Billabong

For surf and beach wear they remain a solid pick, which fits the brand's whole history. Billabong started in 1973 making board shorts that surfers prized for their durability, thanks to Rena Merchant's triple-stitching technique. That reputation for hard-wearing board shorts is still the heart of the label, so they are an easy default if board shorts are what you are after.

The brand built its name on durability. When the founders first sold board shorts to local surf shops in the 1970s, surfers quickly noticed how well the triple-stitched seams held up, and that durability drove the company's early expansion across Australia and then overseas. Quality on any given item will vary by line, but the core surfwear DNA is about clothing that survives saltwater and sun.

All three are Australian surf icons, but their paths diverged. Billabong was founded in 1973 on the Gold Coast and floated on the Australian Securities Exchange in 2000, then spent years in financial turmoil. Today Billabong and Quiksilver actually sit under the same roof: Billabong was acquired by Boardriders, owner of Quiksilver, in 2018.

Ownership has changed hands more than once. Billabong was acquired by Boardriders in 2018, and in 2023 Authentic Brands Group bought Boardriders, bringing Quiksilver, Billabong, Roxy, RVCA, DC Shoes, Element, Von Zipper and Honolua under one owner. The Authentic Brands Group deal was finalised in September 2023.

It is an Australian word with Aboriginal roots. The name derives from the Wiradjuri word bilabaŋ, which refers to a creek that runs only during the rainy season. It is a fittingly watery name for a brand born out of surf culture on Queensland's Gold Coast.

Billabong was founded in 1973 on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia, by Gordon and Rena Merchant. At first the couple designed and made board shorts at home, selling them to local surf shops before the brand expanded across Australia and then internationally through the 1980s.

No. While board shorts are its origin and signature, Billabong International is a broader surf and lifestyle company that also produces accessories such as watches and backpacks, plus skateboard and snowboard products under other brand names. Over the years it absorbed many labels, including eyewear brand Von Zipper and skate brand Element.

Its credentials are genuine. The company grew by sponsoring surf contests, which raised awareness of its gear, and it still sponsors teams of riders who act as ambassadors for the brand and the surf lifestyle. In 2009 Billabong was named one of the Q150 Icons of Queensland for its role in innovation, a nod to its standing in Australian surf culture.

The brand went through a severe downturn. After peaking with sales of about A$1.7 billion in 2011, Billabong reported an A$859.5 million loss for fiscal year 2013, and at that point its own accounts deemed the namesake label essentially worthless. The company returned to profitability in 2015, and the brand has since continued under new corporate ownership.

Availability shifted recently in North America. In February 2025, Liberated Brands, which operated Billabong retail stores in the US, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and closed its remaining US Billabong locations. Ownership of the Billabong brand itself stayed with Authentic Brands Group, so the label lives on even where those particular stores closed.