Riding the Waves of Ocean Pacific Nostalgia 🏄

For a kid growing up in New Jersey, the Ocean Pacific brand represented a connection to the beach culture of Southern California that I could get at the mall.

OP Fashion hits the mall

Oh, the memories of those sun-soaked days, with sand between our toes and the scent of saltwater in the air. Maybe you are up early, ready to catch some waves before school? Growing up in a landlocked swamp town in New Jersey, none of this applied to me, but like many people, I dreamed of what that sort of living might have been like.

The closest I would get, were too infrequent trips down the shore and a single t-shirt from a brand that encapsulated the carefree spirit of the beach, Ocean Pacific, or OP for short. Back in the 70s and 80s, OP was the epitome of a vision of laid-back California cool, with its “rad” surfwear and swimwear that had me dreaming of lounging in the sun, drinking cold orange soda, and catching the perfect wave.

Ocean Pacific, commonly known as OP, is a popular American surf and lifestyle brand that has a rich history dating back to the 1970s. The brand was founded in 1972 by Jim Jenks in Southern California. Originally, Ocean Pacific started as a surfboard label, selling surfboards out of a garage. However, the brand quickly gained popularity among surfers and beachgoers for its cool designs. Ocean Pacific's distinctive logo would become shorthand for the surf culture that was growing rapidly in California at the time.

While it started as a surfboard brand, it found greater success as a clothing line. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Ocean Pacific expanded its product offerings beyond surfboards to include surfwear, swimwear, and casual clothing. They were known for their vibrant colors and bold graphics, which resonated with the emerging youth culture and the casual lifestyle of Southern California.

As the market matured, other edgier brands like Quicksilver would capture more attention from surfers and skaters. So OP went in a different direction, selling to a more mainstream market by being carried in major clothing stores.

The resulted in significant growth. Which allowed OP to become a recognized national brand. For a couple of years, Ocean Pacific apparel became a staple in mainstream fashion and popular culture. While most of us couldn’t enjoy the lifestyle the brand represented, OP's products could now be worn by everyday people who embraced the brand's representation of a carefree and adventurous attitude.

In the 1990s, Ocean Pacific faced some challenges, including changes in ownership and shifts in consumer preferences. However, the brand continued to evolve, adapting to the changing market and somehow holding on. They would even expand their offerings. At this point, they had been around long enough that they could even leverage their own heritage to sell on nostalgia.

Today, Ocean Pacific is still out there. Even people who didn’t grow up wearing them will know it for its historic connection to surf culture. They continue to sell a wide range of offerings that embody that original spirit that made them famous.

I wore my OP shirt until it was threadbare, and my mother insisted that we throw it away. Still, the memory of that shirt, with its bright bold colors, have stuck with me. Every time I put it on, I was making a statement about the life I dreamed about. I didn’t live on the beach, but when I wore my OP, for brief moments, when the air was blowing in from the river and the seagulls from the landfills were flying overhead, it’s like I was there.