MEMORIES:

If you were surfing and your ten toes were happily hanging off the edge of your surfboard as you took your next wave, you were hanging ten. This blissful snapshot of the joys of surfing were adopted by one of the first surf ware labels.

 

Before surf ware became it’s own fashion entity, surfers had to contend with surfing in regular clothes – cutoff jean shorts or other constricting items. In 1960, surfer Duke Boyd decided he’d had it with uncomfortable surf clothing options. He worked with seamstress Doris Boeck to create a pair of shorts that would be both comfortable and stylish, and meet the needs of the surfing community. The surfers were pretty stoked.

 

Hang Ten became one of the most popular clothing brands of the 70’s, and was the first surf wear company to create a large line of athletic apparel that appealed to the fashion-conscious. They produced both boys and girls apparel in bright colors and cutting edge designs, and the logo of two bare feet became the thing to be seen in when you wore your shorts, t-shirts, and bathing suits.

 

While the surf ware as street ware phase is over, Hang Ten is still a major player in the surfing fashion world, and the thing to wear when your toes are hanging off those boards.