What Sundek is known for
Surfwear brand launched 1958 in San Francisco as an expansion of the 1940s Sun-Dek swimwear line; its 1972 rainbow-striped boardshort became a lasting design, and the brand is now owned by an Italian firm based in Campi Bisenzio.
Sundek traces to Sun-Dek of California, a swimwear brand active in San Francisco from the early 1940s. In 1958 the company expanded into a dedicated line of nylon and cotton-nylon shorts built specifically for surfing, and it went on to sponsor surfers as it grew into Hawaii and the U.S. East Coast through the 1960s. In 1972 Sundek introduced its rainbow-striped boardshort, a design that became closely associated with the brand within surf culture. Ownership later passed to an Italian investment group, and the company is now headquartered in Campi Bisenzio, Italy, continuing to produce boardshorts and beachwear under the original name.
How ORBIS reads this city
Best for — Italian-American boardshorts with the rainbow-stripe waistband, a nod to Malibu 1958
More in San Francisco
- American Giant — San Francisco
- DSPTCH — San Francisco
- Evan Kinori — San Francisco
- Everlane — San Francisco
- Goorin Bros — San Francisco
- Mollusk Surf Shop — San Francisco
- O'Neill — San Francisco
- Rothy's — San Francisco
Where next
- Mavala — Paris
- Rodo — Paris
- Embryolisse — Paris
Hand-curated for ORBIS · no paid placement