Hawaii’s Jams World is releasing some of its most popular JAMS styles from its last 60 years in business as it celebrates this milestone. | Photo courtesy of Jams World
NEWS
Jams World, Founded by California Surfer Dave Rochlen, Turns 60
Hawaii-based surf brand Jams World is celebrating 60 years in business, and company President Pua Rochlen continues the legacy started by his late father, Santa Monica, Calif.–raised surfer Dave Rochlen. The Southern California surf shops of the 1950s and 1960s inspired Dave Rochlen to open retailer Surf Line Hawaii in 1964.
“The surfboard store in Honolulu was the best place to go to get boards. He then saw the gap in the market for really fun, printed surf shorts, and Jams, short for ‘pajamas,’ was born,” said Rochlen.
Pua’s mother, Hawaiian surfer Keanuenue Ka’eo, created the first pair of the brand’s shorts when his dad asked her to cut a pair of Hawaiian-print pajama pants into shorts.
“We brought back anniversary prints, reintroducing some of our greatest hits in art and silhouettes from the ’60s to the ’90s while still searching the world for inspiration and hand-painted vibrant art,” said Rochlen.
Surf Line maintains nine doors where Jams are sold: four on Oahu, Hawaii, three on the Big Island, [Hawaii], one on Kauai, Hawaii, and one in Las Vegas. Jams are also sold online at jamsworld.com, and the company partners with local charities.
“In this industry, at the end of the day, what you have is your name and, in our case, our art. As a business, we take that very seriously,” explained Rochlen. “We would love to see Jams World, Original Jams and Surf Line Hawaii stories continue to be told through fashion and art for generations to come.”
