When Quiksilver decided to start a women’s line in 1990, it was a gutsy move. The surf market has always been a fickle one. And female surfers, despite their achievements in and out of the water, hadn’t drummed up nearly the notoriety nor the community that guys had long enjoyed.

But great ideas always take some guts. And the company saw the untapped women’s surf market as a huge opportunity. Turns out they were right.

Like all things Quiksilver, Roxy was born in the water; initially a swimwear line, it debuted in late summer 1990 to immediate success. By the next year, a Roxy sportswear line was introduced, and that too prospered, with sales of over $1 million. 1992 saw continued expansion of the brand with a new denim line and key snowwear pieces. The fact that Roxy was a women’s line offered by an authentic surf brand made it intriguing for both retailers and girls alike. It was the first of its kind on the market, and soon after, the other surf brands followed.