Laird Hamilton And Steve & Barry’s Launch Surf, Skate Clothing Line

Press Release

• April 04 2008
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OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE - The world’s greatest big wave surfer and epic waterman Laird Hamilton is teaming up with Steve & Barry’s® to launch Wonderwall™, a surf and skate collection for men that will debut May 15, 2008. A water sports pioneer with an unquenchable thirst for adrenaline, Hamilton is known for pushing the boundaries of water sports with awe-inspiring feats. He was the first to complete a 360-degree loop on a surfboard, created tow-in surfing to tackle huge waves such as massive 70-footers, and made marathon-like paddleboard journeys around the world. Wonderwall represents Hamilton’s first clothing collection, inspired by his sense of style, attitude and overall approach to life.

Hamilton partnered with a team of Steve & Barry’s designers to create a cool and comfortable collection of high quality graphic t-shirts, board shorts, woven shirts, cargo shorts, accessories and much more. Wonderwall will be sold exclusively at all Steve & Barry’s mall locations, with every item priced at $8.98.

At a young age, Hamilton was raised in a single parent household by his mother. They moved to Hawaii when he was a few months old, and he struggled to fit it in. Things settled down when a young Laird met legendary surfer Bill Hamilton and introduced him to his mother. Bill Hamilton soon became Laird’s adopted father and his mom’s husband. Laird will never forget that transition and is eager to help families across the country in any way he can, including helping to create a high quality, affordably priced collection.

The 165-item Wonderwall collection takes its design inspiration from Hamilton’s passion – tackling water sports and skating challenges in some of the world’s most beautiful landscapes. The line plays on the themes and colors of natural environments such as Maui, where Hamilton grew up and still resides with his wife, professional volleyball player and model Gabrielle Reece, and their daughter. Over 30 original graphic t-shirts in the collection play off Hamilton’s approach to life, such as his personal tagline, “Every man is equal before the wave.” Board shorts featuring edgy and artistic details are also at the core of the collection.

Hamilton said, “Wonderwall represents everything I’m about – not only what I wear in and out of the water every day, but also those aspects of life that I’m most passionate about. I’m excited to work with Steve & Barry’s to create clothes that look great and are comfortable, but also affordable. Guys that live the surf and skate lifestyle want to spend their time
tracking the next big swell or finding a new skatepark, not worrying about having enough money for t-shirts and shorts.”

Wonderwall marks Steve & Barry’s entry into the surf and skate category, building on a strategy of creating proprietary lifestyle brands that appeal to younger shoppers while remaining accessible to all shoppers. Other recently introduced collections include women’s clothing and footwear lines with Sarah Jessica Parker, Venus Williams and Amanda Bynes, and men’s urban and basketball gear and sneakers with NBA® superstars Ben Wallace and Stephon Marbury.

“Surf and skate is a natural extension of our lifestyle brand mix, and Laird Hamilton is the perfect partner to create a line that looks great and embodies his passion for life,” said Steve & Barry’s co-CEO Barry Prevor. “Laird is an icon for the millions of young men who live the extreme lifestyle today, and we’re very excited to enter the category in a huge way together with such a legend.”