Lightning Bolt was a leader in the shortboard revolution of the late 60’s/early 70’s. Started by Jack Shipley and Gerry Lopez in 1968, these boards quickly took to the spotlight as they were ridden by legends like Rory Russell, Mark Richards, and Gerry Lopez himself.
This past spring, the Lightning Bolt brand was re-launched under new ownership as a clothing line based in Southern California, distributed at high-end and core retailers. Lightning Bolt is attempting to continue what Jack and Gerry started long ago.
Both their men’s and women’s clothing lines are inspired by the passion seen in the surfers of the 70’s, as well as the soul surfers of today.
Those who live a soul surfer’s lifestyle are sure to appreciate the designs and styles found in Lightning Bolt’s first line of clothing.
Lightning Bolt’s collection features vintage tees, wovens, walk shorts, board shorts, denim and other accessories. With their high-quality fabrics and unique designs, I am sure we will see Lightning Bolt succeed in the industry.
There collection is not cheap however. For me personally, I’d never consider paying $40 for a t-shirt or $70 for a pair of boardshorts.
Don’t get me wrong, I think the styles and designs they have created are awesome. I think some of the t-shirt designs are really cool, and would love to get my hands on some of them. I’d wear just about any item I’ve seen from their collection if I didn’t have to pay so much.
That put aside, I think they are starting in the perfect location. Being based in the Los Angeles area, there are plenty of high-end retailers that will love to carry their clothing lines, and I think they are going to be quite successful.
I love to see surf companies pay respect to the legends of our sport, and Lightning Bolt is doing just that. They have a really cool vibe going with their philosophy and design themes, which is easy to see just browsing through their website. If you are into the vintage style of the 70’s combined with modern high-quality fabrics and clothing construction, then here is a new brand you don’t want to miss.
Quote from their website:
“Lightning Bolt is a pure source of inspiration. Lightning Bolt believes that surfing is more than just a sport – it is a way of life, a way of mental and physical self-development, where there are no winners or losers…Lightning Bolt is inspired by the true spirit of surfing and its riders’ lifestyle, a soul surfer approach and a free rider state of mind.”
