What is the Origin of Board Shorts?

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Where Did Board Shorts Originate From? by Beth Dawson

The beginning of surfing

In the 1960s surfing became massive all over the world not only as a competitive sport but as a cool funky hobby as well. The whole style of the beach look and surfer chick took the world by storm and suddenly not only surfers were wearing board shorts and flip flops but people who wanted to look like they had just come from the beach were wearing them as well.

From shorts to board shorts

The original board short style derived from the old fashioned form of swimming trunks. Similar to what they are today they were long, but they had lace up at the front, thick seams, and buttons which were inconveniently placed when paddling out on the surf board. They did not dry quickly from the water which meant while surfing they were hard to wear, rode up, and rubbed the upper legs. They were neither comfortable nor practical.

Evolution of the first board short

It was in 1970 that two Australian surfers Alan Green and John Law designed a board short that would change the surfer fashion forever. They designed a short that was purposefully made for surfing, everything about it, from the material used, the waist band, the length, where buttons were placed, whether to use lining and so on.

They designed a short specifically for surfers for their surf board, hence the name 'board shorts'. Their company is called Quicksilver. Any surfer who wore them said they were the most comfortable shorts for surfing they had ever worn, and so from word of mouth the style and the brand name grew and grew to the phenomenon that it is today.

From here many companies and brands make board shorts, but all use Green and Law's style, these include such as Billabong, Puma, Timberland, O'Neill, and hundreds more.

Womens Board Shorts

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