The Okanui Story: Take a look back

The Okanui story began with founder Dick Ash on Sydney’s Northern beaches; Dick was 15 when he was inspired to create his first pair of board shorts. Using his Mum’s sewing machine and some old canvas mailbags from the Avalon post office. He designed the shorts long and baggy, suited for surfing on the new-style Okanui surfboards that had exploded on to the Aussie surf scene in 1956.

Before long, he was making shorts for all of his surfing mates. He nicknamed them Okanui’s, and an Australian surf icon was born! Not content with plain canvas, he designed the distinctive hibiscus print that remains the signature of the Okanui clothing brand, typifying the timeless and tropical spirit of days at the beach.

Since 1978, surfers across Australia have been hitting the waves in our distinctive hibiscus print Okanui board shorts, creating an ocean of memories along the way.

Over 40 years later, the Okanui range has now expanded to include shirts, T-shirts, linen and a kid’s range, still with the classic shorts remaining the staple piece in the Okanui wardrobe. Okanui remains a family business with the core focus on producing high quality, comfortable and fun clothing. At the beach, on the boat or at the bar, your Okanui heritage garment it is designed to improve with wear to become a firm favourite, helping you escape your everyday.

Take a look back at some memories from the Okanui story,