CLANCY OVERELL | Editor | Contact
FLASHBACK: September 10, 2001
Six business partners have clinked their crownies together in celebration of their recent numbers.
The pre-internet surf wear magnates have surprised even themselves with how popular a brand name piece of headwear without a top on it would be.
After a day of playing golf in the outer suburbs of the Gold Coast, the all-male group of businessmen have made their way to a prominent surf-n-turf restaurant on Cavill Avenue to toast their recent numbers, which because it’s the nineties, are based solely around how many people physically walk into their stores.
A sports visor — also called a sun visor or visor cap — is a type of crownless hat consisting simply of a brim with a strap encircling the head. The top of the head is not covered and the visor protects only the face, including eyes, nose, and cheeks, from the sun – the visor was at it’s peak in the late 90s.
Australian surf brands like Billabong and SMP (sex, money, power) changed the visor from something old people wear at golf tournaments, to something that radical teenagers with frosted tips wear while doing kickflips at a council skatepark.
By the name the marketing was complete, they were flying off the shelves from suburban surf shops like the ones that these men have franchised.
“We did it boys” yells one of the businessman.
“Lobsters and jet skis from now on!”
Another red-nosed thirty-something shouts in agreeance.
“HEAR HEAR!”
“Retail is the business to be in. Forget this internet stuff!”
While things do look on the up and up now, as of 5 June 2013, the company will be yet to finalise a takeover deal with either of the two American private equity suitors; all six men will be divorced by the turn of the millennium and online shopping will dominate the market they found success with.
