THE EVOLUTION OF SURFING

[BLADE HAG]

Just moved house and my mate left a box full of old surfing mags in our house.
They are mostly from the early 90's. It is so funny to see the way surfing and surf fashion has evolved from the old days.
Many of the pictures feature surfers in fluro wet suits and long hair. It is also funny to see the old high cut bikini.
In the old days surfers were care free individuals. I find the modern surfers to be quite oppisite, they care to much about being good and being cool rather than surfing for the rush and ejoyment of it.

[Sillysausage]

lol, whenever i see old photos of surfers in shorts they wear the shortest shorts the can find, but now, it's the oposite.

[surferdude_scarborough]

ok calling all surfers on here. who gives a toss about what they look like? i dont

[essex sucks]

nope do not care what what i look like as the people have meet me will know

[joem]

if you see me you'll know that i dont care what i look like

[Big Man]

I do!

not when I'm in the water, cos as anyone who has met me will know, I do NOT look good in a wettie, but when I'm not in the water i'm the most vain person around. I gave up smoking and got addicted to designer labels heh, doesn't do my bank balance much good though

[surfsc77]

i dont really care. im always shopping the bargain racks when it comes to boardshorts and rashguards, most of my other clothes too. utility counts more for me.

[Roy Stewart]

The evolution of surfing ?

This thread is about surfwear not surfing

.

[surfsc77]

doesnt the evolution of surfing have something to do with how styles have changed? i mean you dont see people wearing the same stuff they did today as they did in the 1960's. so i would say that as surfing and moves and the waves people caught evolved, the style has been a part of that.

[RJD]

If what surfers wear = boardies and wetties then wetsuits realy have evolved surfing, as winter swells tend to be bigger...

As for fashion, bah. bring back flairs, paisly shirts pig tailed hippy chicks with love in their eyes...

[Jonah_Fro]

Aren't we just witnessing the commercialisation of the sport? 20 years ago it was highly unlikely that anyone would be seen wearing the labels that dominate today. Nowadays names like Kelly Slater are known by people way outside the realms of the surfing community, due to the endorsements they give to Playstation games etc.

Surfing has always had a cool image, and companies know that. I must admit ignorance here, but how many surfers were getting corporate sponsorship back in the 80's? I'm betting it's nowhere near the level it is today.

I may be wrong, but I'd rank Jet Skis as one of the most influencial factors in the evolution of surfing.

[Otter]

Just moved house and my mate left a box full of old surfing mags in our house.
They are mostly from the early 90's. It is so funny to see the way surfing and surf fashion has evolved from the old days.
Many of the pictures feature surfers in fluro wet suits and long hair. It is also funny to see the old high cut bikini.
In the old days surfers were care free individuals. I find the modern surfers to be quite oppisite, they care to much about being good and being cool rather than surfing for the rush and ejoyment of it.

To a large degree I would have to agree with you. It seems to be that surfing is now much more commercial than it used to be. I can recall when OP was the surf name brand, and Billabong, Hurley, et al were unheard of. Better or worse? I dunno... just different.

[Bub]

Just moved house and my mate left a box full of old surfing mags in our house.
They are mostly from the early 90's. It is so funny to see the way surfing and surf fashion has evolved from the old days.
Many of the pictures feature surfers in fluro wet suits and long hair. It is also funny to see the old high cut bikini.
In the old days surfers were care free individuals. I find the modern surfers to be quite oppisite, they care to much about being good and being cool rather than surfing for the rush and ejoyment of it.

To a large degree I would have to agree with you. It seems to be that surfing is now much more commercial than it used to be. I can recall when OP was the surf name brand, and Billabong, Hurley, et al were unheard of. Better or worse? I dunno... just different.

I was wearing Billabong and O'neil Boardies and T-shirts in the mid-late 80's...they've been around for a while anyway.

As long as what you are wearing is comfortable and you can perform in, that is all that really matters. If you choose to be more fasionable on top of that then that is your choice. It doesn't matter.

Its fully watching skateboarding and the freestyle BMX guys....they are wearing baggy blue jeans w/ waistline hanging around their thighs and boxers showing. How they perform in drug selling/ghetto attire I'll never know, but obviously your skills, abilities, experience far outway the clothes and equipment to perform at a high level.

[CheeZee]

Quite simply .... surfing has been sold out the same as everything else on this planet that can be manipulated into a nice tight lil'corporate cash package!

..once the products were the only things for sale ..now surfing culture is for sale !! which is not totaly a bad thing ..hey, why not buy into a culture ..but when you see adverts on tv selling hair products to make "you look like a surfer, yeh rad my hair is wild ..im a surfer now " ... lmao ... man you know its sold out, especially when the businesses promoting and sponsoring these products are well known surf brands from way back !... man ... what can you do..ive even seen a range of crappy car from Vauxhall or whoever , which are now aimed at the surf wannabees lolol

Bette deal with it and just find you own lil'place in amongst the pretenders ..and try not to give a s*** ...lifes too short !!

And as ever ..this does not come from a CheeZee that rates himself as a surfer of any history or skill ..just someone who appreciates a culture and how to act if you want to be part of it ..p.s i can stand up for longer than 4seconds now

[Hang11]

Since the mid 80's, wetsuits have mysteriously got tighter and tighter around my guts. Even the wettie I've had for the last 5 years seems to be doing it

Does neoprene shrink?

[Otter]

Just moved house and my mate left a box full of old surfing mags in our house.
They are mostly from the early 90's. It is so funny to see the way surfing and surf fashion has evolved from the old days.
Many of the pictures feature surfers in fluro wet suits and long hair. It is also funny to see the old high cut bikini.
In the old days surfers were care free individuals. I find the modern surfers to be quite oppisite, they care to much about being good and being cool rather than surfing for the rush and ejoyment of it.

To a large degree I would have to agree with you. It seems to be that surfing is now much more commercial than it used to be. I can recall when OP was the surf name brand, and Billabong, Hurley, et al were unheard of. Better or worse? I dunno... just different.

I was wearing Billabong and O'neil Boardies and T-shirts in the mid-late 80's...they've been around for a while anyway.

As long as what you are wearing is comfortable and you can perform in, that is all that really matters. If you choose to be more fasionable on top of that then that is your choice. It doesn't matter.

Its fully watching skateboarding and the freestyle BMX guys....they are wearing baggy blue jeans w/ waistline hanging around their thighs and boxers showing. How they perform in drug selling/ghetto attire I'll never know, but obviously your skills, abilities, experience far outway the clothes and equipment to perform at a high level.

Yup, I wore Hang 10 clothes back in the late 60's & early 70's, mid 70's OP took over, after that I quit paying attention to labels and went for comfort and utility. That is where the rubber hits the road. Problem with name brands is that so much of their products are just CARP, fall apart after wearing them 3 or 4 times.

With use and time, neoprene will expand, like our waists...

[CheeZee]

The evolution of surfing !! ......

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product ... SKU=109797

[Surfing-Innovation]

You can equate surfing with the aircooled VW scene in a lot of ways (over here, at least). There are those who surf, who couldn't care less about what they look like, who's board they ride, how they get to the break, etc, and there are those who are simply trying to emulate a lifestyle to 'look cool', when in fact, the idea behind the image (ie the old VW or the actual surfing) has very little interest for them.......

I don't think you can blame it on commercialism wholly - after all, a commercial marketplace will only come into being if the demand is there.

[CheeZee]

I don't think you can blame it on commercialism wholly - after all, a commercial marketplace will only come into being if the demand is there.

.. nope , right with ya there .. i dont think commercialism is the death of anything ... its the muppets who get given the contract to market a product/culture that have no idea who the 'real people' are behind it but hey whatcha gonna do its a thin line and i reckon same as most things ...just find your own lil'place in amongst the jive and the real and get on with enjoying yourself!

p.s im not anti-commercialism of anything ..i just dont like marketing that lies

[northswell]

Not sure how long people on here have been surfing but i bet some only took the sport up as a result of the commercialisation of it.

I first surfed 1994 and even then there were tons of shops selling branded surf gear. It has become more popular as people have bought into the image but its no bad thing.

Poeple rant on at the costs too, most surfwear is cheaper than Nike Reebocks and the like.

If someone is wearing a pair of Nike Airs does that mean they think they are a world class runner, no, it means they like the style and functionality of a product, the same as with a lot of surf brands, nothing more nothing less.