Duke Kahanamoku (1890-1968) was an Olympic swimmer from Hawaii, who participated in four Olympic Games from 1912 through 1924 and won a total of five medals. He is considered to be the father of modern surfing, doing much to promote the sport and to mold the rules that govern it.
In the 1930s Duke Kahanamoku began an association with Kahala Sportswear, a maker of Hawaiian shirts. In 1949 he had his name on shirts by Cisco, a New York company. During the 1980s Catalina sportswear had a Duke Kahanamoku label. Today, Kai Clothing holds a license for the Duke Kahanamoku name.
Written by fuzzylizzie
from a 1930s/1940s beach jacket
Courtesy of baileysalohashirts
from a late 1940s shirt
Courtesy of thespectrum
from an early 1960s shirt
Courtesy of pinky-a-gogo
from a 1960s shirt
Courtesy of pinky-a-gogo
from a 1980s shirt
Courtesy of glamoursurf
