Corduroy comeback

All you over-30 former surfers (and former surfer wanna-bes), get ready to show a little leg. The Ocean Pacific fashion line popular in the '70s has returned.

By Staff and wire reports
© St. Petersburg Times,
published November 26, 2001

A question for those over 30: Remember the original Ocean Pacific surf line with the infamous corduroy shorts? The collared cotton shirts with two wood buttons and sunset scenes? The brown polo jersey with gold and orange stripes across the chest?

They're ba-aack.

Vintage influences are big in spring action-sports lines, from gingham Roxy halter tops to Rusty pinwheel corduroy pants. But the fiercest flashbacks are coming from the new Op Classic Collection, which is arriving in some surf shops and specialty retailers in time for Christmas.

"A lot of kids are really flipping out. They can't believe these are back -- especially so short," says Maria Pawlowski, assistant manager of Suncoast Surf Shop on Treasure Island. "The older guys are all amazed and excited. They remember wearing them in the day. It's like these shorts bring back memories or something."

Last week, Suncoast Surf Shop got its first order of the new Ops, enough to fill a half-rack. They're still short -- about as long as boxers. The cords are still wide and fat. But the colors are much brighter than the subdued shades of the '70s. Fluorescent orange, electric blue, teal green and fire engine red shorts hang next to the brown, black and white standbys made popular decades ago.

"We weren't sure how well the orange and red would go. So we only ordered a couple," Pawlowski says. "Already, I've sold one of each. A guy came in yesterday and bought four pairs. Mostly, it's guys in their 30s and 40s. The younger 20s and teens are amazed anyone would wear them."

The shirts, shorts and pants have the same designs, colors and cuts as the originals, but with updated fabrics. Besides the wide-wale corduroy, shorts also come in microcords and cotton. The company has made one other concession to modern fashion: It's offering a longer version of the traditionally super-short corduroy shorts.

At Suncoast Surf Shop, the longer version is available only by special order.

"We're just starting to get some requests for those," Pawlowski says. "Who knows? They might catch on, too."

When Op executives heard recently that kids were scouring thrift shops for vintage Op gems, it seemed like a perfect time to resurrect an old favorite -- especially because "old school" styles from Adidas, Puma and other apparel and shoe companies have been hot for the past few years, says Op chief executive Dick Baker.

The process began about six months ago when Op created a similar concept for a Japanese partner, which tested it in that super-trendy market. "It was enormously successful," Baker says.

Then about three months ago at Op headquarters in Irvine, Calif., a group of young surfers sponsored by the company walked by a rack of Classic Collection samples.

"All hell broke loose," Baker says. "They started grabbing the clothes and trying them on. They were yelling and screaming. I stopped, and the light went on. I thought, "We have something here!' "

Op also is hoping to use the collection as an entree back into core surf shops and specialty stores, which the company parted ways with long ago when it moved on to bigger retailers, such as department stores. Op will sell the new line only to the specialty market, Baker says, and can afford to keep the distribution small because its more mainstream products, which are expected to generate about $200-million in sales this year, can still be found in Macy's, Nordstrom and other national chains.

"Once something makes it to the mainstream, surfers don't want it anymore," says Suncoast owner Joe Nuzzo, whose shop opened in 1966. "We've had Op since the line first came out. We've never not had them. It's not like they compete with Quicksilver or Billabong or the other brands now. But there's a definite niche for Op. People come in all the time looking for them."

The new colors and styles might help with a resurgence of that brand, Nuzzo says.

Other surf shop owners around Tampa Bay aren't so sure. Most haven't carried Op clothing in years. Some say they know the company is coming out with a new line but just aren't interested.

"I don't know if those are going to work. I'd be surprised if anyone under 40 wanted shorts like that anymore," says Gina Porter, owner of Mad Beach Surf Shop on Madeira Beach. "I was at the surf expo in Orlando in September, and I didn't see any Op stuff. But even if they had a booth, I wouldn't have looked at it. Our guys all seem to want Hurley, Counter Culture and O'Neill."

Shorts by such companies usually hang below the knees and sell for $40 to $50 each. Ops fall to mid thigh and cost $25 at Suncoast.

"The special-order, longer ones are a bit more," Pawlowski says.

Other classic surf lines also may be available again soon. Hang Ten, founded in the 1960s and famous for its striped T-shirts and logo of two bare feet, should have replicas of vintage styles out by April. Hang Ten's vintage styles become trendy once every decade, the last time in the early '90s, said Laura Marzahl, marketing manager for International Licensing Corp. in San Diego, which owns the Hang Ten trademark.

The company also controls the Lightening Bolt brand, which was revived under a licensing agreement in August 2000 after about a 10-year layoff, Marzahl said.

"I don't know what it's going to take for the young guys to get back into these," says Pawlowski, 22. "But now that they got all these hot, funky new colors, I'm going to have to get me a pair -- or two."

- Information from the Orange County Register and Times staff writer Lane DeGregory was used in this story.

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