Alan Green, the co-founder of Quiksilver, passed away peacefully at his Melbourne home at 77 after a short battle with multiple forms of cancer.
He was one of the highly regarded figures in the surf industry.
"Love you, Greeny. You were one of a kind and a great friend and mentor for so many. I'll miss you forever," wrote Kelly Slater, who was sponsored by Quiksilver for 24 years (1990-2014).
Alan "Greeny" Green was born in 1947 in Pascoe Vale, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
He started surfing in 1960 and grew up far from the coast but would hitch rides or travel 90 minutes to Torquay to ride waves.
Began making wetsuits in 1968 with Rip Curl co-founders Doug "Claw" Warbrick and Brian Singer in a rented holiday house in Torquay.
One year later, with a $2,500 loan from his father, he co-founded Quiksilver with Victorian surfing champion John Law, focusing initially on designing functional boardshorts.
The duo introduced a Velcro fly, metal press studs, a "yoke waist" (higher at the back than the front), and scalloped legs for better comfort and performance.
As Green said: "They hugged your back and still hung low on your hips."
"They were distinctive, functional, comfortable boardshorts, and two-toned yokes made them different from the rest. Surfers seemed to like them."
Interestingly, Alan noted that "we sometimes get credited with designing the first 'technical' boardshort, but the truth is, we used snaps and velcro instead of flies because I'd bought a supply of them when I started making Rip Curl wetsuits."
The Mountain and The Wave
The brand was named "Quiksilver" by his wife, Barbara, after a novel. It symbolized fluidity, elusiveness, and change.
There is also the theory that the name was chosen after the couple's most-played records: the psychedelic band from San Francisco called Quicksilver Messenger Service.
There was just one modification: they removed the letter "c" from the band's name, as they didn't have the funds to conduct a trademark search.
Green designed Quiksilver's famous mountain and wave logo, symbolizing adventure across snow and sea.
In 1976, Jeff Hakman and Bob McKnight negotiated a deal to launch Quiksilver in the U.S. This expanded the brand to Japan, Europe, and beyond.
Quiksilver's boardshorts became iconic, supported by top surfers like Mark Richards, Wayne "Rabbit" Bartholomew, Gerry Lopez, and Michael Ho.
In 1984, McKnight and Hakman team up with Brigitte Darrigrand, Harry Hodge, and John Winship to bring Quiksilver to European waters.
Meanwhile, a young surfer from Florida named Kelly Slater entered the scene, and, as the story goes, at just 18 years old, he signed a historic contract with Quiksilver in 1990 at the famous San Clement surf break of Lower Trestles.
Slater, who became a star on "Baywatch" while dominating world championships, helped elevate both the sport and the Quiksilver brand to unprecedented levels of success throughout the following decade.
Also in 1990, the Australian surf company introduced Roxy, a women's surfwear line named after Green's daughter, Roxy, and curiously, Bob McKnight's daughter, too.
The brand kicked off and gained instant success anchored on the star of the time, Lisa Andersen.
A Billion-Dollar Surf Company
Quiksilver became the first surf brand listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 1998.
By 2004, Quiksilver had grown into a billion-dollar surfwear empire.
Alan Green, always low-key, had several other passions and hobbies beyond surfing.
He enjoyed horse racing - he was part-owner of Melbourne Cup-winning horses - heli-skiing in Canada and New Zealand, and red wine.
"Quiksilver has never been about one person," underlined Green.
"It's always been a group of people thinking globally, acting locally, and guiding the brand through rough consensus."
Alan Green is survived by his wife, Barbara, and three children, Fletcher, Holly, and Roxy.
The book "The Mountain and the Wave: The Quiksilver Story" features the story of how Alan Green and John Law built the iconic surf company, now owned by the Authentic Brands Group.
Words by Luís MP | Founder of SurferToday.com
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