Ocean Pacific Apparel Corp. (Ocean Pacific or OP) is a clothing company based in
Irvine, California
Irvine () is a Planned community, master-planned city in South Orange County, California, United States, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Irvine Company started developing the area in the 1960s and the city was formally incorporated on ...
, United States. It produces T-shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies, and beverage mugs.
History
The first "Ocean Pacific" trademark brand was started by John Smith in the 1960s as a
surfboard
A surfboard is a narrow plank used in surfing. Surfboards are relatively light, but are strong enough to support an individual standing on them while riding an ocean wave. They were invented in ancient Hawaii, where they were known as ''papa he'e ...
brand, 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
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...
wanted to create
clothing
Clothing (also known as clothes, apparel, and attire) are items worn on the body. Typically, clothing is made of fabrics or textiles, but over time it has included garments made from animal skin and other thin sheets of materials and natural ...
and
sportswear
Sportswear or activewear is clothing, including footwear, worn for sport or physical exercise. Sport-specific clothing is worn for most sports and physical exercise, for practical, comfort or safety reasons.
Typical sport-specific garments ...
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.
[Ocean Pacific apparel designs]
on Wear the Mutants, 31 June 2018 Jenks' idea for clothing under the Ocean Pacific label quickly became popular with the surf culture with its instantly recognizable "OP" logo.
on Iconix Brand, 5 Sep 2018
OP's designs showed the visual aesthetic of each era through the years, from the primary color stripes of the 1970s to the bright neon and geometric shapes of the 1980s.[ Regarding the marketing strategies, unlike other surfing firms like ]Quiksilver
Quiksilver is a brand of surf-inspired apparel and accessories that was founded in 1969 in Torquay, Australia, but is now based in Huntington Beach, California. It is one of the world's largest brands of surfwear and boardsport-related equipm ...
or Billabong
Billabong ( ) is an Australian term for an oxbow lake, an isolated pond left behind after a river changes course. Billabongs are usually formed when the path of a creek or river changes, leaving the former branch with a dead end. As a result ...
, OP established as a more general sportswear brand, commercializing its products in national store chains while other similar companies were restricted to independent surf shops. Moreover, OP also designed clothing for both adults and young people.[
The Ocean Pacific brand experienced financial trouble through the 1990s. Richard Baker's investment group Doyle & Boissiere bought Ocean Pacific in 1998. Baker stayed on as ]Warnaco
The Warnaco Group, Inc. was an American textile/clothing corporation which designed, sourced, marketed, licensed, and distributed a wide range of underwear, sportswear, and swimwear worldwide. Its products were sold under several brand names i ...
acquired Ocean Pacific in 2003 and sold it to current owner Iconix Brand Group
Iconix Brand Group is an American brand management company that licenses brands to retailers and manufacturers primarily in the apparel, footwear, and apparel accessory industries. Its brands are available in such stores as Kohl's, Kmart, Sear ...
in 2006.
Ad campaigns
In the summer of 2008, an ad campaign to celebrate their 35-year anniversary was launched, featuring celebrities such as actress Rumer Willis
Rumer Glenn Willis (born August 16, 1988) is an American actress. She is the eldest daughter of actor Bruce Willis and actress Demi Moore. She has appeared in films ''Hostage'' (2005), ''The House Bunny'' (2008), ''Sorority Row'' (2009) and ''Onc ...
, reality show star Kristin Cavallari
Kristin Elizabeth Cavallari (born January 5, 1987) is an American television personality, fashion designer, actress and author. She first rose to fame in 2004 as a cast member on the popular MTV reality television series '' Laguna Beach: The Re ...
, singer Christina Milian
Christine Marie Flores (born September 26, 1981), better known as Christina Milian (), is an American actress and singer. Born in Jersey City, New Jersey, but raised in Maryland, she signed a contract with Murder Inc. Records at the age of 19. ...
, musician and fashion designer Pete Wentz
Peter Lewis Kingston Wentz III (born June 5, 1979) is an American musician best known as the bassist and lyricist for the rock band Fall Out Boy since 2001. Before Fall Out Boy, Wentz was a fixture of the Chicago hardcore scene and was the lea ...
of Fall Out Boy and Clandestine Industries, actor Wilmer Valderrama
Wilmer Eduardo Valderrama ( , ; born January 30, 1980) is an American actor, producer, and television personality. He is known for his role as Fez in the sitcom ''That '70s Show'' (1998–2006), Agustín Madrigal in ''Encanto'', and as Carlos ...
, actress and supermodel Josie Maran
Johanna Selhorst "Josie" Maran (born May 8, 1978) is an American model, actress, and entrepreneur.
Early life
Josie Maran was born May 8, 1978 in Menlo Park, California. Her father is of Russian Jewish ancestry and worked in green home construc ...
, and actor and singer Corbin Bleu
Corbin Bleu Reivers (; born February 21, 1989), known professionally as Corbin Bleu, is an American actor and singer. He made his acting debut in the 2004 adventure comedy film ''Catch That Kid''. He has since appeared in the Discovery Kids dra ...
.
The Summer 2009 campaign ads featured Sophia Bush
Sophia Anna Bush Hughes (born July 8, 1982) is an American actress. She starred as Brooke Davis in The WB/ CW drama series ''One Tree Hill'' (2003–2012), and as Erin Lindsay in the NBC police procedural drama series ''Chicago P.D.'' (2014– ...
, Solange Knowles
Solange Piaget Knowles (; born June 24, 1986) is an American singer, songwriter, performance artist, and actress. Expressing an interest in music from an early age, Knowles had several temporary stints as a backup dancer for Destiny's Child, wh ...
, and AnnaLynne McCord
AnnaLynne McCord (born July 16, 1987) is an American actress, activist, and model.
Known for playing vixen-type roles, McCord first gained prominence in 2007 as the scheming Eden Lord on the FX television series ''Nip/Tuck'', and as the pampe ...
. Joining those in the Fall 2009 ads were actor Cody Linley
Cody Martin Linley (born November 20, 1989) is an American actor and singer. He played a recurring role as Jake Ryan in the television series ''Hannah Montana'', and was a contestant on the seventh season of '' Dancing with the Stars'', in whic ...
, reality star Brody Jenner
Sam Brody Jenner (born August 21, 1983) is an American television personality, model and disc jockey. He was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. In 2005, Jenner appeared in the reality television series, ''The Princes of Malibu'', which ...
, and musician Joel Madden
Joel Rueben Madden (né Combs; March 11, 1979) is an American singer best known as the lead vocalist for the pop punk band Good Charlotte. He is also part of the pop rock collaboration the Madden Brothers with his identical twin brother Benji ...
. OP also presented tours in 2009 which featured Boys Like Girls
Boys Like Girls is an American rock band from Boston, Massachusetts. Formed in 2005, the group gained mainstream recognition when it released its self-titled debut album which went on to sell over 700,000 albums in the United States earning a ...
, The Maine and Cobra Starship
Cobra Starship was an American dance-pop band founded in 2005 by Gabe Saporta (ex- Midtown), and headquartered in New York City. He recorded the first album as a solo project, ''While the City Sleeps, We Rule the Streets''. Saporta later enliste ...
.
The 2010 spring team was announced with a special puzzle on OP's website. The puzzle featured a hidden picture of the team and everyday a few more pieces were revealed until the entire team was revealed. Members of Team OP for Spring 2010 were actor Cory Monteith
Cory Allan Michael Monteith (; May 11, 1982 July 13, 2013) was a Canadian actor and musician who played Finn Hudson on the Fox television series ''Glee''. As an actor based in British Columbia, Monteith had minor roles on television series before ...
, actress Jessica Szohr
Jessica Karen Szohr (;) is an American actress. She started her screen career appearing on television shows such as ''My Wife and Kids'' (2003), '' Joan of Arcadia'' (2004), ''What About Brian'' (2007) and ''CSI: Miami'' (2007). She gained recogn ...
, actor and model Trevor Donovan
Trevor Donovan Neubauer (born October 11, 1978), known professionally as Trevor Donovan, is an American actor and model. He is best known for his role as Teddy Montgomery on the hit teen drama television series '' 90210.''
Life and career
Donova ...
, actress and singer Dianna Agron
Dianna Elise Agron ( ; born April 30, 1986) is an American actress and singer. After primarily dancing and starring in small musical theater productions in her youth, Agron made her screen debut in 2006, and in 2007, she played recurring charac ...
, singer Cassie
Cassie is a feminine given name and a short form of various other given names mostly used in English-speaking countries. It is more rarely a surname. People and fictional characters named Cassie include:
People with the name Given name or nickna ...
, and actor Alex Meraz
Alejandro "Alex" Meraz (born January 10, 1985) is an American actor and martial artist. He is best known for playing the werewolf named Paul Lahote in the film ''New Moon''.
Life and career
Meraz was born in Mesa, Arizona and is of Purépecha d ...
. The theme for Spring/Summer 2010 was "Rock Your Shine".
Members of Team OP for Spring/Summer 2011 are Mark Salling
Mark Wayne Salling (; August 17, 1982 – January 30, 2018) was an American actor and musician known for his role as Noah "Puck" Puckerman on the television series ''Glee''.
Salling studied at the Los Angeles College of Music before work ...
, Chord Overstreet
Chord Paul Overstreet (born February 17, 1989) is an American actor and musician. He is best known for his role as Sam Evans on the Fox television series ''Glee'' (2009–2015). He has starred in the Apple TV+ comedy series ''Acapulco'' since 20 ...
, Aly Michalka
Alyson Renae Michalka ( ; born March 25, 1989) is an American actress, singer-songwriter and musician who rose to prominence with her starring role as Keely Teslow in the Disney Channel sitcom ''Phil of the Future'' (2004–2006). Aly Michalka w ...
, Brenda Song
Brenda Song (born March 27, 1988) is an American actress. Born in California, Song began her career at the age of six, working as a child model. She made her screen debut with a guest appearance on the sitcom '' Thunder Alley'' (1995), and ...
, Katerina Graham
Katerina Alexandre Hartford Graham (born September 5, 1989) is an American actress, singer and dancer (now distributing music under the stage name Toro Gato). She is widely known for her role as Bonnie Bennett on The CW supernatural drama seri ...
, and Rob Kardashian
Robert Arthur Kardashian (born March 17, 1987) is an American television personality. He is known for appearing on ''Keeping Up with the Kardashians'', a reality television series that centers on his family, as well as its spin-offs. In 201 ...
.
Iconix Brand Group signed an exclusive direct-to-retail license agreement with Walmart
Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores from the United States, headquarter ...
in August 2007. As of 2018, Iconix Brand Group has taken back control of the brand's distribution and will be re-launching Spring 2019.
See also
*Surf culture
Surf culture includes the people, language, fashion, and lifestyle surrounding the sport of surfing. The history of surfing began with the ancient Polynesians. That initial culture directly influenced modern surfing, which began to flourish ...
*'' Unsalted: A Great Lakes Experience'', a documentary film featuring members of the 1995 Ocean Pacific surf team
References
External links
*
{{Sports equipment brands
1972 establishments in California
1980s fashion
Clothing brands of the United States
Clothing companies established in 1972
Companies based in Irvine, California
Surfwear brands
Swimwear brands
Iconix Brand Group
2006 mergers and acquisitions
Sporting goods manufacturers of the United States