BRAND GUIDE
A brief history of some of the most influential brands in the surf world!
ALOHA
Founded in 1978 by Greg Clough on Sydney's Northern beaches.
Greg grew up with the surf culture of Queensland and spent his time at surfboard factories during his school years.
After spending time in California, South Africa and Europe, he went back to Australia in 1975 and worked for several years perfecting his craft of surfboard shaping for other surf brands.
In 1978 he launched Aloha Surfboards which has represented some of the best surfers and in turn promoted the 'aloha lifestyle' to surfing.
ANIMAL
In the Southwest of England in 1987 two surfers Ian Elliot and Nigel Broughton caught the attention of the surfing world with their creation of the 'hook and loop' watch strap.
By 1996 they had expanded to menswear.
BALIN
Established in 1974 on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula.
Balin started out as a way for a couple of local surfers Jon Wilson and Ian Brett to make some money to support their surfing lifestyle.
They focused on shaping boards and manufactured some of the first leg ropes.
Through rigorous testing and refinement Jon and Ian created and patented end pieces for leashes that would set a global standard and Balin products would be found in surf shops all over the world.
Jon Wilson still owns Balin today and reassures the world that all Balin products feel like they are designed by expierenced surfers.
BILLABONG
Gordon Merchant started by designing and creating boardshorts in his home in Queensland Australia in 1973. He sold them to local surf shops, surfers soon realised the durability of the shorts due to a a unique triple stich technique.
Billabong started to sponsor contests as Merchant understood that expanding was the only way to create success.
By 1980 Billabong shorts were sold throughout Australia and by the late 80s they were exporting into other countries.
BODY GLOVE
In 1944 twin brothers Bill and Bob Meistrell moved to Manhattan Beach and immediately fell in love with the ocean. They soon began surfing as balsa boards caught on and the twins were among the first to glass the nose of their boards.
Bill and Bob wanted to find a way to combat the cold waters of California, they tried everything from wool sweater to wartime electrically heated flyer suits.
Finally in 1953 they discovered and insulating material used in the back of refrigerators "neoprene", with this discovery the brothers fashioned the first practical wetsuit and the phrase 'Fits like a glove' and Body Glove was born.
GOTCHA
‘If You Don’t Surf/Don’t Start’
Gotcha was renowned for being a headstrong and exclusive brand that everyone wanted to be a part of.
Founded in 1978 by Michael Tomson and Joel cooper, who started by selling board shorts from their garage in Laguna Beach, California.
Tomson was the driving force of the brand, born in - Durban, South Africa - he was a professional surfer in the 1970s. Gotcha was an outlet for Tomson to express his creativity, its key was the mix of design, creativity and pure attitude.
It was Gotcha that brought neon colours, prints and unique silhouettes to surf, this was the first time that surf and fashion were brought together. It influenced future generations of streetwear designers like Shaun Stussy who designed the logo.
Gotchas infamous marketing campaigns showed they were a brand that didn't want to play by the rules. Allied to this ground-breaking brand were some pure stars of the 80s and 90s including Martin Potter, Brad Gerlach, Gerry Lopez, Derek and Michael Ho, Brock Little, Rob Machado, Mike Stewart, Sunny Garcia and Matt Archbold to name a few.
HANG TEN
Known for its bare feet logo Hang Ten was founded in 1960s by Doris Moore - a seamstress and surfer Duke Boyd in Seal Beach CA. Boyd brought his expertise of surfing to his designs and Moore manifested them, together they created the first board shorts, knee length nylon shorts built to with stand water and rocks.
Soon after, they named the brand 'Hang Ten' a term for mastering the art of nose riding.
By the mid 60s they had expanded their workforce and created the perfect surfing tshirt made from a unique light weight material.
By the Late 60s Hang Ten went global by hiring an overseas manufacturer, showcasing the Southern California lifestyle to the wider world.
HAWAIIAN ISLAND CREATIONS
Stephan Tsukuyama and Jimmy Tsukuyama first opened a bike shop called 'Kailua Bike Shop' in 1971 on the Hawaiian Islands, during the 1970s energy crisis bike sales shot through the roof, so the brothers had spare revenue that they could invest into something new.
Hawaiian island creations (HIC) was created selling surfboards and surfing accessories.
HOT TUNA
Australia 1969 - surfer Richard Meldrum and his fashion designer wife Jo-Anne Meldrum founded the apparel brand Hot Tuna.
The brand rose in popularity due to its unconventional and retro style graphics and by the 80s the Hot Tuna logo had come to symbolise true surfing spirit for beachgoers worldwide.
Their raw and quirky advertising helped define the brand and this evolved into ground-breaking fashion shoots involving renowned fashion photographers of the time.
They created subversive campaigns to shock what they considered a conservative industry, Hot Tuna helped to pioneer a change in attitude in the surf community.
HURLEY
Founded in 1979 by Bob Hurley and Bob Rowland.
Hurley had worked 5 years previously as a surfboard shaper for various companies. He carved out a reputation as being one of the premium shapers in Southern California.
In 1983 Hurley Licensed the US rights to the up and coming Australian brand Billabong and formed Billabong USA.
LOST
“I don't know. I'm just a big fat dude and I make boards that work for me. Which means they work for a lot of other people too."- Matt Biolos
The company's journey began with the iconic round nose fish (RNF) a board that redefined surfboard design and remains one of the top selling boards today.
Co founded by Matt Biolos and school friends in 1985, Lost Surfboards were not always a household name, only starting to gain traction in southern California in the 90s/00s where his shorter, wider and thicker boards were helping the average surfer find some speed and have the time of their lives.
The evidence of Matts genius came in the form of Lost library of surf flicks, in the mid 90s Lost videos dominated the VCRs of costal towns, they were full of vulgarity and Jackass like stunts which appealed to the younger punky generation of surfers that were emerging but it was the surfing that drew everyone in.
MAMBO
The question argued about is are - Mambo a Surf brand?
The brand was forged by its curiosity of art, music and culture and laughed in the face of PC censorship.
Launched in 1984 by Musician Dare Jennings and business partner Andrew Rich in Sydney. In the 70s Jennings owned a screen printing business producing t-shirts for commercial clients but he also owned a record label. Mambo began as an after hours project and all graphics were deigned by in house artists/musicians.
In 1994 Mambos first 'Loud shirt' was released inspired by the famous 'Aloha hawiian shirt' it quickly became their best seller and started the Mambo loud shirt style.
Their humor, provocative art,social commentary and raising money for charity made them a symbol for Australian culture. Mambos art and ethos moved beyond the indie scenes to the olympic games becoming an integural part of Australian culture.
O'NEILL
' I just wanted to surf longer' - Jack O'Neill
The first ever surf shop was opened in San Francisco, in 1952 by Jack O'Neill.
Jack had been interested in finding a way to surf for longer in cold water in 1953, he experimented with oil treated sweaters, underwear with a layer of rubber and suits of PVC foam. Jack then switched to Neoprene which proved to be ideal for surfing. Jack was one of the first to sell neoprene wetsuits commercially and helped to popularise them all over the world.
In 1961 the shop relocated to the iconic Santa Cruz.
In 1970 Jack went on to create the Supersuit, a wetsuit that you could blow air into which would then be more recognisable in case you were lost at sea.
The following year his son Pat created the first leash which would end up being the cause of Jack loosing his eye.
The 80s saw more breakthroughs. First appearances of rash vests and split toe boots came into the surf scene once again invented by jack and his team.
OXBOW
Founded in 1985 in Normandy France, OXBOW which meant 'bow-shaped bend in a river' was chosen by the brands founders Fabrice Valéri and Isabelle Cachot when they saw the word on an old American map. The pair got into the habit of finding inspiration and names for their collections from old vintage maps.
The beginning of the Oxbow adventure started with a pair of hand sewn boardshorts that their friend brought back from a surf tip in Sri Lanka. From their Normandy HQ Oxbow was the orgin of a real revolution, developing an avant-garde style, enriched by refined and colourful aesthetics.
Oxbow moved its HQ to Bordeaux, closer to the Pyrenees mountains, but more importantly, closer to the ocean.
They made surfing history by sponsoring Oxbow Lacanau Pro, the Oxbow style took hold in europe.
In 1991 François-Xavier Maurin introduced longboarding to the Oxbow managers, they managed to convince the ASP (the former professional surfing league) to create two original competition formats, and in 1991 Biarritz hosted a Longboard championship.
QUIKSILVER
"There was a total buzz about surfing, and for me it was quite simple: I wanted to build my life around it"- Alan Green
It all started in 1968 in a small garage in Torquay, Australia, Alan Green was making wetsuits for Ripcurl when he got a loan from his dad which allowed him to start experimenting - his aim was to make the perfect boardshort.
At the time surfers had to deal with bulky heavy shorts that created rashes and hindered their performance in the water.
Surfboard design was progressing making them more manoeuvrable and manageable so it was a great time to design shorts that followed suit. There was a huge buzz around surfing and Alan and his two mates Carol McDonald from Ocean Grove and Tim Davis from Torquay wanted to create their life around it, so they made boardshorts.
Barbra (Alans wife) came across the word quicksilver in a book ‘quicksilver’ describing something as; elusive, liquid, mercurial, changing readily she thought this described what Alan was trying to do with the business.
In 1973 after using a load of left over Velcro that Alan had bought for the rip curl wetsuits the first technical purpose built boardshorts were created.
Their first customer was Klemm-Bell surf shop who was a friend of Alans, they were a hit and it wasnt long before they were driving up and down the coast supplying every surf shop between teaching surf lessons.
In 1976 Quiksilver was distributed to the States, 1983 Japan and 1984 Europe, SA and Asia
REEF
In 1984 Two Argentina brothers Fernando and Santiago Aguerre wanted to bring their love of the beach and surfing by creating high quality comfortable products that fit their lifestyle. They loved walking so they wanted to create a sandal that could be used for everything, cruising on the beach, and strolling around town.
They redesigned and refined the sandal. Their attention to detail and their uncompromising standard of quality made Reef the most comfortable sandals people had ever worn.
They continued this innovation with all their designs.
In 1995 they signed on Rob Machado who went on to become a pipeline master.
In 1995 Mick Fanning also joins the ambassador team. He is eventually coined the fastest surfer alive and goes on to win 3 championship titles.
In 1996 Reef launch their fist trainer,
In 1999 a specifically designed sandal for women was created with unique style, fit and comfort in mind.
In 2000 they released their first Miss REEF calendar that hit walls all over the world
2005 was the release of the exclusive Fanning 'Bottle opener' which was the one and only bottle opening sandal inspired by their good pal Mick Fanning.
RIP CURL
March 1969, two surfer friends Doug "Claw" Warbrick and Brian "Sing Ding" Singe bumped into each other on the Street in Torquay. Claw had just finished a summer shaping boards and asked Brian if he wanted to start making surfboards together. Brian realised this would mean a lot more time to surf so a couple of days later he resigned from his teaching job.
And just like that Rip Curl was born,
Brian had a garage on Ocean road where they set up shop and in April 1969 the first boards were made.
Claw and Brian were making 4 boards a week for the best surfers in Torquay.
In the November of that year they realised they needed more space and moved to an old Bakery building, and lifted production to 12 boards a week.
In december 1969 Alan Green joined the duo and they started making wetsuits to compliment the boards.
In April 1970 Green left Rip Curl to set up his own thing which went on to be Quiksilver.
The Old bakery extended to the house next door to make a wetsuit factory and they created the new 'long John' Style wetsuit.
In 1976 they moved to Geelong road and soon after Quiksilver opened up next door.
ROXY
In 1990 Quiksilver spotten an untapped market in Womens surfwear and took a gutsy move by starting a womenswear line.
The surf market had always been a fickle one and even with female surfers achievements in and out of the water they still hadn't drummed up the notoriety or the community that the men had long enjoyed.
Like Quiksilver Roxy was born in the water starting out as a swimwear line, it was a hit and by 1992 they had expanded into sportwear and denim.
It was 1993 when the staff of Roxy were in Hawaii when they came up with the idea of a female boardshorts. The board shorts became a huge success and along with it Roxy and Women's surfing, it was suddenly the next big thing.
1994 and Lisa Anderson joined the team she was the reigning ASP Female world champion and went on to win 3 more titles. She is considered by many to be the most influential female surfer in the history of women's surfing. Under her guidence the female board riders team grew to become the most respected and accomplished pro team in women's surfing.
In the winter of 1995 on Sunset Beach, Oahu's North Shore Roxys first annual pro event was born. The Roxy Pro Hawaii still remains the most prestigious and exciting ASP World Championship surf events of the year.
Roxy took new york fashion week by storm in 1996 with their catwalk 'The Girls Rule' Show.
By the end of the 90's Roxy had become a brand for girls everywhere they enjoyed a mass market appeal but never lost its core audience.
RUSTY
Rusty Preisendorfer started by shaping boards for Gordon and Smith and Canyon Surfboards.
Rusty set up his own brand from the mid 70s but was still shaping for Canyon, in 1985 he left canyon and started Rusty Surfboards. Ridden by more than half of the top 16 surfers at the time, his boards were seriously in demand.
By 1987 Rusty had moved into apparel and launched a clothing line and also released their own board shorts.
Today Rusty still heads up the the team of shapers for Rusty surfboards.
We highly recommend reading this blog about board shorts by Rusty
SALTROCK
This is one close to our hearts, North Devon being our home, knowing the original owners and working for the brand.
Two Brothers - Angus and Ross - left South Africa and landed in London, looking for somewhere to surf they got on a train to Cornwall. Soon their funds started to dwindle and they decided to put their artistic skills to work. In 1988 They started making T-shirts and selling them out the back of their Austin Allegro.
They named their new brand Saltrock after their favourite surf break in South Africa. The demand for the designs grew and the brothers packed up and moved up the coast to Croyde, North Devon.
This is where they hooked up with Local surfer Carl Priscott. The enthusiasm within the brand exploded and they expanded into nearby Braunton. Saltrock has become established in the UK surfing community and especially here in North Devon.
SANTA CRUZ
Three surfer friends from Santa Cruz first got together and created NHS inc in 1973. They started by creating surfboards but the profit margins were low and the business struggled. A friend in Hawaii who owned a company challenge them to make 500 skateboards. Using surplus fibre glass from the surfboard production, the three friends made these skateboards and didn't look back. They have since become one of the most iconic names in Skateboarding.
STUSSY
Undeniably the Godfathers of streetwear but the beginning of this brand started with the love of surfing.
Founded in 1980 by Shawn Stussy, who began shaping surfboards that combined performance shapes with a unique-graphic-hand-style combining elements from reggae, punk and new wave music. Before branching out on his own he had shaped boards for Russell surfboards.
The Stussy logo was born from Shawn scrawling his last name on his hand crafted surfboards with a large tipped marker.
In 1984 Shawn Stussy went into partnership with accountant Frank Sinatra Jr on a new line of apparel using the Stussy name. He started by reinventing caps with branding of a fashion label instead of a sports team. He moved into other apparel and in 1991 Shawn Stüssy and James Jebbia (then-owner of Union and future founder of streetwear label Supreme), opened Stüssy’s first flagship store in New York.
Shawn Stussy created a world wide tribe, all from creating T-shirts in 1980 to promote his new surfboard services.
SURF STYLE
Formed in the 1990s the brand started by selling windbreakers out of the trunk of a car in South Florida.
Being a wholesale business at the start, retailers were drawn in by the shiny fabric and neon colours.
In 2011 they opened the fist mega store in Clearwater beach Located just off beach walk, this sprawling, two-story retail location boasts a 350-space beach parking garage, premier skate shop, 44 foot specially commission Guy Harvey mural, candy and fudge filled convenience shop and the only FlowRider indoor. surfing machine for 150 miles.
THE REALM
"For surfers by surfers"
Founded in Southern California in 1997 by Noted Surfers Mike Parsons and Pat O'Connell (featured in Endless summer II).
They wanted to create a brand that was created for surfers by surfers, The Realm sponsored pro surfers like Tom Curren.
TIKI
We might be biased but this is another brand we think is sick! With their roots here in our home town of Braunton, North Devon.
Tim Heyland and Dave Aldrich-Smith started making Tiki Surfboards in South wales before relocating to North Devon. In 1968 They briefly set up shop in Barnstaple before finally putting down their roots in Braunton where it still resides today!!
With Dave's contacts in California, they were then able to secure licenses to produce the likes of Bing, G&S and Weber surfboards in the UK. Before long they were selling boards as fast as they could make them, leading to the launch of Tiki Surfboards.
The Mid 80s welcomed the era for the neon coloured wetsuits. Tim and Dave quickly realised their must be an alternative to the thick and stiff wetsuits that everyone was wearing so they set about designing suits specifically for surfing, as Europe's leading surfboard manufacturer, word quickly spread about these new wetsuits.
Tiki continued to push surfing technology and has become on of the Largest and longest running surf shops in Europe.
TOWN AND COUNTY (T&C)
Craig's love affair with the ocean came long before entering the surf business. In the early 60s Craig would rent boards off the Waikiki Beach Boys and in 1963 he worked hard an bought his first board, a 9'4" Hobie ($134.00). Whilst many surfers are drawn to the ocean not many have the real thirst for understanding and creating their own equipment but Craig did.
As his surfing improved he became more interested in the anatomy of the surfboard and how its impact on performance increased. He became a laminator for Greg Noll Surfboards, the opportunity to become a shaper at Mystic boards came along and Craig took it. He started shaping boards for a number of local standout surfers but he still wanted more.
In 1971 he opened his own shop, the name reflected the shop's position between the two epicentres of surf on Oahu - Town & Country. The logo, suggested by a t-shirt artist, has strong graphic character and deep meaning. Most simple and applicable to surfing is - BALANCE. This balance has defined the evolution of Town & Country over the years.