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Katin and The Katin Team Challenge, an Icon in the world of surfing 'Then and Now'

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 8 May, 2008 : - - 'Quality, durability and good looks' is the Katin motto and it's that attention to detail combined with the understanding of surfing, surfers and waterman around the world, which continues to separate Katin from the rest of the pack. And thanks to a growing legion of followers, the Katin dedication continues on, stronger than ever.

In the late 1950s, Nancy and Walter Katin were in the business of making canvas boat covers, and the $10 billion surf wear industry of the new millennium was all but unimaginable.

Yet one day a young man came into the Katins' shop in Surfside, California, complaining of the difficulty in finding a pair of swim shorts durable enough to stand up to the then-quirky pastime of surfboard riding. Walter went to his sewing machine with some of the sturdy boat canvas and whipped up the first pair of Kanvas by Katin surf trunks.

Word of Nancy and Walter's creation quickly spread up and down the coast, and the Katins were suddenly in the surf trunk business. The popularity of Katin surf trunks grew quickly. By the time the sport of surfing boomed in popularity in the mid-1960s, Katins were firmly entrenched as the “toughest” surf trunk around.

The Katins kept making their high-quality surf trunks, selling them from their Surfside store and through a network of surf shop dealers, all over the Western Hemisphere. From the sixties to the seventies, many top surfers wore Katins and all were proud to appear in surf magazine ads for their favorite trunks.

In 1977, just as professional surfing was starting to take off, Nancy initiated an annual Pro/Am Team Challenge at the Huntington Beach Pier as a way to let the surfers “show their stuff”. All the world's best surfers came to compete, but so did all the hot young kids from Any Beach, USA, Hawaii and Australia who were given the chance to surf side-by-side with their heroes.

Winning the Katin Team Challenge instantly became one of the surfing world's most prestigious accomplishments, and one of California’s biggest surfing events in history. The early 1990’s, the Katin name was licensed. Although Katin products sold in the retail market, the licensor stopped production after several years and the Katin owners negotiated to run the business themselves in 2003.

In 2004, after months of meetings, Katin’s current owner Glenn Hughes and Robert Schmidt signed a global licensing agreement. Their mutual intent was to propel Katin forward with a plan of initial slow growth, while rebuilding the brand’s identity. Robert, in the beginning, did most all things himself, including “one door at a time” sales starting small, then gradually building momentum and value.

Currently, Robert Schmidt has signed with a company forming Katin International, and enjoying steady growth and stability. “Our company has a cohesive vision and we work very well together. We are exceeding our expectations with core innovative shops and our product sells well on the floor. Our company understands Katin’s contribution to the history and future of surfing and has initiated our own unique design style.

We pay close attention to our retailers from “mom n pop” to Pacific Sunwear. We’re proud to be a part of this industry and have great admiration for our competition. The retailers believe in our vision and understand our heritage and commitment to the youth market while maintaining our history. It’s now that we’re focused on bringing back the famous Katin Pro AM Team Challenge in Jan - 2009.

Our recognition as a national brand is growing rapidly and coexists with the timing and reintroduction of the event. I’m pleased with our progress, as we’ve maintained our identity in the market. As a surfer all my life, the Katin brand and The Katin Pro AM Team Challenge is a relevant part of surfings’ history, now and then” – Robert Schmidt.

About Katin
Kanvas by Katin was founded in 1959 by Nancy Katin in Surfside, Calif., when she and her husband Walter transformed a canvas boat cover business into one of the nation’s first surfwear brands, specializing in high quality surf trunks.  Currently enjoying a resurgence in interest, today the Katin brand is carried in surf shops and specialty stores throughout the U.S. and worldwide. 

www.katinusa.com
www.katinsurf.com

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