WORLD'S 1ST STICHLESS BOARDIES THU 30TH OCT 2003

Rip Curl have produced the worlds first stitchless boardshorts.

To be released in early November, the shorts have no stitching in them, with all seams and hems glued together.

The shorts come in a range of single colours without any adorning piping, contrasting panels and of course without any stitching.

Here's what they look like - CodeSTL, the world's 1st stitchless boardies

This shot of Hedgey shows what the shorts are all about. Note: Not too long, they don't get caught below the knee; waste band does not expose crack; see inner leg and crotch where contour maintains space so no cling  

What does The Curl’s media hype have to say? ‘21^st century technologies; laser cutting; electro-welding seams; mould contoured fit; most comfortable and durable boardies ever made’. Wow.

The concept behind the shorts is good. The basic design points are:

• Remove the stitching which tends to produce rash

• Mould the fabric so that the shorts have their own shape that fits the shape of your body

No stitching. Seams are glued together  

This is a smart commercial move by Rip Curl as this design has probably allowed them to reduce production costs. Normally good fit is accomplished by having more pattern pieces. By having moulding and less pieces in the design means less pieces to cut out, means less pieces to assemble, means less work, means less cost.

But are the CodeSTL boardies any good in the surf?

The SURFit Review process involved testing in a variety of conditions from warm water Gold Coast to mid season Sydney, surfing as well as body surfing and swimming.

The first response is that the shorts are good.

They are noticeably more comfortable in the water when surfing. They don’t get caught around your legs or tangle your knees. They don’t slide down and expose your crack nor cling and twist around your waste and crotch constricting you where you don’t want to be constricted.

Left is a model shot. Right is a reality shot of what the shorts look like wet. The model must have short legs as the boardies are way down below his knee. If you get a pair get them a size too big otherwise the knee is too short  

This is probably due to a mix between the moulded fit and the fabric used. The CodeSTL fabric, while comfortable, is not ‘soft and silky’. It is smooth but the key characteristic is that it has enough substance to hold the mould and maintain shape while wet in the surf.

The moulded shape stops the shorts sticking or clinging to you as much, as they sit off your body a bit.

The CodeSTL are shorter than most current fashion boardies sitting just above your knee. As they don’t get stuck below your knee they don't get pulled down or twisted from that point up to your waste.

Swimming, they feel great. Not quite but almost like you have nothing on, they are pretty much unnoticeable which is a good thing. 

When being worn dry they also feel ‘different’. As mentioned the fabric is comfortable, smooth, and the moulded fit is noticeable as they do not have that ‘body hugging’ feel. Rather from the waste band they sit a little off your body due to the contour fit. They still touch you but you don’t get that clinging 'riding up your crutch' feel.

Mick Fanning, Rip Curl Team Rider says “CODESTL feel really light to wear and fit incredibly well – they are the best boardshorts I’ve ever worn.” Mick didn’t think of these shorts, no, it was Rip Curl Group Surfwear Chairman Fred Basse who is a big wave man who based his idea on feedback from surfers.

New Rip Curl Australia GM Steven Kay said “Unveiling CODE STL boardshorts is a great start for me as Rip Curl GM.” Good on you Steve.

Rip Curl are so positive about their new design and technology the are giving a lifetime guarantee on the seams.

If you are after some boardies for summer, especially to surf in, then grab a pair. Make sure you get them a size larger though as the normal size will be too short in the knees.

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