The O’Neill brand started life in 1952 when our founder, Jack O’Neill began designing and producing the world’s first neoprene wetsuits out of the world’s first surf shop - a humble garage off the Great Highway, San Francisco.
Word of Jack’s craftsmanship in both shaping boards and designing wetsuits soon spread with surfers from all over the world keen to get their hands on his designs in order to be able to surf better, for longer. Before long Jack’s satisfied customers included windsurfers, divers, water skiers and snow skiers. As the business continued to grow and evolve, Jack got all his six kids involved in the manufacturing and marketing process.
By the 1980s Jack O’Neill’s trailblazing workshop had become a respected and much-loved international surf brand, leading the lifestyle sportswear markets in the U.S, Europe and Japan.Throughout every step of the O’Neill journey, Jack, his family and his team have stayed true to their mission. To produce the finest, most robust, enduring and stylish surf and sportswear clothing and accessories possible. To work with innovators and enthusiasts. To push the technical boundaries of what sports clothing can do so we can all explore and enjoy the natural world for longer.
