Billabong Clothing Boardshorts And Wetshirts

There was once a time when sports clothing served little more than an entirely functional purpose – people would only wear their sports clothes whilst taking part in chosen sporting activity and at this time sports clothes were designed, manufactured and bought based on their comfort and suitability for being worn whilst doing any given sport. In the last couple of decades, however, there has been an increasing crossover between sports wear and fashion, meaning that today many people wear casual clothing not necessarily designed for sports, but clearly inspired by an active, sporting ethos.

There are a number of brands and clothing manufacturers who specialise in this particular style of casual clothing, one of which is the Australian clothing brand Billabong. Billabong was founded on the Gold Coast in1973 by Gordon and Rena Merchant. Gordon lived for surfing and made many notable contributions to the development of surfboards, though in `73 turned his attention to clothing. Billabong began with Gordon and Rena making boardshorts from their own small flat and having them tested out by local surfers. The initial aim of the Billabong brand was to create the best boardshorts out there and by the 1980s it was achieving this so successfully that the company went international.

In the 80s Billabong began exporting to California, Japan, New Zealand and Europe and so began to dominate the world of surfing with big name surfers all wearing Billabong board shorts. By the 1990s Billabong was undoubtedly the number one Australian retailer of surf wear, but creator Gordon Merchant still remained very much involved with the designing, marketing and sales of all Billabong`s products. His undying love of surfing has ensured that as well as being fashionable Billabong`s products are always of the highest quality, something which has led to the brand`s continuing popularity.

Now a hugely successful company Billabong is also involved in many promotions and sponsors many surfing events, most notably the Billabong Pro contests held in Tahiti, South Africa, Spain and Hawaii. Billabong is also respected for the commitment it gives to its pro riders and is also very active in encouraging and supporting junior surfers.

Today Billabong offers a hugely diverse range of products, ranging from items specifically designed for surfing such as boardshorts and wetshirts, to more fashion-directed casual wear pieces such as jeans, jumpers and shirts, as well as accessories including watches, wallets. The brand also releases collections each season (for example the Love Hate collection or the Steve Sherman collection), which tend to be more fashion-orientated though still hugely popular. It would appear that the central principal that underpins all Billabong clothing products is the desire for the highest quality that was first born from Gordon and Rena`s wish to produce better boardshorts.

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