WHY WE USE YAMAMOTO LIMESTONE-BASED RUBBER

Because we're dedicated to representing real-deal excellence. Aka: The best wetsuits, like parachutes, must work — every time. And like winning Olympic Track & Field gold medalists, stronger is always better. 

Simply put: We believe that the Yamamoto Corporation in Osaka, Japan produces the world's best and most durable rubber. And we exclusively use the pinnacle offering of their most advanced materials. Aka what we call: OG Optimum Technology.

+ Warmer & Lighter: 99% water impermeable compared to the standard 65% via oil-derived neoprene) -- laminated to the world's finest 4-way stretch & pill-proof nylon (markedly increasing responsiveness & overall product lifespan)

+ Titanium-coated: Specifically, Yamamoto limestone rubber technology with Ti-Alpha (Titanium-Alpha): a titanium alloy between the rubber & nylon that reflects body heat back inwards -- while keeping the cold out

+ More Sustainable: Longer lasting material derived from a single source of limestone in Japan with 3000+ years of readily available deposits 

For OG Optimum Technology, the functional superiority is real -- and so is the perfectly uniform microcell structure that's shaped like tiny hexagons (as opposed to how the cell structure of oil-based neoprene looks and functions more like your kitchen sponge).  

Point being: Yamamoto materials produce a lighter, warmer & longer-lasting wetsuit -- because of the water that your wetsuit doesn't absorb. Moreover, we are also confident that the most ecologically sound wetsuit (or car or whatever you purchase) is the one that lasts the longest while functioning at the highest level. 

To slow down human consumption and advocate for the customer's return on investment, a premium and sustainable product must include functional performance that is both legitimate and durable. 

And we are proud to say that our job is to represent all of the above -- with the greatest integrity, sincerity and execution. Going strong -- since Day One. 

Though CKTH, XIIIG and 00 BY XIIIG are new brands, they were founded by John V. Campbell, who has been a disrupter in the industry since 2005 when he launched his first wetsuit company. Always focused on superior design and materials, John worked closely with innovator and legendary Japanese industrialist, Keiichi Yamamoto and his son Tommy to further refine the company’s unique limestone-based rubber. Their work together helped re-position existing production in order to pioneer a new quality standard for the neoprene category. As one of the last Westerners to meet with Keiichi in 2009, and because of their close working relationship, John was later given an everlasting honor by the Yamamoto Family and served as one of three speakers at Keiichi's memorial service in downtown Osaka, Japan in 2017 (the then Japanese Prime Minister was also in attendance to pay his respects). In the two decades since their first meeting, John, Tommy and the Yamamoto Corporation have continued their collaboration giving CKTH, XIIIG and 00 BY XIIIG unparalleled access to ground breaking and functionally superior innovations in material technology.

Explore 00 BY XIIIG wetsuits using OG Optimum Technology