Jams (clothing line)

Jams is a line of clothing produced by Jams World.

History

Company founder Dave Rochlen[1] was a beach lifeguard and surfer, originally in Santa Monica, California, then in Hawaii.[2] After reading a Life magazine article showing Russians looking comfortable attending the beach in bathrobes, Rochlen bought some brightly colored floral fabric and asked his wife Keanuenue to make a short, baggy pair of pajamas with a sewn-up fly and cut-off at the knee.[2] They produced the first pair of Jams on December 25, 1964.[2]

Rochlen quit his job as a systems analyst and started his new company Surf Line Hawaii, Ltd. to make and sell his new product; its name, Jams, was a shortening of pajamas.[2][3] Rochlen explained the name as "I thought of it. It's part of the word 'pajamas,' of course, and it was what I wanted – short, quick, jargon, hip, young, one-syllable."

Soon after his first commercial pairs of Jams were worn at Mākaha, Hawaii, Life magazine ran a two-page spread on Rochlen and a group of his surfing friends in the June 1965 issue. After the article, the Jams line was sold in Bloomingdales, Macy's, and Lord & Taylor. By 1991, Surf Line Hawaii's annual sales totaled about US$7 million.[2] Its garments were all cut, sewn and manufactured in a Honolulu factory.[3]

The Jams look was baggy and bohemian, with wild prints and clashing pinks and greens. It was a clear departure from the more subtle color combinations and detailing of existing boardshorts.[3]

Notes
  1. "Dave Rochlen: Executive Profile". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
  2. Applegate, Jane. "Turning Passion for Work Into Success". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
  3. Kojima, Jackie (February 1, 2019). "Wear Your Vacation—Literally—With Jams World Apparel". Hawaii Magazine. Retrieved May 13, 2019.
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