Maui and Sons Surf Shop

In my last post, I explained why I usually don't write about t-shirts from surfwear brands and prefer to focus instead on t-shirts from local beach town surf shops.  In my opinion, surf shop t-shirts are the best kinds of surf t-shirts because they are almost always original, unique, and infused with the history of a local surf scene.  I rarely stray from this focus, but I did so in my last post, writing about the resurrected Lightning Bolt brand.  I justified it by pointing out the brand's fascinating history, its distinctive style separating it from today's major surfwear brands, and, most significantly, its lone U.S. physical presence as a surf shop in Venice Beach, CA.  Though Lightning Bolt t-shirts could be found in various retail outlets around the world, they were still original, unique, and connected enough to a local surf scene through a local surf shop.

For a second consecutive post, I'm going to make another exception for the Maui and Sons brand for pretty much the same reasons.  A major international surf apparel and equipment brand that can be found in retail store chains, local surf shops, and online retailers around the world, Maui and Sons has an interesting brand history and a distinctive style.  Most relevantly, it offers a local retail experience through a surf shop located, curiously enough, just like Lightning Bolt, in Venice Beach, CA (there must be something about Venice Beach.)

Lightning Bolt Surf Shop

On my road trips, I seek out a few specific things: epic surfing, peaceful beaches, cold beer, surf shops, and, above all, original surf shop t-shirts.  These t-shirts are the kinds of t-shirts that can't be found anywhere else but the surf shops that make them.  Not only do they capture the spirit of surfing, but they also express the identity of a particular surf shop and embody the vibe of the local surf scene.  Only with rare exception will I stray from this standard and review t-shirts from surfwear brands or other sources.

For several reasons, I'm making one of those exceptions for Lightning Bolt, a global surfboard and surfwear brand based in Venice Beach, CA.  For one, Lightning Bolt has a fascinating brand history, from its birth in Honolulu, HI in 1970, to its rise to fame on Oahu's fabled North Shore in the 1970s, to its disappointing decline in the 1980s, and up to its recent rebirth in the 2010s.  Second, even though Lightning Bolt apparel, especially its t-shirts, can be found in some national retail store chains, local surf shops, and online stores, it has a single physical presence in the United States, a surf shop on Venice Beach's Pacific Avenue, a street that runs just one block parallel to the famous Venice Beach boardwalk (outside the U.S., however, there are Lightning Bolt retail outlets.)  Third and last, the brand has a unique style that distinguishes it from the major surfwear brands of today.