Greetings, Shredderz! Your Shreditor in Chief is still on the road — not on a surf trip, alas — which means that I’ll be relying on my advanced Google skills to bring you more vintage surf ads. Today’s Sagas of Shred entry features an awesome Seventies Body Glove ad, which you can see pictured above. I found the ad on the Urban Outfitters website, of all places. It seems that UO has done a few surf-themed re-issues lately, including a separate mini-revival of the beloved Gotcha brand.
The notable thing about the Body Glove ad is that it prominently features a few Zephyr Surfboards team riders. Zephyr is the legendary Venice Beach, Los Angeles brand from which modern skateboarding emerged, along with figures like Stacy Peralta, Jay Adams, CR Stecyk, Tony Alva, and more.
The ad features a young Jay Adams (RIP); Nathan Pratt, who would later go on to found the LA-based Horizons West surfboard label; and a fully swagged out Allen Sarlo. (I featured a different Allen Sarlo / Body Glove ad a few weeks back, too.) I can’t tell what kind of board Pratt is holding, but you’ll notice it’s a sting with an unusual dual wing. Adams is toting a swallow tail Zephyr Team single fin, complete with signature Jeff Ho fin; and Sarlo has an absolutely classic Zephyr with what could very well be a CR Stecyk airbrush.
If you’re ever bored just look up a list of all the incredible shapers based out of the South Bay, starting with folks like Bing Copeland and Greg Noll, to Seventies fixtures like Jeff Ho, to current craftsmen like Tyler Hatzikian. California has no shortage of places with a rich history in surfing, but even by that standard, Los Angeles stands out. To me, the story of Zephyr and its incredible influence on skateboarding, surfing, and what we now take for granted as “California culture” is still underrated.
Thanks for reading and we’ll be back next Thursday evening with another vintage surf ad for Sagas of Shred!
