FOAM’s relaunch party went down this past Tuesday at the Surf Gallery in Laguna Beach. As you’d expect, the crowd was hot and so was action. (Seriously, there was no air conditioning). Rochelle Ballard, Kassia Meador, the Gudauskas trios, and Donovan Frankenrieter were among some of the elite to soak up the free drinks, sushi and atmosphere. Click here to view the photos on our Flickr account.

Looking for a little more leg room? Look no further. Our new fall dresses come fully loaded with excellent mileage. And don’t forget to check out our accessories package for custom styling.

For songwriter Priscilla Ahn, moving out west meant making it big.

Priscilla Ahn speaks just like she sings, in a voice that’s sweet, hopeful, and full of life. The singer-songwriter is home in the LA apartment she shares with her boyfriend, taking a break between road gigs to promote her breezy debut album, A Good Day. The set of mellow, acoustic guitar-laden, love-and-life songs just came out on Blue Note, the legendary jazz imprint that nurtured Norah Jones to blockbuster status. Though it’s the one label Ahn always though would be perfect for her, the contract, the tours, and the press are all a big surprise. “I didn’t expect anything at all,” she says modestly. The 24-year-old beauty is just happy to be making a career of music. “I feel really lucky that I’m able to make enough dough to just do this,” she says. (more…)

(Written by Elizabeth Park for Foam)

Mark Whalberg is slated to play Koby Abberton in the Hollywood biopic Bra Boys, due out next summer (produced by Brian Grazer and directed by Russell Crowe). Whalberg wishes he were as cool as Koby. The upcoming film, and documentary of the same name, (released last year to film festivals, and coming out on DVD in early May), is the story of the Australian Maroubra beach gang known as the Bra Boys, led by Sunny Abberton and his brothers Koby and Jai. Since the doc’s release, their notorious tale-tragic, heroic, complicated- has been sensationalized by the media and fans alike, and repudiated by local police. (more…)

(Written by Zoe Buck for FOAM)

Instead of relying on supermodels or celebrity spokeswomen, the ever-innovative, Irvine-based clothing label Element Eden commissions so-called Advocates to both represent the brand and inspire its loyal customer base.

The newest woman to hold that distinction is Spain’s Pepa Prieto, who makes madcap sprawling drawings and exuberant bright paintings. Her energetic work recalls a child genius on a doodling binge, but Prieto herself is playful and grounded. In touch with her inner kid, but most decidedly a girl- power role model.

We had Zoe Buck try and figure out what makes Prieto tick. (more…)

The long awaited new digital edition of FOAM Magazine has launched, and it’s their best issue ever. Even their therapist thinks so.

If FOAM magazine was an actual living, breathing girl, we’d marry her and have dozens of cute cata-fashionlog babies. The amount of love they have given us in their new issue is monumental. Take a deep breath fans, the scans in this post are long and plentiful. Be sure to click on the images for more information. (Featured above: Billabong India Dress, Volcom Day Glow Dress, Roxy Skipper Dress.) (more…)

Being quiet is so much louder these days. That’s what Stefanie Sekich, a surfer, environmental law and policy buff, and resident San Diegan learned on February 6, 2008, among the crowd of activists gathered in Wyland Hall at the Del Mar Fairgrounds in California. It was the site of a showdown between the TCA (Transportation Corridor Authority) and the more than 3,000 opponents who showed up to contest the TCA’s plans to put a toll road through one of the best and most pristine surf spots in Southern California: Trestles. (more…)

There was a time when we seriously considered making a career out of following Ben Harper. Our plan was to sell grilled cheese sandwiches in his venues’ parking lots and publish our journal entries in Spin. As it turned out, the majority of his fans are vegan and the now defunct (for a good reason) Warp was the only mag that showed a mild interest. Bitter and in dire need of a penicillin shot, we ended up working for TransWorld. The end. Oh wait, back to the reason we’re really writing this post. The far less bitter and much more healthy writers at FOAM recently published a very candid interview with Ben. Here, he busts loose on fatherhood, never having writer’s block, and going instrumental.

We guess things really are bigger in Texas. This past week Austin again played host to the nation’s biggest art and musical festival, South By Southwest. The cooler big brother to the West Coast’s Coachella (more beer, less GHB), SXSW features more than 1,500 music acts crammed into four hazy days and nights. Lucky for you our friends at FOAM can tell you all about it.

“The arts, both visual and performing, have always motivated New York artist Demostina. Rather than letting the two fields pull her in opposite directions, she’s managed to find a way to combine them by painting to music.” Meet the artist NYC can’t stop blogging about at Foam Magazine.com.

The “wicked” in this case is the “awesome” kind, as we’ve just learned the roster at FOAM Magazine now includes the powerhouse talents of Kristina Dechter (see above) and Monica Campana. Well known in most East Coast fashion circles, Kristina began her career at Lucky Magazine where she served as the Associate Fashion News Editor, and also pulled double duty as a very-in-demand stylist at Paper Magazine. In 2005 she became the Style Editor at Time Out New York while also contributing to the New York Times. Her current modus operandi: “I want FOAM to be the industry’s ambassador to the worlds of fashion and culture.” Monica joins FOAM as its Associate Publisher, fresh from serving as the Brand Manager and National Sales Manager for Salinas Swimwear. Prior to Salinas, Monica climbed the corporate ladder at TransWorld Media where she ultimately reigned as the Associate Publisher for TransWorld Skateboarding. Congratulations ladies. Expect everyone and their mother to be calling you for a job.

Do you like to watch? We thought so. And so did Rip Curl, which is why they’re debuting their new Mick Fanning documentary on their website FOR FREE. So wake up your friends from their car naps and gather ’round your cube for a meaty lunch special.

We weren’t kidding when we said our staff is among the best in the business. And nothing makes us prouder than when our proteges gain the strength and confidence to spread their wings and fly. Such is the case with Lost Girl’s designer Theresa LaVelle, who up until recently was an integral part of our art department. A major office hottie, TL was always quick with a snarky comeback when needed and down for the cause. We miss gazing at her incredible illustrations almost as much as we miss watching her leave a room. A rare mix of beauty, brains and talent, expect to see big, big things from this girl in the new year. Foam Magazine takes you closer.

For anyone who’s ever wondered how t-shirts are made, one of our favorite handlebar-mustached designers is here to show you. Now being that Jamie is from Ryde, a company that prides itself on one-of-kind creations, what you’re about to witness is a bit out of the norm. You see, Ryde is a very small company with all of their clothing made right here in Southern California. Some of the shirts are screened by local screen printers, but most are made right when you order them (by Jamie, unless he’s on vacation.). How do they do this? By using their direct-to-garment printer. What is direct to garment you ask? It means that the water-based ink is printed directly onto the blank tee shirt, much like the head on your desktop printer lays ink onto paper. The ink is still wet on the cotton afterwards, so they have to cure it by running the tee through a heat press for about 30 seconds. If this sounds like a lot of work and commitment, it is. Here are some of Swell’s top sellers:

Who the hell does that girl think she is? Spy Optic wants to know. Calling all stylish, tragically hip, outside-the-boxers: Your mission is to describe who the “real” Eliza is. Where does she hang? What’s the decor of her myspace page? Is she obsessed with Perez or does she manage her own hot gossip site? Is she textually active? Answer correctly, and most importantly, creatively, and you could win four pairs of the Eliza shades, a $100 shopping spree here at Swell, a year’s subscription to FOAM Magazine, and head-to-toe outfits from both Matix and DC. Click here for full details.

Behind the Seams with Designer Mandy Robinson - words by Regina Bresler images provided by Billabong

Long associated with environmentalist pursuits and good vibes, surf culture has always had a hand in the betterment of the community at large. Meet Mandy Robinson, Senior Design Director of Billabong’s women’s line and Creative Director behind Billabong’s Design For Humanity fashion show.

A Kentucky native, Mandy moved to L.A. in 1994 to attend the Fashion Institute, and quickly fell in love with the surf scene. She began her career in fashion as an assistant at Rays Apparel, learned the ropes, and ended up at Billabong, where she has been for the past five years. Her seasoned understanding helped direct the playful and altruistic runway collection that debuted at Billabong’s first Design For Humanity affair.

Design for Humanity successfully rang in its maiden show to a sold-out crowd on April 26, all benefiting SurfAid International. It included a concert by Shiny Toy Guns, a runway show for 1,200 attendees, and art spilling out from all sides. Various artists who created pieces to sell also allotted a percentage of their proceeds to go towards SurfAid International. And a Webcast and eBay auction of both the runway collection and artists’ works ensured that, even if you weren’t in the audience, you could be part of the event. (more…)

Taking a Beautiful Ride with Model Alessandra Ambrosio
words by Monika Steinberg / images by Russell James

You may not know her by name, but you’re sure to recognize her while clad in Victoria’s Secret lingerie or swimwear. Whether posing pretty for the VS catalog or strutting her stuff down the catwalk for many admirers, one thing is for certain, she is very comfortable in her skin and her confidence shows. Alessandra emerged amongst the Brazilian invasion of Amazonian models, like Gisele Bündchen and Ana Beatriz Barros, but what makes her more than another fashion face stemming from Latin America is her passion and drive to help find a cure for MS. Alessandra, being affected personally by the disease–her father was diagnosed in the late nineties–has taken on the role of National Multiple Sclerosis Society Ambassador in 2006 and has so far supported the Society’s MS Bike Rides and done PSAs for the worthy cause. “You never know the beauty of movement until you lose it,” said Alessandra in her From Runway to Roadway PSA. (more…)

Words by Adam Bernard

Every city in America has a music scene. Five of the biggest cities—New York, Chicago, Austin, Los Angeles, and Seattle—have been contributing the lion’s share of popular culture since before our grandparents were born. Scenes change, however, so in this issue we’re taking a fresh look at the five biggies. We’ll tell you what’s hot there now, and which legendary spots are still around for music historians to check out.

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK
As Ol’ Blue Eyes once crooned, “If you can make it there/you can make it anywhere.” And the lyrics ring just as true today as when they were first written. Nicole, one half of the twin-sister R&B duo Nina Sky, agrees that the city exudes musical prominence: “New York is a musical mecca. In New York City you get everything. There are so many genres of music, whatever street corner you’re on, whether it’s rock, hip-hop, reggae, so many great musicians have come from New York.” (more…)

Design divas will be in HAVAIANAS HEAVEN with our creativity contest.

Calling all clever beach girls out there!! This is your chance to win 3 pairs of your favorite Havaianas sandals & a goodie bag from foam! (more…)