From avoiding stretched shoulders and broken zippers, to what to do with an unravelling seam, surfers share their advice on making wetsuits last
The late editor Diana Vreeland announced she was envious of surfers during a television interview in the 1970s. “To be a surfer” she said, “between the sky and the water would be, to me, the most wonderful thing”.
It’s a sentiment I share, despite finding surfing cold, hard and kind of tedious. The first time I tried it, I mistook a dolphin for a shark and my enthusiasm for it never really recovered. But (like Vreeland) I love the water, and anything that allows me to spend more time in it – like wetsuits. Treated correctly, a good one can last for a decade or more. This week, experts share their advice for protecting the garments that protect you.