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O’Neill Celebrates 60 Years Of Innovation Around The Globe

2012 honors Jack O’Neill as entrepreneur and pioneer; special events planned all over the world, culminating at O’Neill Cold Water Classic in November.

Posted 2/6/2012

Santa Cruz, Calif. (February 3, 2012)– O’Neill, the world’s leading surf, snow and youth lifestyle brand has officially turned 60. O’Neill’s history is draped in tradition and innovation, beginning with the invention of the wetsuit that is considered the building block for the entire surf industry. Jack O’Neill opened the doors to the world’s first surf shop in 1952 while the brand also spearheaded the development of the leash, board bag, wetsuit bootie, four way stretch boardshort and Superkini. The concept of the surf team was created by O’Neill which includes a long line of monumental talents including Shaun Tomson, Dane Kealoha, Martin Potter, Brad Gerlach, Cory Lopez, Jordy Smith and John John Florence.

O’Neill’s 60th anniversary celebration commenced in October 2011 with the release of the photo biography, “It’s Always Summer on the Inside,” a chronology of Jack’s life, inventions and business pursuits. The hard cover book has been widely popular to date, selling out on Amazon.com within three days. A special microsite chronicling the brand’s immense legacy in water sports will launch this month at www.oneill.com. The 60th microsite will include an innovation timeline honoring the past six decades of brand highlights, six 60 years videos, exclusive 60 years product collections, "60 Years of Innovation Art Tour" schedule and highlights, and a heritage page detailing history of the brand.

O’Neill’s “60Years of Innovation” advertising campaign has been unveiled appearing in a number of surf and lifestyle magazines. The 60th campaign features iconic visuals of Jack O’Neill taken throughout the evolution of the brand, with the incorporation of bold tag lines recognizing Jack’s contributions to the surf and action sports industry.

A major centerpiece of the 60th anniversary will be a worldwide art exhibit, titled “60 Years of Innovation Art Tour." Starting in Australia, the exhibit will visit Asia, Europe, South Africa and the U.S. exposing surf fans to the story of Jack O’Neill and his many contributions to the sport. The tour will showcase six decades, six innovations, six commissioned artists, six local artists and six charities. Silent auctions from all tour stops will benefit charities including Surfaid International, Japanese Tsunami Relief and O’Neill’s own Sea Odyssey Foundation.

"Jack O’Neill is one of the most influential people in the world of water sports, hands down," said O’Neill Clothing CEO, Toby Bost. "Without his contributions, millions of surfers worldwide wouldn’t have the accessibility to surf whenever and wherever they want. All throughout 2012, we’re making sure that his legacy is recognized around the world."

Several events are planned throughout the year in celebration of 60 years. 2012 began with the highly successful O’Neill Evolution. O’Neill began it’s roots in snow in the mid 70’s, and continues to elevate the Evolution as one of the most progressive snowboard events in the world. This fall, O’Neill and TGR Films will present “Further”, the sequel to Big-Mountain legend Jeremy Jones’ “Deeper.” Generation Next, O’Neill’s popular fashion and music event, is taking its fifth installment to San Francisco, back to the origin of the brand and first surf shop, where one young designer will be awarded a $5,000 scholarship and an internship with O’Neill. In November, O’Neill will officially culminate its 60th anniversary at the Cold Water Classic in Santa Cruz, where Jack started the brand and remains a legend in the area. Upgraded to a World Tour event for the first time since the early 90s, the 2012 O'Neill Cold Water Classic and Steamer Lane will showcase the top 34 surfers in the world.

“We are excited to see a World Tour level event return to Santa Cruz as part of O’Neill’s 60 Year anniversary. Santa Cruz, with its rich surf history and tradition, is the perfect venue for this pivotal event. Mainland surfing started in Santa Cruz, Jack O’Neill developed many pioneering surf inventions here and it’s been home to the O’Neill brand for over half a century,” said O’Neill Wetsuits President & CEO, Pat O’Neill. “With a World Tour event in 2012 and the possibility of the World Champion being crowned, we expect to see an exciting chapter in surfing history written in our front yard.”

The launch of the new Jack O’Neill Originals Collection leads a series of exclusive product offerings for 2012. A homage to Jack, the collection of men’s t-shirts, boardshorts and wovens, combines six decades of graphical imagery and timeless styling to offer a premium line that is true to O’Neill. Other special apparel and wetsuit offerings include the Hyperfreak XT2 boardshort, 60th anniversary men’s t-shirts, 60th girls dress inspired by the original 1968 “It’s Always Summer on the Inside” ad and 52/12 limited-edition wetsuit.

For more information on O'Neill's 60th anniversary, log on to oneill.com.

About O’Neill
O'Neill, the original California surf, snow and lifestyle brand, was founded in 1952 when a young man named Jack O'Neill took his unstoppable passion for surfing and used it to beat Mother Nature at her own game. Pioneering the world's first neoprene surf wetsuit, Jack had successfully found a way to extend his surf sessions in the bone-chilling breaks of Northern California. He opened up the garage doors to his first surf shop soon after.

While many things have changed since those humble beginnings, Jack's initial vision of producing functional and innovative board riding products continues to lie at the core of everything the company does. O'Neill's set of core values - innovation in style and technology - has seen the brand devote itself wholeheartedly to the evolution of action sports. From the first neoprene surf wetsuit and board leash, to the world's first stitchless board shorts and range of groundbreaking wearable electronics, O'Neill's spirit of innovation will always drive the company forwards.

Today, O'Neill can be found the world over. In touch with its rich heritage and the universal appeal of board riding culture, O'Neill will always be committed to growing its reputation as one of the world's leading youth lifestyle brands based on a unique half-century of history as the First Name in the Water.

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