About Roxy
When Quiksilver decided to start a women's line in 1990, it was a gutsy move. The surf market has always been a fickle one. And female surfers, despite their achievements in and out of the water, hadn't drummed up nearly the notoriety nor the community that guys had long enjoyed.
But great ideas always take some guts. And the company saw the untapped women's surf market as a huge opportunity. Turns out they were right.
Like all things Quiksilver, Roxy was born in the water; initially a swimwear line, it debuted in late summer 1990 to immediate success. By the next year, a Roxy sportswear line was introduced, and that too prospered, with sales of over $1 million. 1992 saw continued expansion of the brand with a new denim line and key snowwear pieces. The fact that Roxy was a women's line offered by an authentic surf brand made it intriguing for both retailers and girls alike. It was the first of its kind on the market, and soon after, the other surf brands followed.
By 1993, Roxy was on a serious roll. The ever-popular Roxy logo was born, a heart-shaped crest adapted from the recognizable Quiksilver logo. The brand's popularity was growing, as was its staff. And then one afternoon in Hawaii, as legend has it, the Roxy crew was sitting on a beach watching the surf when they came up with the idea of the women's board short. Offering fit and flexibility while still managing to be feminine, the women's boardshort was an innovation that forever changed the women's surf market. It was also the perfect example of what the Roxy brand had originally set out to be, in the words of Quiksilver's 1990 Annual Report: "Fun, Bold, Athletic, Daring and Classy". The boardshort became a huge trend. Roxy, and women's surfing along with it, was suddenly the next big thing.
1994 marks another major milestone for Roxy: Lisa Andersen, then the reigning ASP Female World Champion, became the first member of the Roxy team. Lisa went on to win three more world titles, and along with them, crossover mass-market fame. She is considered by many to be the most influential surfer in the history of women's surfing, and her contributions to the Roxy brand and the team continue to play a key role in Roxy's success. Under her guidance, the Boardrider's Team has grown into the most respected and accomplished pro team in women's surfing. Current team members include: Megan Abubo, Chelsea Georgeson, Veronica Kay, Kassia Meador, Kula Barbieto, 'tween surfing phenom Carissa Moore, and reigning world champ Sofia Mulanovich.
A Roxy-branded professional event was a natural progression from team sponsorship, and thus the first annual Quiksilver/Roxy Women's Pro Surfing event was born. It took place in winter 1995 on Sunset Beach, Oahu's North Shore. Ten years later, the Roxy Pro Hawaii remains one of the most prestigious and exciting ASP World Championship surf events of the year.
When Quiksilver decided to start a women's line in 1990, it was a gutsy move. The surf market has always been a fickle one. And female surfers, despite their achievements in and out of the water, hadn't drummed up nearly the notoriety nor the community that guys had long enjoyed.
But great ideas always take some guts. And the company saw the untapped women's surf market as a huge opportunity. Turns out they were right.
Like all things Quiksilver, Roxy was born in the water; initially a swimwear line, it debuted in late summer 1990 to immediate success. By the next year, a Roxy sportswear line was introduced, and that too prospered, with sales of over $1 million. 1992 saw continued expansion of the brand with a new denim line and key snowwear pieces. The fact that Roxy was a women's line offered by an authentic surf brand made it intriguing for both retailers and girls alike. It was the first of its kind on the market, and soon after, the other surf brands followed.
By 1993, Roxy was on a serious roll. The ever-popular Roxy logo was born, a heart-shaped crest adapted from the recognizable Quiksilver logo. The brand's popularity was growing, as was its staff. And then one afternoon in Hawaii, as legend has it, the Roxy crew was sitting on a beach watching the surf when they came up with the idea of the women's board short. Offering fit and flexibility while still managing to be feminine, the women's boardshort was an innovation that forever changed the women's surf market. It was also the perfect example of what the Roxy brand had originally set out to be, in the words of Quiksilver's 1990 Annual Report: "Fun, Bold, Athletic, Daring and Classy". The boardshort became a huge trend. Roxy, and women's surfing along with it, was suddenly the next big thing.
1994 marks another major milestone for Roxy: Lisa Andersen, then the reigning ASP Female World Champion, became the first member of the Roxy team. Lisa went on to win three more world titles, and along with them, crossover mass-market fame. She is considered by many to be the most influential surfer in the history of women's surfing, and her contributions to the Roxy brand and the team continue to play a key role in Roxy's success. Under her guidance, the Boardrider's Team has grown into the most respected and accomplished pro team in women's surfing. Current team members include: Megan Abubo, Chelsea Georgeson, Veronica Kay, Kassia Meador, Kula Barbieto, 'tween surfing phenom Carissa Moore, and reigning world champ Sofia Mulanovich.
A Roxy-branded professional event was a natural progression from team sponsorship, and thus the first annual Quiksilver/Roxy Women's Pro Surfing event was born. It took place in winter 1995 on Sunset Beach, Oahu's North Shore. Ten years later, the Roxy Pro Hawaii remains one of the most prestigious and exciting ASP World Championship surf events of the year.
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