ROXY left Taiwan after 20 years — a surf brand outrun by fast fashion

ROXY, the women's surf-and-skatewear line of Quiksilver, began winding down its Taiwan operations in May 2026, with all stores expected to close by the end of summer. The brand had been in Taiwan for approximately 20 years. The online store stopped taking orders on 7 May, customer service ended on 5 June, and physical stores — including locations at Gloria Outlets, Linkou Mitsui Outlet Park, Taoyuan MetroWalk, and Taipei Qsquare — were scheduled to close by the end of August. Clearance sales reached 70% off.

The Taiwan exit was part of a broader crisis at the parent brand's US operations. Liberated Brands, the US licensee for Quiksilver, Billabong, ROXY, and RVCA, had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in February 2025, closing all its US stores. Authentic Brands Group, which owned the Quiksilver portfolio, was restructuring the licensing globally. The Taiwan franchise was affected by the same pressures: changing consumer habits, the rise of e-commerce, and intense competition from fast-fashion and new sportswear entrants.

Two Chinese-language news sources — 壹蘋新聞網 and 風傳媒 — reported the exit in late May 2026. The brand had not issued an official statement at the time of the reports. Staff at multiple outlets confirmed the closures.

Closed all Taiwan stores by August 2026, with clearance sales up to 70% off, because the US licensee's bankruptcy left the franchise with no independent survival plan.

The brand's Taiwan operator was a franchise of a global licensee (Liberated Brands) that was already in Chapter 11 — the Taiwan business had no independent survival plan.

Changing consumer habits and the rise of fast-fashion and low-cost activewear (Lululemon, Nike, Uniqlo) eroded the surf-and-skate niche that ROXY had occupied for two decades.

The Taiwan market for mid-tier imported sportswear was shrinking: younger consumers preferred local or fast-fashion alternatives, and the premium segment was captured by global activewear giants.

As a franchise operation, ROXY Taiwan had no control over the parent brand's global strategy or licensing disputes — when the US licensee collapsed, the local franchise was exposed.

A franchise is only as strong as the licensee above it. When the parent collapses, the local operation — however long it has been there — has no standing to continue alone.

ROXY's exit from Taiwan followed the closure of all Liberated Brands US stores in 2025. Authentic Brands Group continued to license the brand to other operators globally, including BR South Pacific for Australia, New Zealand, Thailand and Indonesia. The Taiwan market was left without a dedicated surf-women's retailer.