me down a creative rabbit hole. Now all of those ideas have materialised and we are custom formulating surfboard resin and applying it to select architecture projects, launching fashion collections and now wetsuits in addition to our core board business. It’s not so much a digression either, because these other categories are all influenced by surfboards in some way.

You’ve dabbled in architecture, fashion and obviously surfboards, is there another area of design that intrigues you?

Engineering more eco-friendly and sustainable materiality, along with waste reduction and waste repurposing within surfboard manufacturing are areas I’ve been educating myself and testing a lot in the background. Our industry has a long way to go yet and my goal is to set a path for change that other board builders worldwide can also adopt.

You have some very renowned riders on the team, what were the reactions of Dion, Frankie and Jake particularly for this collection. What was their favourite pieces?

I’ve definitely leaned on my team for performance feedback and they’ve been such a key part of the development process.  I’m sure the crew scratched their heads at first when I showed them ‘gill’ details, they are a little mind bending. To create them is somewhat like neoprene origami and a testament to Dion Lee’s art . Using high end non-petroleum based Japanase limestone rubber is the most soft and comfortable rubber available and we’ve used it in both the affordable core suits and the more technically constructed suits, the feedback from our surf team has been amazing.

What is your favourite piece?

I personally love the ‘Modular’ story across both mens and womens which allows you to layer pieces or deconstruct them depending on the season, like pairing the mens long john with a wetsuit top to create a full suit or wearing them as separate pieces in warmer climates. The womens ‘Modular’ story is particularly cool, it really highlights the Dion Lee design language and sits in that more hybrid zone of surf / swim / ready-to-wear. The idea was to have pieces in the collection that women could also wear out of the water.

Can you talk about the differences between the mesh skin, smooth skin and jersey panels?

Raw neoprene can be finished with either a smooth skin or mesh skin, and with both of these finishes the water will evaporate fast and allow the rubber to warm up quickly. It is however more delicate, so you have to treat it carefully. The jersey lined neoprene will be more comfortable on the skin and bring more durability to the surface of the wetsuit. As a combination not only can you create a technical design detail, there is a visual design that can be created from these three textures.

What do you say to the ‘old boy’ surfers who would undoubtedly have something to say about this collection?

Well the first old boy surfer that comes to mind is Peter Schroff, who took a chainsaw to one of my boards in a public slaughter around seven years ago. Ironically, he and I created magic together in STAB’s recent Electric Acid Board test last year with Mick Fanning, so you could say I have a newfound appreciation for the ‘old boy’ surfer. He lives in all of us. There was also a time when three fins on a surfboard was outrageous and here we are.

Finally we asked our girl Frankie Harrer her thoughts on the collection and what she’s packing on a trip.

Indonesia boat trip?

Modular shorts, corset modular top, and modular bolero.

Californian Summer?

Full suit, gill long sleeve, and the full modular set up.

Sydney Winter?

Full suit, full long sleeve, la cropped modular top.

What’s the go with the Japanese Yamamoto Limestone Rubber? Rate or nah?

Once you try it it’s hard to go back. You can go thinner in the rubber with the same warmth as a traditional thicker one so the manoeuvrability it’s much better.

Shop the latest Dion Lee x Hayden Shapes Rubber Collection here.