You know the way you feel about your morning cuppa? That’s how 14-year-old Cooper Palmer feels about surfing – and he’s got the shirt to prove it.
Late last year, the northern Illawarra teen launched his own clothing and accessories label Surfing Is My Coffee. The name comes from an off-the-cuff remark he made to his mates when his parents ducked off for a takeaway coffee just as Cooper and his friends were gearing up for a surf while on holiday at Merry Beach.
“I was standing on the sand with three of my mates and I said, ‘Surfing is my coffee’, and they said, ‘Yeah, we like that! Why don’t we say that as a little nod to when we want to go for a surf?’,” Cooper said.
“We did that whilst we were down there for the whole week… [and] I was thinking to myself that I’ve got a textiles class coming up next year, why don’t I screen print it on a bag that I can use?”
Cooper told his parents about the quip that evolved into a group catchphrase on the trip home, and they said that he’d ad-libbed an impressive turn of phrase. Equally as impressed was Cooper’s textiles teacher when he designed and screen printed Surfing Is My Coffee’s now logo as part of his school project.
“My textiles teacher said, ‘That’s a nice saying, Cooper. Are you going to do something with that?’, [and] I said, ‘Ah, I don’t know. It’s just a little saying right now’,” Cooper said.
“I took it home and showed my dad, and he was like, ‘That’s amazing, Cooper. There’s nothing out there like it. Why don’t you make shirts out of it?’”
On his 13th birthday, Cooper was gifted some prototyped t-shirts sporting his design that he distributed to his local Woonona Boardriders club – the oldest boardriders club in the Illawarra – as an exclusive release. Eager to help him establish his business, members of Woonona Boardriders were quick to offer Cooper advice.
“They really liked the idea, and they were giving me suggestions on different colours or [how] to change the design up, [but] we had to trademark it first because it’s a really one-of-a-kind design,” Cooper said.
“We did that at the end of 2021, and it got finalised in June 2022… and it was only a couple of days before our first market at Coledale.”
Since June, Cooper has shared his story and apparel – which now includes unisex t-shirts, singlets, hats, hoodies, and women’s crops and dresses, all printed locally at T-Shirt Workshop in North Wollongong – at more than a dozen markets. He says that the community response to Surfing Is My Coffee was unanticipated, even mentioning that a few noteworthy faces now don his designs, including media personality Deborah Hutton and meditation guru Andrew Marsh.
“It’s surprised me a lot,” Cooper said.
“I didn’t really expect this much interest in my brand as I just thought it was going to be a little hobby thing – like one or two people would have my shirts.
“People just want to back me… and the fact that I’m a 14-year-old kid running a business, they really want to support me.”
Cooper’s mum, Sam, said, “We are really so supportive of this venture for him as we want him to learn that there are many ways to ‘learn’, and if you have a passion, interest and drive that you can learn so much and turn it into a wonderful lifestyle career.”
Between school and dreams that his business might someday rival famous Australian surf brands like Billabong and Rip Curl, which each came from humble beginnings, Cooper still finds time to head out for regular surfs. On Saturday, December 10, he placed first in his division at Woonona Boardriders annual presentation night at Woonona Bulli RSL.
If you’re on the hunt for a Christmas gift, Cooper says Surfing Is My Coffee apparel is perfect for: “Anyone who loves to go down and hang at the beach…
"It’s a lifestyle brand, so if you like to go for a surf, [whether] a short board or long board, and just enjoy the sun and the beach, it’s good for you. It’s made for everyone.”
You can find Surfing Is My Coffee merch at their website and in-store at Thirroul Collective and Bellambi Lane Café. Cooper and his family will also have a stall at Gerringong Markets on December 17 and Coledale Twilight Markets on December 21.
