What was a nouveau riche surfwear CEO supposed to do? Believe in the “grow or die” dictum and start filling those bulk orders for Macy’s and JC Penney? Or stay “core,” knowing that the surfers who made your label cool in the first place weren’t going to hang around once they knew their boardshorts were being worn by the people who shop at Macy’s and JC Penney?
This was the Ocean Pacific dilemma. In the 1970s, Op smashed all surf industry sales records after moving strongly into the department...
