Ocean Pacific (OP)

Clothing Company Definitions — United States clothing company definitions from Apparel Search

Ocean Pacific Apparel Corp, known as Ocean Pacific or OP, is a private company based in Irvine, California, in the United States. It produces primarily surf related apparel, swimwear, footwear and accessories. The name started in the 1960s as a surfboard brand created by John Smith, and in 1972 Jim Jenks of San Diego received the name from his then employer Don Hansen of Hansen Surf Shop and created the Ocean Pacific apparel line, wanting clothing that met the demands of surfers in and out of the surf.

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Ocean Pacific Apparel Corp (Ocean Pacific or OP) is a private company based in Irvine, California, USA. It produces primarily surf related apparel, swimwear, footwear and accessories.

History

Ocean Pacific was started by John Smith in the 1960s as a surfboard brand. Smith designed the original trademark and label for his surfboards which he sold out of his shop North County Ding Repair. Later, Fred Ryan purchased North County Ding Repair from John Smith along with the Ocean Pacific surfboard label. The Ocean Pacific label was later sold to Don Hansen of Hansen Surf Shop. In 1972, Jim Jenks of San Diego wanted to create clothing that met the demands of surfers in and out of the surf. He received the name from his then employer Don Hansen and the Ocean Pacific apparel line was created. Jenks' idea for clothing under the Ocean Pacific label quickly became popular with the surf culture with its instantly recognizable 'OP' logo. The Ocean Pacific brand experienced financial trouble through the 1990s. In the summer of 2008, an ad campaign to celebrate their 35 year anniversary was launched, featuring celebrities such as actress Rumer Willis, reality show star Kristin Cavallari, singer Christina Milian, musician and fashion designer Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy and Clandestine Industries, actor Wilmer Valderrama, actress and supermodel Josie Maran and actor and singer Corbin Bleu.

Sponsoring

Ocean Pacific sponsors surfing competitions and supports musicians. The company has sponsored more world surfing champions than any other brand, including Tom Curren and Kelly Slater.

Ocean Pacific Website

The above definition about the clothing company Ocean Pacific is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. The information source is from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia and was originally obtained from the following page address https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ocean_pacific.  The definition has been modified by the Apparel Search Company in June 2009.  The rest of this page and other pages on Apparel Search are NOT under the free document license.

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From Surfboards to Surf Apparel

Ocean Pacific began with surfboards, not clothing. John Smith started the brand in the 1960s as a surfboard label, designing the original trademark and label for boards he sold out of his shop, North County Ding Repair. Fred Ryan later purchased North County Ding Repair from Smith along with the Ocean Pacific surfboard label, and the label was later sold to Don Hansen of Hansen Surf Shop. A trademark that passes between surf shops in this way keeps its value in recognition among surfers, which is exactly what an apparel line needs when it launches under an existing name.

The clothing came in 1972. Jim Jenks of San Diego wanted to create clothing that met the demands of surfers in and out of the surf, received the name from his then employer Don Hansen, and the Ocean Pacific apparel line was created. The idea was functional before it was fashionable: surfers needed garments suited to the beach, the water and the time between sessions, and a line designed around that use, under a name surfers already knew from their boards, quickly became popular with surf culture. The instantly recognisable OP logo carried the identity from boards onto shirts and swimwear, giving the apparel a mark that could be read at a distance on a crowded beach.

Ocean Pacific Apparel Corp is a private company based in Irvine, California, and produces primarily surf related apparel, swimwear, footwear and accessories. That range follows the surfer's kit in order: apparel and swimwear for the water and the shore, footwear for the beach, and accessories to complete the set, all sold under one label to one clearly defined customer.

Sponsorship, Trouble and the Anniversary Campaign

Surf brands prove themselves through the surfers they support, and Ocean Pacific's record there is stated strongly: the company sponsors surfing competitions and supports musicians, and has sponsored more world surfing champions than any other brand, including Tom Curren and Kelly Slater. Sponsoring champions connects the apparel to performance at the highest level of the sport, so the clothing is associated with the surfers its customers most admire, while competition sponsorship keeps the OP mark present at the events where surf culture gathers.

The brand experienced financial trouble through the 1990s, a difficult decade for surf labels as the market they had grown in changed. In the summer of 2008, an advertising campaign to celebrate the company's 35 year anniversary was launched, featuring actress Rumer Willis, reality show star Kristin Cavallari, singer Christina Milian, musician and fashion designer Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy and Clandestine Industries, actor Wilmer Valderrama, actress and supermodel Josie Maran, and actor and singer Corbin Bleu. A celebrity campaign of that breadth marks a shift in audience: the anniversary was presented not only to surfers but to a general youth audience that knew the OP logo as fashion, using familiar faces from television, music and film to restate a surf brand for customers who had never carried one of its boards.

Common Questions

What does Ocean Pacific produce?

Ocean Pacific Apparel Corp produces primarily surf related apparel, swimwear, footwear and accessories. The company is private and based in Irvine, California.

How did Ocean Pacific start?

Ocean Pacific was started by John Smith in the 1960s as a surfboard brand; Smith designed the original trademark and label for surfboards sold from his shop North County Ding Repair. The label passed to Don Hansen of Hansen Surf Shop, and in 1972 Jim Jenks created the Ocean Pacific apparel line under the name.

Which surfers has Ocean Pacific sponsored?

Ocean Pacific sponsors surfing competitions and supports musicians. The company has sponsored more world surfing champions than any other brand, including Tom Curren and Kelly Slater.

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