Golden Breed retro surf culture advertising campaign catches eye of media and sports agent with fond Golden Breed memories - February - March 2019

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by Greg Tingle

I have mixed feelings about labels / brands, but I'm a big fan of this one. Golden Breed encapsulates surf culture with its often golden, blue and ambient colours.

Ok, there's a bit more to the story.... GB is the first surf culture t-shirt (or any other surf item) that I ever owned, other than a beach towel. My mum bought me a GB surf culture themed t-shirt when I was about 8 years of age (I'm in my mid 40s now). Our family worked on strict budgets, so mum must have saved up for it. It has all the cool colours on it... yellow, orange, green, blue and some earthy blends. I wore it to primary school one time, breaking school uniform code, to show it off to my school mates. One of our neighbors at Chapel Hill, in the Western Suburbs of Brisbane, The Wrights, must have figured I loved the ocean, so they started inviting me on surfing holidays to the Gold Coast region of Australia. Snapper Rock's was the best break, and even today its often ranked as a world class surf break I understand. We ended up in Brisbane from Newport Beach in Sydney, as mum was spending time in Brisbane due to family matters, so that's a bit of story as to what we were doing in Brissy.

Memories are powerful, and its interesting how a present from family that's related to one of your favorite things... surf culture / beach culture, can trigger such emotional and lasting feelings. It's said that often childhood memories can be some of our fondest, and for me, this is so true. Years later I visited the Golden Breed Surf Shop at Byron Bay and got another shirt. This also helped refresh those memories of when mum got me my original GB.

Home breaks:
'The Peak' (Newport Beach, NSW), Bungan Beach - 1980 - 1990. Newport Beach 'The Peak' is the original home break for former world champion Tom Carroll.
Palm Beach, NSW, circa 1990, with my late father. I had a (John) Stewart surfboard and goat boat (surf-ski), as well as a Shane board and goat.
North Bondi and Bondi Beach, NSW - Summer of 2017, including time with Waves Of Wellness and One Wave Is All It Takes.
Maroubra Beach, NSW (mainly south end) - most of the 2000's to current.

Surfing skills - ok at present. It's a goal to improve.

Favorite surf movie: Big Wednesday.

Greg Tingle Absolutely love this surf culture art. I'm going to feature it and write a bit about it in our arts and sports culture coverage in the near future. Super cool. Thanks. Cheers from the Maroubra Beach - Newport Beach - Bondi Beach connection. Greg Maroubra Seal.

Greg Tingle
Radical retro advert kiddos (I don't normally write in that fashion. The writing style is to suit the theme and era. You have earned a rehash on my surfing and advertising industry showcase. Biz proposal on file there : ) Surfs Up at Maroubra Beach.

Surfing the world since 1969

GOLDEN BREED SURF·MONDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2018

Golden Breed started in California USA back in the late 1960s. This period was the absolute golden days of Californian surf and beach culture. Back then, there was no such thing as the multi-billion dollar surf industry (nor was it even an intention). It was all about riding the perfect wave… stepping aside from the ‘rat race’ and society’s expectations of the time. Golden Breed was born out of the Californian sunset and a yearning for a more free and easy life.

Surf entrepreneur Francis ‘Duke’ Boyd first used “The Golden Breed” name with the male/female symbol logo in a 1967 surfing competition. Textile Company Don Rancho Corporation loved the brand, registered the trademark and Golden Breed, with its posse of world champion surfers, became the coolest brand on the planet. South Australian surf entrepreneur John Arnold came across the Golden Breed brand in his travels in 1969, bought the license and launched it in Australia. Golden Breed was an instant success. Golden Breed became famous for its windcheaters, silky Hawaiian shirts, its striped Tee shirts and desert boots. Golden Breed was an undisputed 1970s casual style icon. At its peak, Golden Breed was the most loved and adorned clothing brand in the land. Two factories going 24 hours round the clock could not keep up… the growth was staggering.

Brilliant artist Peter Ledger was commissioned by Golden Breed to create a series of “OUT THERE” posters. Way ahead of its time, the posters became the mainstay of bedroom walls around the country.

Golden Breed’ presence went well beyond surfing… It also sponsored events and team riders in all the extreme sports at the time - motocross, skiing and even Golden Breed skateboards. Golden Breed sponsored all the best surfers on the planet throughout the 70s and their Expression Sessions in Hawaii were revolutionary, all adding to the hype around this amazing brand.

The Golden Breed was caught up in a web of financial woes and went into hibernation in the late 70s. Like a phoenix rising out of one of Ledger’s posters, the Golden Breed brand was revived in the late 90s and has been quickly re-embraced by Australians who continue to hang onto great memories of the 1970s Golden Breed gear. Golden Breed is now a fully-owned Australian company with its trademarks registered across the world, helping bring retro surf brands back to prominence across the globe.

Golden Breed’s flagship store is set in Noosa Heads where it feels right at home amongst cool surf brands. Golden Breed continues to sponsor surf events, surf festivals and a great bunch of surfers. In 2013, Golden Breed re-launched the brand with a fresh attitude focusing on the heritage of the brand with new ranges that are all about quality, comfort and “The Real Deal”. Golden Breed is committed to being the most authentic and best of all the retro surf brands in the world.

Now get back in the water!

(Golden Breed)