Billabong

Billabong was founded in the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia in 1973 by Gordon Merchant. At first, he designed and created board shorts at his home and then sold them to local surf shops.

Surfers soon realized the durability of Merchant’s shorts that was the result of his triple-stitching technique. Merchant understood that his company needed to expand to achieve success, so Billabong started to sponsor contests, which increased the public’s awareness of Merchant’s products and the company expanded. By the 1980s, Billabong board shorts were present throughout Australia.

In the 1990s, the surf industry as a whole grew significantly and Billabong was a part of this growth process. The company was first traded on the Australian Securities Exchange in mid-2000, which provided the company with the funds to further expand and acquire other companies

Based upon his success in Australia, Merchant decided to export Billabong’s products and, by the late 1980s, Merchant’s board shorts were available in other countries, including New Zealand, Japan, and South Africa.