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Iconic shaper surfs into P8 the South Coast Maria Lewis
W
hen Lou Aitken made her first surfboard, she was just 17 years old. The idea of a female board maker was basically sciencefiction, especially for a teenager coming from a small,
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coastal town in New Zealand. Fast forward over a decade later, now the Kiwi shredder and artist has orders for more boards than she can make, an international fanbase, two successful board companies of her own and has made a custom surfboard for the GOAT himself: Kelly Slater.
The phrase ‘pinch me’ doesn’t quite cover it, but the secret to her success is being the exact thing she never saw in the industry herself – a woman. “I have an advantage dealing with women, obviously because I am one,” she told The Bugle.
“We surf differently, whether it’s a pop up or generating speed, I think equipment has a lot to do with that. “You have those days where you’re on top of the world, you’re ovulating, you have an epic week, and then you have those days in the surf when
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Neil Morrison arrives at Campbelltown District Court, in Sydney, Tuesday, July 21, 2026. (AAP Image Steven Markham)
Former assistant principal in court
you’re just not feeling it. “I think guys have those days to some degree, but women struggle with it a lot more, so tying it all together with my knowledge of a) being female and b) making the equipment has really paid off.” Straight out of high school,
Aitken started out her career with an apprenticeship as a cabinet maker before ultimately giving into the thing she had always been most passionate about: surfing. Continued page 8
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