Superior Surf Shorts: RVCA

(For all of 2019’s Superior Surf Shorts, head here!)

The great success story of the surf industry’s last decade, RVCA has conquered (relatively) the surf world by staying fluid. Be that their rambling team that navigates throwback stylers, world-class freesurfers, LA Party Boys, photographers, grapplers, artists and everything in between, somehow seamlessly, or their incredibly forward-looking and versatile clothing range. When it comes to trunks, you know RVCA’s got something for everyone.

Colin Moran wears the Knost Trunk.

We’re going to get straight to the point with RVCA, and focus on the jewel in the crown of their ’19 release, the Al Knost trunk. It’s one of the most strikingly fresh styles we’ve seen for some time, and we’re not enamoured with the silhouette by accident, as designer Jamie Stenning explains. “Al has a specific vision of how he wants things to look and feel, which I like,” he says. “It’s usually bit left of centre which keeps it interesting, and sometimes challenging to pull off technically. After a bit of a tussle with the vendors, it eventually came off. That was satisfying.”

To allow the Knost swoon to continue, just a little, here’s what else Jamie had to say about working with one of surfing’s most unique characters. “He lives near the office, but is away a lot so not always easy to pin down. He’s a super creative dude so it’s always rad to work with him on product. In this case he had just had an Art show called ‘Inbred Monuments – Landscapes for Butthole Surfers’ in Sydney, which consisted of these large-scale photos of foam sculptures. We thought it would be cool to incorporate some of this art into the trunk. He was down but wanted it to look more hand-done and worn in, like an old painting, not so digital and mass-produced. He did a quick sketch in my note pad and then we go away and try to make it happen. I think we got pretty close.”

Colin wears the Higgins Trunk.

The other two pairs in this submission are not to be ignored either, and both have valid tales behind their inception. The understated (but quite chic) Higgins trunk is the RVCA staff ultimate surf trunk. “Something shorter, understated and comfortable,” says Stenning. “Traditionally shorter trunks tend to get made out of rigid or low stretch fabrics so we used our four way stretch dobby fabric which has body to it so you’re not showing off your bits but is fairly high stretch for the comfort factor.”

Completing the haul is a pair decorated by LA paint splatter (of some note) Sage Vaughn, who applied his wares to the trunks. “Pat brought Sage into the ANP program about five or six years ago,” says Jamie. “He’s such a rad dude and always fun to work with. We basically connected with him at his studio in LA, laughed about some funny shit, bounced ideas back and forth and then went back and figured out how to engineer his colorful wildlife paintings into the garment to make a cool trunk and maintain the color and detail of his art.”

Suspended in the Sage Floral Trunk.

Come browse RVCA’s ample racks here.