My Okanui Classics in the outback somewhere
Elastic? Gone. Waistband? Gone. Drawcord? Long gone. Colour? Faded. Loved? Most definitely. Missed? Most certainly. Farewell to my Okis.
It was nearly eight years ago that I bought a pair of Okinui shorts from their store in Noosa, Australia. Since then they have been around the world with me many times and have rarely been out of arms reach. Their cotton has been worn to blissful softness and their shape is perfectly tuned to me. I love these shorts but I feel they have run their course and it is time to let go.
Okanui Classics
Okanui board shorts were fathered by Sydney surfer Dick Ash. He was brought up in Avalon on the Northern Beaches of Sydney, Australia in the 1950s and made his first pair of board shorts when he was about fifteen. Using mail bags scrounged from the local post office he sewed them together using his mums sewing machine and, as the legend goes, he cut out the letters S.A. Aust. from the mail bags and told his friends it stood for 'Surfing Association of Australia'. Ash began making board shorts for his surfing friends and the Okanui legend began.
My new Okis
The Okanui 'Classic' board short as we know it has been around for over 30 years, it has become a part Australian surf lore and the company is still owned and run by Dick Ash from Byron Bay, NSW. The 'Classic' is still available in a range of bright, hibiscus patterns from 100% cotton, is manufactured in Fiji and made to last. These fantastic shorts can be bought online at Okanui.com
Before Christmas last year I finally came to terms with the fact my shorts weren't going to last forever; I think eight years is a good run for any piece of clothing nowadays and I hope my new pair is up for the challenge.