Seea: Drawing Retro Lines for Modern Times
For Amanda Chinchelli Greer, a basic rash guard with a company logo simply will not do.
Just as it would be out of character for a style plate to step into a vintage Aston Martin wearing anything less than designer sunglasses for a coastal joyride, the creative-minded female surfer craves aquatic apparel that is as pretty and special as her custom-shaped surfboard. Chinchelli Greer set out to create a stylish coverup that was as cool as her custom-shaped Bing longboard surfboard and graceful moves.
She sewed the first rash guards for herself to wear on a surf trip to Costa Rica, where the sun’s harsh rays beat down harder on the skin.
“When I was there, I was so stoked that I decided to throw myself into the venture,” said Chinchelli Greer about launching Seea in San Clemente, Calif. The line is sourced and produced in downtown Los Angeles.
Though Seea was designed with surfing in mind, Greer said women have worn the tanks and long-sleeved tops for other water sports, as well as yoga. Because the high-waist skirted bottoms are stitched on the side seams, they stay put better than other athletic skirts. The double lining on the tops make them extra toasty.
“They are very feminine as far as the seams and way I do the way the panels. They are really flattering for different body shapes, and it’s also kind of fun. I don’t want to be too literally retro. I am inspired by the retro as far as the lines but not for the colors and prints. It reminds you of retro,” she said.
Seea is stocked at boutique surf shops such as Mollusk in San Francisco and Venice, Calif., the designer’s favorite local surf shop when she lived in the Sunset district of San Francisco. (At the time, she was working in design and development for skate company Deluxe Distribution.)
For more information, email surf@theseea.com.—Rhea Cortado
