Lift Foils signs John and Nathan Florence for new surf-focused collection

Lift Foils did more than add two famous names to its roster. By signing John Florence and Nathan Florence, the brand tied itself more tightly to modern surf culture while making a clear product statement: it wants to be judged not just by who rides its gear, but by how that gear performs when the ocean is messy, fast and far from the crowd.

That is the real story behind the Florence Collection. Lift said the line came straight from John and Nathan’s sessions in Hawaii, where they were riding choppy channels, reefy takeoffs and long downwind runs. The company says the goal is earlier lift, smoother glide and better control when conditions do not line up, which makes the partnership read less like a simple ambassador play and more like a blueprint for how Lift wants to compete in foil culture.

The hardware backs up that positioning. Lift’s Florence Collection pages name a full family of parts, including the Florence 110 X and 130 X front wings and the Florence 20 X and 21 X back wings. The 130 X is described as John and Nathan Florence’s downwind daily driver, while the 21 X back wing is tuned by Nathan for clean release and endless connection on foil. Lift also says the Florence 71 X is built for fast, precise riding and the 91 X balances lift and glide, giving the line a range that reaches from surf foil to eFoil and downwind use.

That breadth matters because it suggests Lift is building a modular surf-led system, not just a signature model. The company is using the Florence name to validate a broader next-generation eFoils and hydrofoils lineup, and that is a meaningful move in a category where riders increasingly want wings that solve specific performance problems rather than just carry a famous logo.

The timing of the partnership also says something about Lift’s ambitions. Foiling Magazine framed the move as a shared push to expand foiling into modern surf culture and toward deeper, less crowded water, which fits the Florence brothers’ image perfectly. Nathan Florence, who was named Stab’s 2023 Surfer of the Year with 84 points, brings a reputation built on heavy barrels, worldwide slab trips and a massive YouTube audience, while John Florence arrives with two world titles and current No. 1 status. That combination gives Lift elite credibility and reach.

Lift has already pushed the collaboration beyond wings, too. The company released a limited-run Florence x Pyzel 4'7 LIFTX eFoil shaped by John Pyzel with John and Nathan Florence, a sign that this is becoming a recognizable sub-brand inside the Lift lineup. For riders watching the category, the message is hard to miss: Lift is not treating surf credibility as decoration. It is using the Florence family to push harder into surf-led wing and foil expansion.