O’Neill Wetsuits F/W 2026 Preview
Retail Buyers Guide: Wetsuits F/W 2026 Retail Buyer’s Guide
Brand: O'Neill
Interviewee: Tom Copsey – Product Manager
After a few seasons of (mostly) carryovers, fresh pieces were introduced in FW25. How did things pan out sales wise?
Our Dealers were certainly ready for some freshness. As we’d pretty much fixed our overstock problem before taking Preorders for F25, our Dealers could see that there were gaps appearing on our b2b website and understood that they would need to recommence Preordering if they wanted some of the new line. We also communicated that our Reorder stock for F25 would be limited. All of this resulted in a 40% jump in Preorders from F24 to F25, an amazing result but mostly illustrating how deep the hole had been. Since shipping F25, full price Reorders have also been solid, showing that there is appetite in the market for these new styles and our timing was right.
The Fall/Winter collection is where innovations and new models come to life: which are the key additions to your range for FW26?
After the introduction of 2nd generation TB4 the high-end styles that received updates will carrying through with a few new seasonal colours to refresh the look. These include the Hyperfreak Fire and Psycho Tech series of suits.
Most wetsuit brands contained the rise of prices so far. Will FW26 remain stable regarding price points?
We have not yet finalised F26 pricing, but things look stable. With what is going on in the US, I think many factories are keen to maximise their business elsewhere and are keeping their pricing as attractive as possible.
Do you notice a discrepancy between the sales ratio of premium wetsuits and entry-level ones?
We did see a steeper decline in sales of entry level wetsuits then premium wetsuits following the drop off in demand during 2023. This is due, in part, to the sheer volume that were sold in 2020-23 during the lockdown boom. Most people who are interested in watersports now have a wetsuit; they are busier again and the amount of clearance wetsuits in the market mean that there are still lots of alternatives to a new entry level wetsuit. It’s the same price to buy a clearance mid or high end wetsuit from the past few years.
The shift to non-petroleum-based foam is close to the take over. Are you relying on established suppliers or developing your own proprietary technologies, as seen among some brands for a couple years?
I would imagine it’s hard to find a petroleum-based foam wetsuit these days because of its poor performance characteristics compared with industry standard limestone-based foams. At O’Neill we have not used petroleum-based foam since the 90’s but we are using some natural rubber in several products such as the O’Riginal RG8 series. Our team are constantly working with all our suppliers inside and outside of the wetsuit industry researching all types of foam to help develop more sustainable high-performance options for our customers.
Any innovations in the linings for 2026?
Our TB4 linings were redesigned for F25 by increasing the graphene content to retain extra warmth but with less weight and reduce drying times. All TB outer jerseys had improvements made to the modulus of elasticity to hone fit, comfort and shape retention; all these refinements will carry through into F26.
Do you notice any difference in the consumer habits of women? (wetsuit thickness, entry/closure systems, colours…)
Not particularly, the women’s market is still very slow as many retailers continue to struggle with high inventory.
Please briefly mention the repair/recycle programs offered by your brand.
O’Neill has always had a network of pre-approved repair centres across Europe and we use a 3rd party factory to recycle end of life wetsuits that are returned to us so the raw materials can be used in new products. We also reuse components, where possible, from suits that have reached the end of their useful lives to make repairs to older suits.
How are you helping retailers to sell more suits?
From a sales and planning perspective, we are focussed on helping retailers to make good margin on each wetsuit, not just pushing them to sell more. By keeping scarcity in the supply of our mid to high end wetsuits, we are helping to prevent a repeat of the past couple of years. From a marketing perspective, we’re supporting retailers with shopfits and rolling out a new digital display to enhance the customer experience on the shop floor.
Key Products:
The Psycho Tech w/Hood:
The Psycho Tech w/Hood is built for the absolute harshest conditions and allows the user to surf for hours on end. O’Neill’s Psycho Tech range focuses on ultimate warmth and durability with high-performance materials and water-tight double-sealed stitchless seams. The TB4 Firewall technology radiates throughout with TB4 Duraskin Air Firewall in the chest and back to shield against the cold while retaining and recirculating your body heat. Designed to keep you in the water longer, toasty, and stoked.
The Hyperfreak Fire:
The Hyperfreak Fire is built to perform in bone-chilling sessions with next-gen TB4 Firewall neoprene, now with extra graphene-infused heat retaining durable fibres for more insane warmth & durability + unrivalled stretch. Fluid seam welds and fused super seal cuffs lock water out, for longer sessions. NEW: For FW26 we will be introducing the Hyperfreak Fire w/Hood
Regenerate:
The next generation of the O’Neill RG8 legacy, first launched in 2010, the ‘Regenerate’ name stands for high-performance stretch and quality made with better sustainable materials for our planet and ocean. UltraTech and Firewall liners formulated with recycled fibers pair with a Yulex natural rubber foam core. Timeless O’Riginals style leads the evolution of sustainable wetsuit technology
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