Kanvas by Katin
Encyclopedia
Kanvas By Katin, founded in 1959, is located in Surfside, California and is one of the oldest surf shops in California.
boat
covers. Yet one day a young man came into the Katin's shop in Surfside, California, complaining of the difficulty in finding a pair of swim shorts
durable enough to stand up to the then-new pastime of surfboard
riding. Walter used his sewing machine and some of the sturdy boat canvas previously used for boat covers and created the first pair of Kanvas by Katin surf trunks
.
The Katins kept making their surf trunks, selling them from the Surfside store and through a network of surf shop dealers all over the Western Hemisphere
. From the 1960s to the 1970s, virtually every top surfer wore Katins and appeared in surf magazine ads.
Their loyalty was not just because Nancy and Walter made great surf trunks - the Katins loved the surfers who came into their shop, and the surfers loved them. Walter Katin passed on in 1967, and Nancy continued to run the shop and the business in the same manner as before.
In 1976, just as professional surfing
was starting to take off, Nancy initiated an annual Pro/Am Team Challenge at the Huntington Beach Pier
. All the world's best surfers came to compete. Winning the Katin Team Challenge instantly became one of the surfing world's most prestigious accomplishments.
By the late 1970s, the surf industry had begun a decade of explosive growth, but that was not important to Nancy. Her involvement with surfing had nothing to do with cashing in on the sport, it was based on her love of "her boys".
In the early 1980s, Nancy's health began to decline. Yet at this time, the popularity of surf wear began to skyrocket, and many other manufacturers were quick to take advantage of the trend, aggressively attacking the market with slick advertising and worldwide promotional blitzes. Katin, however, was content to keep things low-key, continuing to sew surf trunks in the back room of the Surfside store, selling them up front and through the same loyal network of surf shops.
In 1986 Nancy Katin died. The Katins never had any children of their own, and Nancy left the business to her loyal friend and seamstress, Sato Hughes, who had begun sewing trunks for the Katins in 1961.
Along with her son Glenn, Sato continued to run the Katin operation in the same low-key manner. They focused on the retail store, and on keeping the quality of the Katin surf trunks they produced the best they could be.
By the early 1990s, the big surf wear market had "shaken out" and hardcore surfers were again looking for a pair of functional, durable trunks. Glenn and Sato held down the retail end, and joined forces with Bill and Rick, who took over the wholesale side of the business. This duo of Newport Beach Surfers had experience in marketing
, sales
and production
.
The boys started by updating the classic canvas pieces with state-of-the-art nylon
and adjusting the lengths and fit for a modern audience. They also added shorts, shirts, pants and jackets made with the same Katin quality. With the new samples in hand, Rick and Bill set off on a now-legendary surf shop tour of all American
coasts. The response was strong and Katin was now back in an elite
group of surf shops which quickly found the business growing. They then expanded by bringing in "the team" including; Justin, Scott, Ian, Michelle, Randall,Rub, Rod, Dom, Kris, Randy and other hard working design and quality obsessed "surf wear freaks
".
Glenn and Sato now focused their efforts on the Katin shop. They filled it with clothing
, wetsuits, skateboards, surfboard
s, body boards and all accessories imaginable. The surf shop walls are adorned with decades of photos, trophies
and other memorabilia - invoking extended visits by many customers.
In 1998 Bill and Rick sold the wholesale side of the business to K2 inc.
, which was inaugurated with Bill's brainchild, the "K2 Big Wave Challenge", (later known as the Swell XXL, and known today as the Billabong XXL. Within a short time the K2 buyout lead to the main principles migrating to other ventures and finally the demise of the Katin wholesale business. True to the Katin spirit
Glenn Hughes fought hard to regain the name for the wholesale business for many years.
In 2005 Glenn Hughes regained the right from K2 inc. to sell wholesale under the Katin name again. With partner Robert Schmidt, the wholesale side of Katin was back in full force, check your local surf shop.
Also, in 2005 Katin received a much needed cyber
overhaul. After years of URL
changes beginning in 1996 with Katin-Surf.com, then Katin.com in 1998, and then KanvasByKatin.com in 2000, Glenn Hughes, with partner Rod Kelsey launched KatinSurf.com on July 4, 2005.
In marked difference to some of the larger surf brands, Katin does not sell its goods to department stores (despite considerable interest from "the Majors"). Katin products are made for surfers. Surfers shop in surf shops. Simple.
"Quality, durability and goods looks" was long the Katin motto and it's that attention to detail which continues to separate Katin from the rest of the surfing pack. And despite a growing legion of followers, the Katin quality remains stronger than ever.
Katin history
In the late 1950s, Nancy and Walter Katin were in the business of making canvasCanvas
Canvas is an extremely heavy-duty plain-woven fabric used for making sails, tents, marquees, backpacks, and other items for which sturdiness is required. It is also popularly used by artists as a painting surface, typically stretched across a wooden frame...
boat
Boat
A boat is a watercraft of any size designed to float or plane, to provide passage across water. Usually this water will be inland or in protected coastal areas. However, boats such as the whaleboat were designed to be operated from a ship in an offshore environment. In naval terms, a boat is a...
covers. Yet one day a young man came into the Katin's shop in Surfside, California, complaining of the difficulty in finding a pair of swim shorts
Swimsuit
A swimsuit, bathing suit, or swimming costume is an item of clothing designed to be worn by men, women or children while they are engaging in a water-based activity or water sports, such as swimming, water polo, diving, surfing, water skiing, or during activities in the sun, such as sun bathing.A...
durable enough to stand up to the then-new pastime of surfboard
Surfboard
A surfboard is an elongated platform used in the sport of surfing. Surfboards are relatively light, but are strong enough to support an individual standing on them while riding a breaking wave...
riding. Walter used his sewing machine and some of the sturdy boat canvas previously used for boat covers and created the first pair of Kanvas by Katin surf trunks
Boardshorts
Boardshorts are a style of men's and, recently, women's summerwear. They were originally developed for aquatic sports, specifically for surfing, but in more recent years they have grown in popularity outside of these sports, and have become a popular form of general beach and summerwear.The name...
.
The Katins kept making their surf trunks, selling them from the Surfside store and through a network of surf shop dealers all over the Western Hemisphere
Western Hemisphere
The Western Hemisphere or western hemisphere is mainly used as a geographical term for the half of the Earth that lies west of the Prime Meridian and east of the Antimeridian , the other half being called the Eastern Hemisphere.In this sense, the western hemisphere consists of the western portions...
. From the 1960s to the 1970s, virtually every top surfer wore Katins and appeared in surf magazine ads.
Their loyalty was not just because Nancy and Walter made great surf trunks - the Katins loved the surfers who came into their shop, and the surfers loved them. Walter Katin passed on in 1967, and Nancy continued to run the shop and the business in the same manner as before.
In 1976, just as professional surfing
Surfing
Surfing' is a surface water sport in which the surfer rides a surfboard on the crest and face of a wave which is carrying the surfer towards the shore...
was starting to take off, Nancy initiated an annual Pro/Am Team Challenge at the Huntington Beach Pier
Huntington Beach Pier
The Huntington Beach Pier is a municipal pier located in Huntington Beach, California. At in length, it is one of the longest public piers on the West Coast....
. All the world's best surfers came to compete. Winning the Katin Team Challenge instantly became one of the surfing world's most prestigious accomplishments.
By the late 1970s, the surf industry had begun a decade of explosive growth, but that was not important to Nancy. Her involvement with surfing had nothing to do with cashing in on the sport, it was based on her love of "her boys".
In the early 1980s, Nancy's health began to decline. Yet at this time, the popularity of surf wear began to skyrocket, and many other manufacturers were quick to take advantage of the trend, aggressively attacking the market with slick advertising and worldwide promotional blitzes. Katin, however, was content to keep things low-key, continuing to sew surf trunks in the back room of the Surfside store, selling them up front and through the same loyal network of surf shops.
In 1986 Nancy Katin died. The Katins never had any children of their own, and Nancy left the business to her loyal friend and seamstress, Sato Hughes, who had begun sewing trunks for the Katins in 1961.
Along with her son Glenn, Sato continued to run the Katin operation in the same low-key manner. They focused on the retail store, and on keeping the quality of the Katin surf trunks they produced the best they could be.
By the early 1990s, the big surf wear market had "shaken out" and hardcore surfers were again looking for a pair of functional, durable trunks. Glenn and Sato held down the retail end, and joined forces with Bill and Rick, who took over the wholesale side of the business. This duo of Newport Beach Surfers had experience in marketing
Marketing
Marketing is the process used to determine what products or services may be of interest to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business developments...
, sales
Sales
A sale is the act of selling a product or service in return for money or other compensation. It is an act of completion of a commercial activity....
and production
Manufacturing
Manufacturing is the use of machines, tools and labor to produce goods for use or sale. The term may refer to a range of human activity, from handicraft to high tech, but is most commonly applied to industrial production, in which raw materials are transformed into finished goods on a large scale...
.
The boys started by updating the classic canvas pieces with state-of-the-art nylon
Nylon
Nylon is a generic designation for a family of synthetic polymers known generically as polyamides, first produced on February 28, 1935, by Wallace Carothers at DuPont's research facility at the DuPont Experimental Station...
and adjusting the lengths and fit for a modern audience. They also added shorts, shirts, pants and jackets made with the same Katin quality. With the new samples in hand, Rick and Bill set off on a now-legendary surf shop tour of all American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
coasts. The response was strong and Katin was now back in an elite
Elite
Elite refers to an exceptional or privileged group that wields considerable power within its sphere of influence...
group of surf shops which quickly found the business growing. They then expanded by bringing in "the team" including; Justin, Scott, Ian, Michelle, Randall,Rub, Rod, Dom, Kris, Randy and other hard working design and quality obsessed "surf wear freaks
Freaks
Freaks is a 1932 American Pre-Code horror film about sideshow performers, directed and produced by Tod Browning and released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, with a cast mostly composed of actual carnival performers. The film was based on Tod Robbins' 1923 short story "Spurs"...
".
Glenn and Sato now focused their efforts on the Katin shop. They filled it with clothing
Clothing
Clothing refers to any covering for the human body that is worn. The wearing of clothing is exclusively a human characteristic and is a feature of nearly all human societies...
, wetsuits, skateboards, surfboard
Surfboard
A surfboard is an elongated platform used in the sport of surfing. Surfboards are relatively light, but are strong enough to support an individual standing on them while riding a breaking wave...
s, body boards and all accessories imaginable. The surf shop walls are adorned with decades of photos, trophies
Trophy
A trophy is a reward for a specific achievement, and serves as recognition or evidence of merit. Trophies are most often awarded for sporting events, from youth sports to professional level athletics...
and other memorabilia - invoking extended visits by many customers.
In 1998 Bill and Rick sold the wholesale side of the business to K2 inc.
K2
K2 is the second-highest mountain on Earth, after Mount Everest...
, which was inaugurated with Bill's brainchild, the "K2 Big Wave Challenge", (later known as the Swell XXL, and known today as the Billabong XXL. Within a short time the K2 buyout lead to the main principles migrating to other ventures and finally the demise of the Katin wholesale business. True to the Katin spirit
Spirit
The English word spirit has many differing meanings and connotations, most of them relating to a non-corporeal substance contrasted with the material body.The spirit of a living thing usually refers to or explains its consciousness.The notions of a person's "spirit" and "soul" often also overlap,...
Glenn Hughes fought hard to regain the name for the wholesale business for many years.
In 2005 Glenn Hughes regained the right from K2 inc. to sell wholesale under the Katin name again. With partner Robert Schmidt, the wholesale side of Katin was back in full force, check your local surf shop.
Also, in 2005 Katin received a much needed cyber
Cyber
Cyber may refer to:* Cyber-, a common prefix* Cybergoth* CDC Cyber, a range of mainframe computers* Cyber Acoustics, a brand of computer hardware* Cyber Missionary* Cybersex * Cyberitis * Cyber...
overhaul. After years of URL
Uniform Resource Locator
In computing, a uniform resource locator or universal resource locator is a specific character string that constitutes a reference to an Internet resource....
changes beginning in 1996 with Katin-Surf.com, then Katin.com in 1998, and then KanvasByKatin.com in 2000, Glenn Hughes, with partner Rod Kelsey launched KatinSurf.com on July 4, 2005.
In marked difference to some of the larger surf brands, Katin does not sell its goods to department stores (despite considerable interest from "the Majors"). Katin products are made for surfers. Surfers shop in surf shops. Simple.
"Quality, durability and goods looks" was long the Katin motto and it's that attention to detail which continues to separate Katin from the rest of the surfing pack. And despite a growing legion of followers, the Katin quality remains stronger than ever.