Laird Hamilton's Clothing Line: Wonderwall

Finally made my way to the *exclusive* retailer of the Wonderwall clothing line, Steve & Barry's. As I stated earlier, the nearest store is pretty far inland, so an odd choice for an exclusive retailer of a clothing line associated with a well-known surfer. I knew this chain was (is) in the dumps financially. Sure enough, the "$4.98 going out of business sale price" was plastered all over the store. However, it seemed that most everything in the store has a standard price of $8.98.

Using stealth cameraphone technology, I captured these shots of Wonderwall clothes and signs in the Steve & Barry's store...



If you cannot see the images above or would like to see larger versions, please visit the Laird Hamilton Wonderwall at Picasaweb.

Based on what I saw, the Wonderwall clothing line certainly falls into the category of "comfort" clothing. It includes polo-type collar shirts, lots of t-shirts, some decent flip-flops (aka go-aheads, thongs), and cargo pants galore in khaki and camoflage. Oddly, the shorts are rather limited in selection. I only found a few shorts made of sweatshirt material and what appeared to be hacked up cargo pants. Most everything seems to be made of cotton, and much of it has a worn-out look to it (not sure if this is intended).

My overall thought is this: Laird licensed his name to a company that achieves success (or failure) in finding dirt cheap clothing and associating a celebrity identity to a line of clothes designed by someone other than the famous celebrity to which the line is associated. I could just as easily have been looking at clothes in a Target, wal-mart, or Marshalls. Main difference being that everything is $8.98 (no, Wonderwall, at this time, doesn't seem to be caught in the $4.98 chapter-7 inventory firesale). I'd once heard some radio show dj in San Diego state "Laird's line offers high quality and durability at a low cost".

Sure, the clothes might be durable (most cotton is) and low cost ($8.98/garment), but I don't agree with the "high quality" comment. I kind of associate high quality with some degree of style and certain fabrics. I'd never be caught hanging out in shorts made of cut-off sweat pants and I don't wear any camo. Maybe I would if I were getting foodstamps and drinking Schlitz in my doublewide. None of the clothes push the envelope. There is an absolute difference between the generally mundane look of Wonderwall and things you'd see from Volcom or Lost (both of which seem way overpriced). I think Laird has good intentions of supplying durable surf or activewear at a competitive price so that real surfers can afford it, but something seems to have gone amiss here. Likely, the core issue is probably the lock-in with a chain like Steve & Barry's, which is NOT frequented by surfers. Or, is Wonderwall just another case of celebrity sellout to cash in before it's too late? Will we be seeing endless bottles of "Laird" cologne line the shelves of Big Lots anytime soon? I hope not, as this might be a weathervane for the direction of the surf clothing industry. Then again, my name isn't associated with anything, so who am I to judge. I'll say the beach and surfing photos in the store were kind of cool, especially considering the store.

History of Surfing in Orange County at John Wayne (Orange County) Airport (SNA)

The Surfing Heritage Foundation puts forth a lot of effort to keep surfing history alive. Often, they do it through live events with famous and/or key figures from surfing's history. Their historical board collection is insane. So, I was stoked when I was at the SNA airport today and found the exhibit that's all about the history of surfing in Orange County. A lot of sponsors (or donors) contributed some absolutely historical memorabilia. The exhibit occupies 5 or more glass presentation cases along the wall. The one drawback is that it's on the secure side of secuirty, meaning you can only see it if you have a ticket to fly. Seeing this history makes me super proud to have grown up in OC. Ends Oct 20.

Summer's Gone, and so is the blackball

Ahhhh, the day after Labor day. Always one of the best days of the year. This means the fairweather tourists are gone and the BLACKBALL IS DOWN!