14 - Sunday, May 26, 1991 - North Shore News FASHION Surier style tops the trends CLOTHING DESIGNERS head to the beach for in- spiration. They pay homage to surfing gods who reign this summer, especiaily in casual wear trends. Garol Crenna iS = FASHION STATEMENTS Riding on the crest of a big wave in fashion, athletic wear manufacturers have recognized the trend toward beach sports and the clothing that is associated with it. Tiey have given them focus for 1991. Sensible, yet not always serious, sports gear is selling to the young, and those who only feei young. Surf and skate boards, skim and snow boards acquire stylish sym- bolism and are revealed in clothing for men and women. “A substantial number of our customers are surfers and skateboarders, or those who want to be associated with the image. They, are teenagers who are totally rejecting the values and brand names associated with parents and their sports,” says Chip Wilson, designer and co-owner of West Beach Surf Co. But adults are also taking an in- terest in the clothing and in water Sports. Women make up a small percentage of those who actually participate but the numbers are growing. They wear the clothing almost as much as men do, how- ever. West Beach Surf Co., one of Canada’s largest surfing and snowboarding wear manufactur- ers, recently opened its fifth store location at 820 Marine Dr. in North Vancouver. The Van- couver-based firm wholesales its merchandise to more than 600 stores in EI countries, and has outlets in four provinces. Wilson, a former Calgary Stampeder, introduced the original West Beach Surf Co. approxi- mately 10 years ago, then manufacturing only surfing shorts. The firm is now co-owned by Marco Allinott, Scott Sibiey, Richard Millen and Chip Wilson. Today, the company has suc- cessfully created an instantly rec- ognizable logo featuring the sil- houette of three surfers, which can be seen on the backs of beach goers around the world. West Beach Surf Co. has grown to include both technical and lifestyle wear for a number of sports. Surfing, skateboarding and snowboarding gear comprise the greatest percentage of the com- pany’s merchandise. This summer two other sports which are hattl- ing for style supremacy are skim- boarding and beach volleyball. Skimboarding is a lake sport that uses gear similar to surfing. “It legitimizes surf gear in Canada,’’ explains Wilson, who admits that the demand for technical surfing, snowboarding and skateboarding gear is far ex- ceeded by the sports’ lifestyle wear that is not often sold to athletes. Beach volleyball, said to be the fastest growing sport in Ontario, “epitomizes the casual, West Coast lifestyle and it is this fitness-conscious look that is hap- pening now," says Wilson. West Beach Surf Co.'s jock chic for 1991 has acquired a forward, anti-establishment look. The lines are exceptionally good quality, designed in heavy weight cotton in unisex sizes from extra small to extra large. The newest color in the line is no color. Brights have been replaced by drab shades that Wilson calls ‘tugiy, ugly and ug- Iv."" He adds, ‘A strong anti- neon statement has become the trend in all of these sports and it will continue.” Sports conscious wearers are re- jecting any type of commercially esthetic brights, and are instead wearing colors such as khaki, black, an unbleached fabric color called natural, dark purple, hospi- tal green and car rust, which all make up West Beach Surf Co.'s line. They are sometimes accented by a hint of neon that trims the collar, covers a patch or a large logo. T-shirts with West Beach Surf Co.’s trademark off-beat humor are top. sellers. They include wacky graphics with quips such as: “Tight assed white boy ... Don’t trust men in comfortable shoes,” ‘Pee on Neon,’’ and ““We bad ... You ugly.”” Instead of neons, primary bright colors are sometimes shown, and glow-in-the-dark ink is used extensively, which absorbs light in the day and emits it in the dark. It should be noted that the T-shirts are meant to always be worn untucked, and therefore the screen print on the front is drop- ped down low. One of the firm’s largest sellers is the heavy weight jersey pullovers and pre-washed fleece kangaroo jackets. Wilson says that style and construction detail replace color this season. Two different fabrics may be used in one garment, some styles are cut with a new longer boxy fit, and intricate stitching accents most of the tops. Some of West Beach Surf Co.'s lines are designed in fade-washed cotton that have a distressed, wrinkled appearance. They are geared to ‘‘a market that doesn’t want to and doesn’t know how to take care of their clothes,’’ ex- plains Wilson. Basic, dark grey jersey boxers with a low rise waist are worn over neon lycra shorts that peak out at the waist and below the boxer hem. They insinuate that the wearer owns neon colored clothing, but feels that it should be hidden from public view. Another new look, called Old Man’s Shorts, is inspired by 1940s menswear shorts in wool tweed or plaid looks, in dark navy, drab brown or black. Also influenced by the anti-neon trend, they have been styled in heavy cotton to resemble loosely cut suit trousers which have been cut off at the knees. Full length Old Man's Pants are also available. A style stolen from the campus of University of Southern California includes shorts and pants in navy and black. The USC shorts are a shorter boxer style in a slightly siimmer cut, Pro jersey shorts are a fun look which resemble cut-off long johns in waffle-like cotton jersey. They have a high drawstring waistband with a narrower leg that has cycl- ing short stitching detail. They are made in white, cream and black. Guatemalan baseball shirts and shorts are also new this season. Heavy black cotton is styled into front buttoned shirts with a one and a half inch wide band at the collar in bright, ethnic geometrics. The sharts also are trimmed with the multi-colored band. The firm manufacturers a com- plete line of accessories including West Beach Surf Co. hip packs and watch bands. The stores also carry other prominent brands in surfing and skateboard wear including QuikSilver from Australia, Stussy, Kick, Vans, a very popular label. and Split, a new and unusual ar- rival from California that is not sold anywhere else. Reef sandals, which are worn on all surfing shores, are a big seller here. North Vancouver store manager Todd Allinott states that though his location only opened this month, the sales have already matched those of the main store on West Fourth Avenue in Van- couver. “Response has been phenome- nal. So many young people from North and West Van prefer the convenience of this location to the downtown store.”’ The North Vancouver store is also situated close to several gyms, where the ‘“‘three surfer silhou- ette’’ has been spotted on many members. Allinott, who is the brother of co-owner Marco Allinott, reveals that snowboarding is the major reason for the firm’s location choice. “There is no distributor of snowboard gear here. And, the North Shore is closer to Whistler and other mountains which are used for the sport.”’ CASUAL SURF separates from West Beach Surf Co. Crenna’s quick snips GOING GREEN ... The = en- vironmental awareness issue has become increasingly apparent within the fashion industry, and, since this industry contributes to the destruction of the environ- ment, many firms in Vancouver have made ‘going green”’ a prior- ity. Recycling, using non- disposables and non-toxic chemi- cals, re-using products and educating both employees and the public on the issue have all been undertaken both at manufacturing and retailing levels. Do you know of a Fashion firm that is not utilizing its potential to do its part? At Aero Garment Lid., the jarge manufacturing firm is using fewer chemicals in fabric pro- cesses. For example, it switched from liquid peroxide (with an ad- ditional chemical) to a powdered bleach to acquire the acid washed look in denim garments. The powder is diluted to a great ex- tent, being much less harmful. The company has also replaced its synthetic fibre content to natural fibres in its garments. Ten years ago, almost all of the fabrics were polyester, and now the ratio is about 60-40 for pure cotton, as well as introducing ramie and silk. Koret Canada I[nc., also an es- tablished manufacturer, has put several recycling programs into ef- fect. All paper, including com- puter print-out paper, telephone books, newsprint and stationery, is sorted and recycled. The com- pany’s use of plastic foam cups has been changed to paper cups and china mugs for 350 employees. The Koret newsletter, printed on recycled paper, includes an en- vironmental column called Mother Earth each month. And, seminars dealing with environmental awareness and conserving resources have been delivered to all employees. Aritzia Stores in) Vancouver have concentrated on using recycled paper - products. Co- owner Brian Hill says that most bags that factories sell as recycled Paper contain only 6-7% recycled Paper per bag, but he has found a bag that contains 35% recycled paper. Retail bags are now recycl- ed paper, not plastic, and all sta- tionery, price and sale tags are made from recycled paper. As Hill reports, some stares issue bags that specify “recyclable,” but almost all paper is recyclable, this does not mean that it is made from recycled paper. Boys Co. and Magnet Stores in- form the public on the state of the environment through their con- troversial window displays. A Boy’s Co. window featured a huge pile of plastic foam, plastic and disposable diapers, and on the top of the mound a small live tree was “planted.”” The sign within said, ‘‘We in- terrupt our regularly scheduled windows to bring your attention to something of major impor- tance, our environment, or the destruction of it.” Owner David Goldman has also become increasingly aware of overpackaging. He has told his suppliers to climinate cardboard inserts, plastic bags, pins, individ- ual boxes and cartons that ac- company every shipment, and every piece of clothing.