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!!Brand History
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[Upload:robert/4f74fb4eb317fddf269424306c46e02e_tn.jpg align=right
hspace=5 vspace=5 pop=yes]In the late 1960's Australian surfers Alan
Green and John Law chased a dream - to live in Torquay, make a living
and go surfing. In 1969 Alan Green produced wetsuits (Rip Curl) on a
$2500 loan from his father, the next product was sheepskin boots
([UGG Boots | http://www.australianaura.com]), and in 1970 he and
John Law formed the company named Quiksilver. Greenie and Law ripped
apart some old trunks and discarded the portions that they deemed
unnecessary or undesirable. Gone was the leaden canvas, the lace up
front, the long stovepipe legs, the double thick seams and buttons
that hurt when you paddled. Nothing of the old was left so they
started from scratch. A pattern that was anatomically based was
devised to move with the surfer.

Greenie and Law's innovative trunk was made from a durable,
lightweight fabric that dried rapidly. Their board shorts had short
scalloped legs that didn't bind or hang up. The styling was
essentially clean. A wide waistband yielded support. They designed a
snap that held and placed it so a bloke could paddle. There were no
decorative add-ons. There was a wax pocket, a lay flat Velcro front
closure and that was about it.

So Greenie and Law put them on and went surfing. Hard at it, all day
every day. People notice what works. They also pay attention to
individuals who devote years to chasing a dream. Soon other riders
would do anything to get one of these elusive newfangled boardshorts.
This was the birth of Quiksilver, the genuine, original, functional
choice of the hard-core participant.

Leading the beg, borrow and steal-a-pair brigade, was the foremost
competitor of the decade, Jeff Hakman. Personally trained by the
Duke, he understood both the history of the activity and the scope of
greatness. Tutored by the legendary surfboard shaper Richard Brewer he
had an immediate grasp of functional design. Above all, as one of the
key players in the radicalization of surfing itself, Hakman knew the
future when he saw it. In Torquay, Oz for a contest, Jeff got one of
those glimpses. Quiksilver boardshorts. With a little chicanery Jeff
managed to abscond with some that he forgot to return to his mate,
Australian pro Mark Warren. They were a perfect fit and everywhere
Hakman toured people were mad to possess them. In 1976, Hakman left
Torquay with a Bells trophy and an agreement to distribute Quiksilver
in the United States.

Back home in Hawaii, Jeff enlisted the aid of his surfing friend Bob
"Buzz" McKnight a surf filmmaker and student who just happened to be
close to graduating from the University of Southern California with a
business degree. The demand for these new boardshorts was there. The
design was there. Everyone who wore them said these Quiksilver's were
the most comfortable trunks that they had ever worn. Bob, in addition
to surfing everyday, was a business major. How can you fail with a
combination like that, Hakman reasoned. With his usual persistence,
Jeff managed to persuade Greenie and Law to grant Bob and himself the
American license to the magic boardshort. No recounting of the annals
of the sport fails to include the torrid tale of the eager to impress
Hakman actually eating the serving doily off of the dinner table at a
local Torquay restaurant much to the delight of Greenie. A great
partnership had begun.

By the mid-1970's, a small office/warehouse/distribution center was
opened in Newport Beach, California. McKnight and Hakman built a
business based on word of mouth, quality, unbelievable service and
their extensive personal contacts at surf shops on all three coasts
of the USA.

Growing a company that produces a never seen before product category
is a difficult way to go. The partners were hard at it product
testing in the water, designing at the sewing machines and selling to
the surf shops. Leading converts from surfing's new school like Danny
Kwock came on board. The firm's constant innovation in materials,
high tech fabrics and cutting edge graphics helped propel Quiksilver
further. Involvement in assorted boardriding activities led to the
creation of newer designs for these varied avocations. Novel apparel
for committed snowboarders and skateboarders led to additional
expansion. The Quiksilver program is universally recognized as the
embodiment of purist improvisation and innovation. Quiksilver's
position of leadership in the international teen and young adult
markets is undeniable.

The seventh decade of this century went out in loud outrageous
fashion as Quiksilver let loose with Echo beach prints (which
included polka dots, triangles and checkerboards). The sky was the
limit in the early 80's: paint and graphics poured from the heavens
and brought competitive, fashion-hungry beach culture, The Quiksilver
War Paint and ST Comp stretch series were worn by legendary Australian
surfers Gary Elkerton and Tom Carroll. Both were bold, each stood
apart, as did the expanded Quiksilver team of professional surfers
endorsing the products to a worldwide market. These were the
Performers, committed to a new era of high-performance surfing. Going
with the roots of Greenie and Law's simple goals of fashion and
function, Quiksilver designers listened to the words of top surfers,
snowboarders, and skateboarders in order to deliver a line of swim
wear and sportswear to enthusiasts who participated in their active
sports.

In 1984, Jeff Hakman went to Europe with surf filmmaker Harry Hodge,
Brigitte Darrigrand and John Winship where they founded Quiksilver
Europe. The trio took the Quiksilver formula and applied a European
twist to its approach on product design and marketing.

In 1988, Quiksilver showed its prowess by endorsing one of the
industry's largest ever contracts with world champion Tom Carroll and
in 1990 outstanding USA amateur surfer Kelly Slater joined the
Quiksilver team. Slater went on to dominate, leading the "new school"
of surfing and winning six world championships.

Quiksilver was instrumental in stimulating the current growth in
women's boardsports participation. The introduction of the Roxy
junior swim and sportswear brand in 1991, inspired major trends in
the activity. Roxy was the first brand to create functional, yet
fashion driven clothing and equipment for both the would-be and
accomplished female surfer. The unique style of Roxy's
performance-inspired design has been widely imitated throughout the
fashion industry.

Long before the bastions of mainstream news reporting began charting
the company's progress, there was an elemental approach at work
within Quiksilver unique to the company. Following Quiksilver's
initial public stock offering in 1986, there has been a continual
interest in the company's activities. Many of these narratives center
on the organization's notable accomplishments: the over six-hundred
million dollar per year gross sales and a unique prominence in the
growing US teen market, which has over two hundred billion dollars of
discretionary spending power each year in the US alone. So why does
CEO and chairman of the board Robert B. McKnight Jr. insist that key
management repeatedly meet on field trips and indulge the pursuits of
gravity before they sit down to meet?

First and foremost Quiksilver's products are created out of need.
Whatever success they will enjoy is always secondary to that point.
From Alan and John's first pair of boardshorts through the aggressive
new imagery of the Echo Beach period of the Eighties, down to anything
in the line today, this is authentic performance gear. The point is
that Quik stuff works so well because the people who design, make and
sell it demand that it excel. This is why board meetings may be
scheduled on European slopes, a ship off the coast of Java or a lake
in Arizona. Quiksilver employees are a vital part of all research and
development. They are the end users; everything they do is designed
for them. There are no corporate marketing mission statements, trend-
marketing surveys or fashion forecasts anywhere near it. Simple logic
is, just create the best, most functional items imaginable and then
work it. A survey of current Quiksilver employees will reveal an
impressive number of former world, national, state and pro
competitive title winners in surfing, snowboarding, and
skateboarding. You don't find this coefficient of reality elsewhere.

The Quiksilver style is rooted in the activity. Proof of the
viability of Quiksilver's passionate approach can be found in its
continued support of athletes such as six-time world professional
surfing champion Kelly Slater and women's four- time world
professional surfing champion Lisa Andersen. Affiliates often take
their association with the company further. Rusty Keaulana, in
addition to being a three-time world longboard champion, works with
disadvantaged children in the Hawaiian community. Two-time world
champion Tom Carroll develops prototype equipment in Australia. Ten-
time international windsurfing champion Robby Naish is involved with
European operations. Legendary waterman Barry Kanaiaupuni and
six-time world professional surfing champion Kelly Slater own
Quiksilver Boardriders Clubs. Bruce Raymond, an Australian surfing
champion, is the International Director of Marketing. Founding figure
and multiple International Pro Champion Jeff Hakman still works daily
in concert with Harry Hodge in France. Former United States surfing
champion Willy Morris is a sales rep in California. French surfing
great Peyo Lizarau is a vital part of the marketing team in Europe.
Quiksilver also sponsors a healthy number of surf teams, snowboard
teams and a diverse selection of skateboarders, sailboarders,
wakeboarders and motocross riders. The company also organizes and
sponsors numerous contests and events ranging in scope from premiere
international events to small community based efforts that its riders
and dealers may be involved with.

The events created by Quiksilver may prove to be one of the company's
most compelling legacies. The choice of location, selection of
invitees, method of judging, the style, look and promotion are all
variables that are fine tuned in the making of a Quik event. A number
of these projects have influenced the development of the extreme
sports milieu.

A selection of these influential events includes: The Eddie Aikau Big
Wave Invitational Series at Waimea Bay; The ground-breaking 1995
Quiksilver Pro at G-Land, Indonesia, that put hardcore credibility
back into professional surfing events (the best surfers in the best
waves); The World Amateur Surfing Championships at Newquay England,
1986; The Quiksilver Snowboarding and Surfing Cup in Europe; The
Quiksilver Roxy Pro at Sunset Beach, North Shore, Oahu; The
Quiksilver Winter Classic Surf/Snow Event; The Quiksilver Mavericks
Big Wave Event; The Roxy Surf Jam at Hanalei and Ventura, The
QuikSilverEdition Molokai to Oahu Paddleboard Race. These pioneering
events have firmly established Quiksilver as the authentic leader in
the action sports market.

Another unique Quiksilver involvement is a series of innovative
concept stores and shops, which have greatly improved both brand
recognition and distribution standards. Quiksilver Boardriders Clubs
and in-store shops, Quiksvilles and Roxyvilles, have become key
retail models around the world. Presently, there are two hundred and
fifteen Quiksilver Boardriders Clubs globally including thirty in the
United States. Trend setting in both their concept and execution, they
are definitive presentations of the Quiksilver ethic. Flagship stores
in Paris, London and New York are often mentioned by the fashion and
business press as examples of truly entertaining retail concepts.

Today, Quiksilver offers a diverse line of products under its
umbrella including a complete clothing collection, accessories,
eyewear, watches, and wetsuits. A similar offering for boys ages 8-14
years old, 4-7 years old and toddlers. The Winter Sports division is
emerging with snowboarding apparel and hard goods designed for high
performance enthusiasts. To further expand the division, in 1997,
Quiksilver acquired Mervin, a snowboard manufacturing company that
makes Gnu and Lib Tech snowboards and Bent Metal step in bindings.
QuikSilverEdition is a line of clothing targeting the now
25-40-year-old waterman. In 1999, the Company brought legendary
skateboarder Tony Hawk into the Quiksilver family by sponsoring him
and purchasing his company, Hawk Clothing. Girl's lines including
Roxy, Roxy Teenie Wahine, Raisins, Radio Fiji, and Leilani swimwear
are stronger than ever.

Quiksilver has become far more than just a fashion apparel company.
It is a company with deep roots in the history of the demanding
outdoor sports lifestyle. Quiksilver, now a truly global brand,
remains a pioneering force in the most original of all sports:
surfing.

!External links
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[Official Quiksilver Site | http://www.quiksilver.com/index.aspx]