RICOS SHORTS
These are all deeply civilised examples of the ‘swimshort’, a now ubiquitous aquatic cut that was pioneered by Orlebar Brown. And sure, you could surf in them too. I however sometimes lament the pre-gentrification passing of the super-violent (positive violence, mind) design ethos that echoed between surf and skate throughout the 80s and to a degree 90s too: back when Life’s a Beach, Maui and Sons, Gotcha, Jimmy’z, and Rusty all ruled. The aesthetic was a spontaneous reflection of the Memphis aesthetic carved out in Milan (just look at the Maui and Sons cookie classic) and it was powerfully joyful. Many of these brands are still around of course, but the shape of taste’s swell has shifted in relation to culture’s own tectonic shifts. And swimshorts work.