FEATURES • BRANDS
Earth Island:
Carving Out an
Indonesian Surf
Story
Words & Photography by The Punch
Bali has always drawn seekers. From hippies in the 1970s chasing utopia, to today’s digital nomads chasing Wi-Fi and waves, the island has been a stage for reinvention. But at its heart, Bali remains about something simpler and older: the rhythm of the ocean, the salt in the air, and the culture that has grown up around it. This is where Earth Island enters. A surf-inspired brand born in Canggu, shaped by two men with wildly different backgrounds but a shared devotion to surfing, island life, and Indonesia itself.
From racetracks to reef breaks
Matthias Lauder’s journey to Earth Island doesn’t follow the neat arc of a surf film. Born in Austria, raised between Spain and Uruguay, he grew up chasing speed in cars, not waves. His first career was as a race car driver where he honed in on adrenaline, precision, and the need for control. Surfing, when it entered his life, was a counterpoint: less about conquering, more about surrender. “I came to Bali the first time around 2000, just to get waves,” Matthias recalls. “And then I got stuck here–falling in love with Indonesia, falling in love with Bali. For 25 years, I kept coming back. It’s always a pleasure to return.” The contrast is telling. A man trained to master machines finds himself caught in something that can’t be mastered at all: the ocean.
The godfather of Indonesian surfing
His partner in Earth Island, Tipi Jabrik, carries a very different history. His Austrian mother and Javanese father moved to Bali in the 1970s, living the hippie life when the island was still sleepy. He grew up in Legian in the 1980s, surfing from the moment he could pick up a board. “I’ve never stopped surfing since then,” he says. “Almost 40 years in the water, and I’ve seen so many changes. Surfing gave me everything. The only way I can give back is through surfing.” Tipi is widely regarded as the godfather of Indonesian surfing, not only for his career in the waves, but for his role in building a culture and community around it. For him, Earth Island is another way of giving back.
A brand born in stillness
When COVID shut down Bali in 2020, the island slowed to a silence not seen in decades. The traffic disappeared, the beaches emptied. Matthias, in Bali with his kids, and Tipi, still surfing daily, suddenly had time.
“Why not make an Indonesian surf brand?” Matthias remembers asking. “There isn’t one. We both love surfing. Tipi has all the history and background of Indonesian surf. Why not start something together?” What began as a conversation turned into sketches, names, logos. At first, they toyed with “Ombak,” the Bahasa word for wave. But something broader was needed. Eventually, Earth Island surfaced.
“Earth represents the energy that creates surf: swell, wind, sun, moon,” Tipi explains. “Island represents the way we live. Everyone dreams of spending time on an island. Combine them, and you have our lifestyle.” For Matthias, the name also reached back to his own upbringing. “I grew up on islands too,” he says. “It felt natural. And most of the best waves in the world break on small islands.”
Purpose and nostalgia
Surf brands have always built themselves around ideas. Quiksilver captured adventure. Rip Curl was about conquering the ocean. For Earth Island, the foundation is nostalgia: a longing for the palm-fringed beaches and unspoiled coastlines of the 70s, when films like Morning of the Earth drew surfers to Bali for the first time.
“That nostalgic feeling is strong,” Tipi says. “Your parents came here in the 70s, you came back in the 90s, and now you bring your kids. Palm trees, white sand, perfect waves. It’s why people still come to Lombok, to Sumba. You don’t see that anywhere else–kids screaming, playing, so happy. That’s the energy we want Earth Island to carry.”
For Matthias, the nostalgia has become personal. He now surfs the same breaks he first discovered with his sons, who wear Earth Island board shorts. “It’s beautiful,” he says. “I can share with them what I found here 25 years ago. And they love it too.”
Design and craft
Earth Island’s design philosophy is simple: make products that last. Their board shorts are the flagship, built with stretch, durability, and seams that don’t rash or tear. The designs are distinctive but not loud–identity built on restraint. “We’re not about high technology,” Matthias admits. “We just put attention into the details. And people start to recognize our design in the water.” Tipi adds: “As surfers, we don’t need much. A board short and a t-shirt can make you happy. Our innovation is small but important. Comfort, strength, just enough stretch.”
Sustainability, without slogans
If sustainability is a buzzword, Earth Island approaches it with blunt honesty. “There are no sustained things in this world,” Tipi says. “Anything humans do has impact. We’re not claiming we’re sustainable.” Instead, their approach is practical. Production is kept small and local, working with Balinese makers. Their first collection experimented with natural dyes–indigo, mango yellow–though consistency made it difficult to scale. They repurpose old stock with local artists, giving faded or rejected pieces new life rather than discarding them. “It’s not original–people do this everywhere,” Tipi admits. “But when people hear about it, more will do it. And that’s better.”
Surf culture and community
More than products, Earth Island is about people. Sponsorships of young Indonesian surfers like Raflan from Nias, made joy on the national team, and Oni Anwar are not about glossy marketing campaigns but about confidence and belief. “A sticker on your board gives you motivation,” Tipi says. “It tells you someone believes in you. You can’t help a whole community at once. But if you help one person, they can spread that energy.”
Growing slowly, like a swell
For Matthias and Tipi, growth is not about chasing hype. “We want to grow naturally, slowly,” Matthias says. “Already in Bali, people know us. I see guys surfing in Canggu or Uluwatu wearing our board shorts. That’s a good sign.” Collaborations will be the next step. A recent partnership with a Hawaii swimwear label hints at the direction: small, authentic, aligned. Japan, California, Hawaii are in their sights, but without rush. “Small steps are the right steps,” Tipi says. “Big steps are risky. We’d rather grow with the brand than force it.”
Earth Island’s promise
Earth Island is not trying to be the next giant surf brand. It doesn’t shout. It preserves. It remembers. It offers a version of surf culture that is uniquely Indonesian–rooted in island life, shaped by nostalgia, carried by community.
At its heart, the brand is a conversation between Matthias and Tipi, between ocean and land, between memory and future. It’s about fathers passing surfboards to sons, about palm trees that never leave your mind, about waves that keep coming, endlessly. Because Earth Island is not about conquering the ocean. It’s about living with it.
EXPLORE THE PUNCH