Laying The Cloth For California’s New Hope

A Boardshort Guide in 2018? How adventurous!

In the Northern Hemisphere, we’re picking at Spring hors d’oeuvres, not-so-patiently awaiting an overdue summer.

So, we enlisted the brands who keep the Stab gears turning, to send us their favorite trunks of the 2018 Spring and Summer lineups, set up a North Shore studio on the sand at Keiki, and shot their top talent in them.

Oh, and we had them fill out a cheeky questionnaire.

In the early 2000’s surfers were forced to endure whatever their sponsors gave them. Checkers, botanicals, stripes, paint splatters, graffiti scrawled across the top? You pay; I’ll wear. Two decades later, thankfully, brands are making boardies their rider will actually want to sport.

These have been carefully chosen, though we’ll bet these offend plenty, excite more than a few, and fly right over the heads of the rest of you…

It’s 2018. If you’re all-pleasing, you’re beige. The Divisive Age is upon us!

Meet Griffin Colapinto’s “Sunday’s Airlite Boardshorts.”

Yes, we’re riding the Griff Colapinto-train.

After Griff grabbed the ’17 Triple Crown, we ushered him down to the beach to stand in front of a white backdrop, to look as cleancut as any 18-year-old World Tour surfer ever has.

It’s long been our conviction that Billabong’s “Life’s better in Boardshorts” campaign is the truest and most self-explanatory depiction of trunks in the 21st century. We were pleased when they presented the Warhol x Jean-Michael Basquiat line of trunks, to juxtapose their high-performance Airlite series.

This volume also features Billabong’s D-Bah Airlite – Asphalt, Tribong Airlite – Mint, Fright Wig – Black, A-Factory – Multi, Knives LT – Black/White

For the season’s best boardshorts, head here.

To shop Billabong, head here.