The Return of the Boardshort

If you’ve been anywhere near a surf shop, Instagram or TikTok lately, you’ve probably noticed one thing: boardshorts are so back.

The sporty, colourful, slightly baggy, unapologetically ’90s surf look is having a full circle moment. Gen Z are pairing boardshorts with tiny tanks and baby tees, while us millennials are quietly smiling because… didn’t we already do this? Turns out the fashion cycle has finally paddled back around.

But before boardshorts became a beach-to-brunch fashion statement, they actually had a job to do.
Back in 1994, four-time world champion Lisa Andersen changed women’s surfing forever when she co-designed the first women’s performance boardshorts with Roxy. Until then, she’d been surfing in men’s boardshorts because bikinis simply weren’t built for the way she wanted to surf.

Lisa Anderson Photo: Joli

When we caught up with Lisa in 2023, she told us::

“I was a tomboy… wearing boardshorts made me feel so much more comfortable. Like a superpower. There was an invincibility, you could surf the way you wanted to.”

And that’s the bit we love. Boardshorts weren’t created because they looked cool, they became cool because they gave women the confidence and freedom to surf harder, without worrying about their swimwear malfunction.

Fast forward 30 years and they’ve found a second life. Sure, some people are wearing them nowhere near the ocean, but we kind of love that the coolest trend of the summer has proper surf roots. Even better if they actually end up in the water.

So whether you’re reliving your first surfer-girl era, discovering them for the first time, or borrowing the look from a generation that borrowed it from ours… boardshorts are officially back on the radar.

And yes, we’ll be wearing them again and again.

Here are our three favourite pairs for summer from OG surf brands: