Mambo Graphics

Last updated

Mambo
Company type Subsidiary
Industry Retail, textile
Founded1984;41 years ago (1984)
Founders Dare Jennings and Andrew Rich
Headquarters
Alexandria, New South Wales
,
Australia
Area served
Worldwide
Products Surfing wetsuits, casual wear
Parent Caprice Australia [1]
Website mambo.cc

Mambo Graphics (also, 100% Mambo; and marketed as Mambo) is an Australian clothing brand specialises in swimwear, wetsuits, casual wear apparel and surfing accessories. Mambo was launched in 1984 by Australian entrepreneur and founder of Phantom Records, Dare Jennings along with his business partner, Andrew Rich. The headquarters are located in Alexandria, Sydney.

Contents

Mambo is available in Australia and New Zealand. In 2011, the retail company expanded its market into the United States and Canada, later establishing stores across the United Kingdom. The first pair of board shorts were created by British fashion designer, Paul Smith. Peter Pilotto and other designers inspired the female wetsuits.

On 6 January 2015, Mambo was acquired by the American brand management and production company, Saban Brands. Four years later, Mambo returned to Australian ownership when it was acquired by Caprice Australia in July 2019.

History

Early days

In the early 1970s, Dare Jennings owned a large and successful screen printing business, Phantom Textile Printers, producing t-shirt and fabric prints for a variety of commercial clients. He also owned an independent record label, Phantom Records. Mambo began life as an "after-hours" project in the Phantom art room. The graphics were initially created by in-house artists such as musician Jodi Phillis, and by freelance artist, Richard Allan whose first t-shirt graphics, 'Real Wrestlers, Real Wrestling' and 'Call Of The Wild (Farting Dog)' were the best-sellers.

'100% Mambo' clothing was often available in surf / skate shops in the mid- to late 1980s in the UK. As skateboarders wore much surfer-inspired clothing, Mambo board shorts in loud / Hawaiian patterns were worn by skaters. Other similar surf / skate brands around at the time were Stüssy, Life's A Beach and Vision Street Wear. As this was long before skate culture became mainstream (e.g. skate shops often only sold Vans, Vision or Converse shoes), these were usually niche products.

Allan's arrival at Mambo was followed by other Australian and overseas artists, including Reg Mombassa, Robert Williams (US) and Ben Frost.

Development

A Mambo shirt logo Mambo Graphics logo.png
A Mambo shirt logo

In 1994, the first Mambo 'Loud Shirt' was released. The design was influenced by the famous Hawaiian 'Aloha' shirt. It was called 'Blue Hawaii' by Martin Plaza (a bandmate of Reg Mombassa). This shirt became one of Mambo's best-sellers and started the Mambo 'Loud Shirt' style. Mambo opened its first store in 1995. Located in the Sydney suburb of Paddington, it was called the 'Mambo Friendship Store'. Stores opened in other Australian cities and in the UK, Europe, Asia and New Zealand. By 2001, Mambo had opened 25 independent retail stores.

In 2000 Mambo received an invitation from the Australian Wool Board to design the athlete's uniform for the opening ceremony of the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. After the Summer Olympic Games, Jennings was approached by Gazal Corporation to buy the brand. Jennings sold the company in March of that year and took over the role of creative director.[ citation needed ] Jennings left the company in 2002 and later went on to create the surf and moto-inspired brand Deus Ex Machina. [2]

In 2006, Principle (an Australian research company) named Mambo "Australia's sixth-most-authentic brand" alongside Bonds, Speedo, R. M. Williams and Billabong. [3] In 2008 Mambo was sold to The Nervous Investor Group, an Australian-based consortium headed by Angus Kingsmill and based in the Sydney beachside suburb of Manly. [4] In 2015 Mambo was sold to US clothing group Saban Brands. [5] [6] In 2012, Mambo entered into partnerships with key players in the US and Brazil with plans to introduce the brand on a large scale in each country. [7] In July 2019, Mambo was acquired by 60-year-old family-run brand Caprice Australia, bringing ownership of the Mambo brand to Australia. [8]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swimsuit</span> Clothing worn for swimming

A swimsuit is an item of clothing designed to be worn by people engaging in a water-based activity or water sports, such as swimming, diving and surfing, or sun-orientated activities, such as sun bathing. Different types may be worn by men, women, and children. A swimsuit can be described by various names, some of which are used only in particular locations or for particular types of suit, including swimwear, bathing suit, bathing attire, swimming costume, bathing costume, swimming suit, swimmers, swimming togs, bathers, cossie, or swimming trunks, besides others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reg Mombassa</span> Musical artist

Christopher O'Doherty, also known by the pseudonym Reg Mombassa, is a New Zealand-born Australian artist and musician. He is a founding member of the band Mental As Anything and member of Dog Trumpet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quiksilver</span> Brand of surf-inspired apparel and accessories

Quiksilver is an Australian brand of surf-inspired apparel and accessories that was founded in 1969 in Torquay, Victoria, but is now based in Huntington Beach, California. It is one of the world's largest brands of surfwear and boardsport-related equipment. The parent company changed its name in March 2017 from Quiksilver, Inc. to Boardriders, Inc., and is the owner of the brands Quiksilver, Roxy and DC Shoes. In 2018, Boardriders acquired Billabong International Limited, gaining the Billabong, Element, Von Zipper, RVCA and XCEL brands. Authentic Brands Group bought Boardriders and its associated brands and intellectual property in 2023.

Rip Curl is an Australian designer, manufacturer, and retailer of surfing sportswear and accompanying products, and a major athletic sponsor. Rip Curl has become one of the largest surfing companies in Australia, Europe, South America, North America and South Africa. Globally, Rip Curl is considered a successful member of the "Big Three", of the surf industry alongside Quiksilver and Billabong.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buckle (clothing retailer)</span> American fashion retailer

The Buckle, Inc. is an American fashion retailer selling clothing, footwear, and accessories for men, women, and children. The company operates 451 stores in 42 states throughout the United States of America, under the names Buckle and The Buckle. Buckle markets brand name and private label apparel, including denim, other casual bottoms, tops and shirts, dresses and rompers, sportswear and athleisure, outerwear, footwear, swimwear, fragrances, sunglasses, bags and purses, wallets, and other accessories.

Malia Jones is an American model and surfer.

Phantom Records was an Australian record store and independent record label established in 1978 on Pitt Street in Sydney. Phantom Records was one of Australia's first indie labels, and the store was known for its guerilla marketing strategies.

O'Neill is originally a Californian surf wear and surfboard brand started in 1952 by Jack O'Neill. It moved down the coast from San Francisco to Santa Cruz by the end of the decade. The company logo symbolizes a breaking surf wave. "O'NEILL" and the "Wave logo" are trademarks registered worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Surf art</span>

Surf art is visual art about or related to the sport of surfing, waves, and the culture that surrounds beaches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burkini</span> Swimsuit

A burkini is a style of swimsuit for women. The suit covers the whole body except the face, the hands, and the feet, while being light enough for swimming. This type of swimwear was designed with the intention of creating swimwear for Muslims who observe hijab in this way. The amount of skin covered is about the same as the person wearing a full body wetsuit and a swimming cap.

aussieBum is an Australian men's swimwear and underwear manufacturer. Initially manufactured in Sydney's inner west, a growing number of aussieBum products were later manufactured overseas in China, Bangladesh, Thailand, and Vietnam. Their products are designed and delivered from Sydney, with the business run out of the company's headquarters in the suburb of Leichhardt.

Gazal Corporation Limited was a leading Australian branded clothing company and was a listed public company of the Australian Stock Exchange. The company was based in Banksmeadow in the Australian state of New South Wales. Its main business areas were men's, ladies' and children's clothing, and it and its subsidiaries are engaged in the design, manufacture, importation, wholesale and retail of clothing and accessories including business shirts, school wear, surf and casual wear, as well as intimate apparel. The company owned brands such as Mambo Graphics, Davenport and Bisley Workwear and imports brands such as Nautica, Calvin Klein Underwear and held the license for Oroton underwear. The Company had operations in Australasia and Europe. Mambo was sold to Saban Brands in 2015.

Tribal Gear, Tribal Streetwear or simply Tribal was launched in 1989 by Bobby Ruiz and his brother Joey as a Southern California lifestyle-inspired clothing brand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">General Pants Co.</span> Australian clothing store chain

General Pants Co. is an Australian fashion retailer. The company specialises in streetwear, denim, skate clothing and surfwear from international and local brands. As of May 2022, the company operates 60 stores across Australia and New Zealand.

Piping Hot is an Australian surf and street clothing brand. It was established in 1975 by Fred Pyke and Rod Brooks in Torquay, Victoria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stüssy</span> American clothing brand and private company

Stüssy is an American privately held fashion house founded in the early 1980s by Shawn Stussy. It benefited from the surfwear trend originating in Orange County, California, but was later adopted by the skateboard and hip hop scenes.

Island Company was a wholesale and retail resort clothing brand founded in 2002 by Spencer Antle. As of 2019, the company shut down its retail stores due to extensive damage from Hurricane Irma.

Deus Ex Machina is designer of surf, snow, and street clothing.

Barkers or Barkers Men's Clothing is a New Zealand menswear fashion brand and retail chain. It has 33 stores around the country, including 14 in Auckland. It was established in Auckland CBD in 1972, and is headquartered in Grafton, Auckland. The chain sells a range of men's clothing, including shirts, knitwear, pants, jeans, sweatshirts, jackets and coats, blazers, t-shirts, shorts, polo shirts, socks, ties and belts.

Bendon Group is a New Zealand lingerie, underwear and sleepwear company. It includes the women's brands Bendon, Me by Bendon, Pleasure State, Lovable and Hickory, the fuller cup size brand Fayreform, and the men's brands Bendon Man and Davenport.

References

  1. ↑ "Caprice Australia". guide.ethical.org.au. Archived from the original on 8 November 2021. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  2. ↑ "Dare Jennings, founder of Mambo and Deus Ex Machina, on how to build a successful global brand". Business Insider Australia. 20 May 2018. Archived from the original on 17 February 2022. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
  3. ↑ Superbrands Vol.5 Archived 2011-02-22 at the Wayback Machine . Superbrands. 2007
  4. ↑ "Fashion: Born-Again Mambo - TIME". 7 November 2012. Archived from the original on 7 November 2012. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
  5. ↑ "Mambo sold to US clothing group Saban Brands". news.com.au. 7 January 2015. Archived from the original on 24 January 2016. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  6. ↑ "Iconic Australian Fashion Brand, Mambo, Joins Saban Brands' Portfolio" (Press release). 6 January 2015. Archived from the original on 13 November 2020. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  7. ↑ "Mambo restructure leads to global expansion". Textile Source. Melbourne. 2 February 2012. Archived from the original on 14 September 2012.
  8. ↑ "MAMBO ANNOUNCES 'LIFESTYLE' PARTNERSHIP WITH URBNSURF". ASB. 4 February 2020. Archived from the original on 24 April 2021. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.