Jams World Celebrates 50 Years
Jams World, known for its fun, colorful clothing, celebrates its 50th anniversary with various upcoming events, including a photo contest on its Facebook page.
Post your photos of Jams World moments now through Sept. 30, and those with the most likes will be awarded gift certificates. Photos may capture a day at the beach, a birthday celebration, Aloha Friday, a celebrity captured wearing Jams World, etc.
Also in the works is Jams World Day, and a competition for fashion students to design a new look for the next collection. The company was founded in 1964 by Dave Rochlen, who was a lifeguard, surfer, paddleboard racer and dirt-bike rider in Santa Monica before moving to Hawaii 1962 and opening a surf shop called Surf Line Hawaii. Inspired by a LIFE magazine article showing Russian tourists swimming in the Black Sea wearing bathrobes and pajamas to the beach, Rochlen bought some brightly printed fabric and asked his wife, Keanuenue, to make him pajama shorts cut off at the knee and with a sewed up fly. Soon, his surfing buddies wanted a pair too, and he started selling them out of the trunk of his car at Makaha Beach and at his Surf Line Hawaii surfboard shop. Surfing world champion Mike Doyle wore the first pair at Makaha in 1964, and North Shore surf pioneer Butch Van Artsdalen also wore Jams.
Then, LIFE magazine ran a two-page spread featuring Rochlen and his friends modeling the new beachwear, and the trend took off worldwide.
Today, Jams World continues its philosophy of color, freedom, difference, humor and love, and searches the world for hand-painted art that inspires, then screen prints it on exclusive spun crushed rayon. All garments are manufactured in Honolulu, and each print has coordinating hand-painted buttons created by a California artist.
There are six Jams World stores on Oahu, Maui and Hawaii island featuring clothing, jewelry, accessories and gift items. Jams World apparel also can be found in 33 U.S. Mainland states and internationally in Australia, Canada, Japan, China, Korea, the Caribbean, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The company employs 85 people, with some having worked for Jams for more than 40 years. For more information, visit jamsworld.com.
