The latest chapter of this renowned collection takes a different path — venturing deep into Australia’s Red Centre, where the landscape shifts from coastline to desert, and the energy of the country reveals itself in a completely new way. Joined by his son Lenny and Indigenous surfer Bohdi Simons, Otis Hope Carey experienced the raw aura of the outback firsthand. Surrounded by towering mountain ranges, endless desert tones, and the quiet power that exists within the landscape. Although their lives and upbringings have been shaped by the ocean, the connection to Country felt familiar. Through culture, storytelling, and shared experience, they discovered parallels between the energies of the land and the sea, a sense of movement, spirit, and connection that made the Red Centre feel both grounding and deeply understood. Far from the coastline, the trip became more than a journey through landscape. It was an exploration of connection — between generations, between culture and place, and between two environments that, while vastly different in appearance, carry the same living energy throughout them.
"It's so important to share our culture, share our story, share our ways, share our art, just everything about it, it's such a beautiful thing to go to waste and we definitely need to share it around the world, we're the oldest living culture which is so special to us."
— Bohdi Simon
The new Billabong x Otis is grounded in Gaagal - a shared totem of Gumbaynggirr People representing the ocean. Featured across men’s, women’s and youth pieces, the print is especially close to Otis’ heart.
“For this range especially, the Gaagal print feels deeply personal,” Otis says. “When I paint that word, I’m essentially painting a portrait of myself. That’s why this collection is one of the most special and closest to my heart — people are wearing my portraits.”
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“From the start, me and Billabong have had a really beautiful, open relationship. Everything’s always felt easy. The boys really understand what I’m about, who I am, and what I want to share — not just as a Black man, but as a human. They’ve really nurtured that, and I’m grateful that Billabong has given me the space to express myself, share my stories, and bring people together.”
— Otis Hope Carey
“You’ve got rivers that go all the way inland, carrying songlines from the ocean and songlines from the middle of the earth, out in the country where they meet. So you’re going to have this energy that’s somehow all linked.”
— Otis Hope Carey
