ORIGINAL JAMS BY SURF LINE HAWAII (USA)

Surf Line Hawaii was created by Dave Rochlen, a Californian transplant to Hawaii, in 1964. When Rochlen was little, his mother had her six children each choose a colour to indicate their belongings. Rochlen picked lavender, so his mother embroidered all his towels, sheets, pillow covers and other belongings with lavender tips. Rochlen credits this with his life-long fascination with colour.

After a varied and interesting career (including a stint in the U.S. Marines, serving as one of the Santa Monica area's best known lifeguards and respected big-wave rider, and working as a Hollywood stunt man and a systems analyst), Rochlen decided to capitalise on his love for the sea, surfing and Hawaii by moving to the Land of Aloha. It was in Hawaii that the idea for his business came to life. Inspired by his own desire to find comfortable surfwear, combined with pictures of exotic Russian pajamas he'd seen in a magazine, Rochlen bought some brightly-coloured floral fabric and asked his Hawaiian wife Keanuenue to sew a baggy pajama with a sewn-up fly, cut off at the knee. With this vision, the first “Jams” merchandise as well as Rochlen’s new company Surf Line Hawaii, Ltd. were created.
In the nearly five decades since, Surf Line Hawaii has remained a family-owned company (now headed by Rochlen’s son, David "Pua" Rochlen), but it is far from just a beach shorts maker. Surf Line Hawaii has grown into a manufacturer of contemporary casual lifestyle wear, where exclusive print art from the ‘60s and ‘70s are blended in with new looks culled from the streets and beaches of Europe and Asia.


As the seasons change over, these Original Jams by Surf Line Hawaii shoes -bannering a fun breezy print- will ease you through in laid-back style and comfort.
A little bit nostalgic (because the cheery “Tradewinds” print was created by the founder himself), and a lot enticing (for so cheerily capturing the fond memories and free-spirited lifestyle of the retro era), these shoes -in either low- or hi-cut- are perfect for adding a bit of colour and interest to your casual wardrobe, including denim :-)
At RRP ¥9,240 ~ ¥10,290, these Jam shoes are especially popular with kicks-lovers in Japan.


Dave Rochlen working on his signature “Tradewinds” print.


In 1965, Surf Line Hawaii made news as the subject of a feature pictorial in LIFE magazine.


About the same time, the Rochlen clan hit the beach for a family portrait, while modeling their company's apparel. From left are Nohea, Nani, Pua, Mark, Kootchie, Keanuenue and Dave Rochlen.


Dave Rochlen (left) designing Surf Line Hawaii’s exclusive prints with the support of Japanese textile craftsmen - photographed in Japan, circa 1970s.