Natural Born Pirates | The Anti-Brand
- withitgirls
- Mar 28
- 7 min read
MALORIE KNOX SURFERS (MKS) is an anti-brand of pirate ladies sliding in her own. The project was born on a very late lively evening of conversations among friends, which led to examining how women were represented in board sports industries. MKS advocates for sisters in the shadows, and the rise of more badass role models we deeply need. Join us in this witty story about how a sewing lady and a Volvo rider entered the surf waterways.
We have been tracking your project for some time now - I personally relate to this vibe, being a sister pirate living in a small Cali pirate town, sewing my own board bags and love Volvos!
Stunning! We feel your passion already via the words you use. We appreciate that you really had a dive in our project and the value behind it although we suck You seem like a pretty smoking lady who we would be happy to meet one day in Portugal in the waves or on the roads.
Pirate One: Who is the sewer?
Pirate Two: Who is Volvo Rider?
Marie is the sewing lady and Justine is the Volvo rider, both passionate about the waves life has to offer.
Let's raise our Sails and set our Rails! Tells us your backstories.
Marie
Born in the 90s in the former communist eastern part of Germany growing up in the dead dull countryside windsurfing on our local lakes, picking cherries from our trees and riding around with my grandpa in his old blue Russian Lada. During my youth you were either punk or neo-nazi, a pretty extremist scene but well, misery tends to push creativity. Later on I studied to explore the world and landed in Portugal because of an exchange.
My current sewing machine is a SINGER Heavy Duty (powerful motor, high sewing speed - I love to sew fast and heavy fabrics).
Justine
Born in the suburb of Paris in the 80s, in a proper urban jungle. Grew up with the last trains and their weirdos, and with the beautiful social, cultural and artistic melting-pot the 90’s and 2000’s offered in these neighborhoods. I was keen to visit other jungles, far east asia and hang there for a while. Im a world traveler and magazine layouter.
My current Volvo machine is a 340 GL model Birdie, born in 1986. She is flying like a bird on highways, and sucks gas like a sailor in the city. Faithfull, small and efficient, I did a few long road trips with her between France and Portugal.
Before Birdie I was driving a 245 wagon, blue like a Blue Whale and born in 1977. I bought it in Sweden where I lived during the winter season. She did an awesome job on iced roads then she stayed in hibernation for 2 years in a garden. I came back to her, she started right away, I fixed her with the help and knowledge of my friend Björn and I drove down from Sweden to Portugal. In slow motion and between the trucks who became our dear friends. Like the old advert from the 70’s says: "Beat the system, buy a Volvo"
So how did this all get started?
Both
Sometime during the months of 2018 in Costa da Caparica (across the bridge of Lisbon), already surfed for a while but could not at all identify with the things which existed in the surf scene and especially how women were represented. We shared a couple of wines and were joking with friends. If we want to see a change, more women like us in the scene, we would need to do it ourselves.
Later on I met Justine in the ocean while surfing, we shared the same vision and were tired of the same-old same-old scene represented of women. So this anti-brand of pirate ladies stands for every woman rocking in her own way, for ladies in the shadows and for a more badass side of role models we are deeply in need of.
Why Malorie Knox?
Both
Inspired by the movie Natural Born Killers by Oliver Stone, screenplay written by Quentin Tarantino. The character, Malorie Knox, is based on a woman played by Juliette Lewis with a traumatic childhood who became lovers with her partner in crime and counted as one of "the deadliest women ever to walk the earth”.
Tell us about your first surfboard and what you are riding these days, shapers, and what is your favorite board ...any femme shapers in your area?
Marie
My first surfboard I did together with the Lisbon Crooks, a kind of surf anti-brand like ours, meanwhile they shot down their project as they grew tired of the surf scene but I always love to remember. My board was painted yellow with a sentence I was scribbling "We are all waves crashing against the earth” - still true today!
Justine
OOOO my first ever surfboard I bought was this classic longboard in Australia, a Gomez surfboard. Square tail, 9’4, I named her Juicy. She was my playground companion for a while, left her in Sri Lanka as I was coming back often there. Im enjoying playing now with this single fin mid length, 7’10, Black Rose. I found her in a second hand shop. Responsive, elegant, a great companion in the portuguese waves. I wish she will never die:)But my bestie at the moment is this super fun foamy, 7’0, from 88 surfboards that I just have any type of fun with. No shame no fear, just bring big smile in the face that I almost have algues stuck between my teeth!
What is the surf scene in Portugal?
If you study the history of Portugal you will see that culture revolves many times around the ocean and grapes. The commercial surf industry reached this southern part of Europe pretty late and subculture could not develop as in other countries because they lived for over 40 years under a dictatorship, which is still haunting Portugal nowadays. Commercialism took over, some Portuguese brands copied and oriented on the world scene, a pity, as despite of a few original local ones everything looks, works, smells, farts the same things again and again and again.
The overflow in Portugal's surf industry brings us a bit of discomfort and we hold a bit back but again discomfort is amazing to push ourselves to change for the better hopefully.
Tells us more about the "FLAGS” and the symbolism in block prints and how you came about the idea - so unique and relates so much to surfing.
Marie
After I finished high school I did an internship in our local atelier at the theater. I always liked the power of words, contrasts, and symbolism and of course the world of sewing, colorful textiles and threads. The magic of banners and their meaning in its simplicity, nautical flags from pirates and sailors eaten away by salt and sun wear their own history woven into their look.
Justine
Flags reunite people with same values together. They also intrigue and bring people who don't think like you. Then you exchange, share, talk. It’s a rallying point to assemble communities.
Who has inspired you?
Marie
I will always love Vivienne Westwood. Surf heroes are all the ones riding their own wav…ys.
Justine My Grand-Ma. Got her driver license at 70 years old, butterfly sunglasses on. Radical and generous. Did what the fuck she wanted. I like to see 70 years old women surfing still today. They are a model to my future self.
Let's Talk about slow fashion and your experiences as a brand.
Both
Me (Marie) worked the past years in a local sewing school. In the beginning we produced and printed some of the merch nearby in a coastal town. The bags and flags we were always sewing ourselves, partly from dead stock fabric and selling in shops and cafés from our friends.
Meanwhile we do not want to produce N O T H I N G new anymore and (re)use what is already here or even provide workshops of how people can stitch, mend, repair, put their own logos, and be smart-ass ecological for the universe in their own way, We collected secondhand jersey shirts to print on them with our friends in their local screen print atelier or put on some embroidery.
I believe this is the only way.
In the end, the world is how we are inside.
We live in a capitalistic pyramid but nothing can expand/ grow forever, everything has a limit but our system pushes us to constantly compete against each other to improve our individual spot and stay stable in this unstable world. Unfortunately there is not enough space for everyone (but still we put out more and more, for instance in the surf scene more surf shirts, more surfboards, more surf-related products, more surf schools and the whole thing becomes an unhealthy rolling wheel). Sooner or later this will crash.
The only solution: establish another way of life.
Put limitations.
More "we” than "me”.
More "less” of everything and for everyone.
Growth is measured rather in following the sustainable basic values over constant looking at profit and competition.
What books or film can you recommend?
Marie
Movie The broken circle breakdown
Book Nothing by Janne Teller and all comic books by Liv Strömquist
Justine
A beautiful book who slapped my face recently : I, Tituba, Black witch of Salem, from Maryse Condé.
A movie: forever “La Tulipe noire” by Christian Jaque. A french cloak-and-dagger film with lot of humor. And where kings are hanged.
Any last words?
Both
Your passions, views and skills can become a powerful tool in drawing others towards you and making changes to their lives for the better.
Celebrate, embrace it, and let it shine.
And remember:
Everything sucks some of the time.
Even surfing.
Check out the MKS playlist from their travels to Japan in 2024-2025
Additional information:
Local Portugal Resources from MKS
ATM Surfboards - Against the Masses, Custom Boards & Repairs
ALTAMENTE FESTIVAL - Festival watersport workshops women
OFICINAS DO VALE MAU - Artist friend transformed old bull farm into a screen printing studio in middle of nowhere
10 Surfboards - Scoring Waves since 2012
Rebel Surf Company - Sustainable and eco friendly Surf Fins and Equipment made in Germany🏄♀️
Toxic Magic - Surfboards and others things,
Joselito Surfboards - Shaper: Joselito Rosário
Azores Atlantic Surfers - We are Azores lovers and wave gliders, sharing our experience with friends, catching waves, drinking wine and enjoying life on the Island
Kiki Surfwax - All natural, eco-friendly, sustainable surf wax that works like a charm. Handmade in Lisbon, Portugal 🇵🇹
The independent car garage next to our house owned by Rui fixing old timers - no Insta
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