The Beginnings of Santosha Surfboards
Santosha Surfboards was established in 1977 by an 18-year-old Mick Button, in his dad’s suburban Perth shed.
For the first couple of years, Mick worked industriously in learning, improving and refining a somewhat new trade, end-to-end surfboard production.
Around 1979, and what might have been a blessing in disguise, the local council sent a letter to Santosha’s suburban HQ. The theme of the letter was ’Shut up shop or shift.’ With the support of his Dad who had witnessed his son’s dedication, hard work and passion, Santosha took a punt and relocated to a full-fledged factory unit in Morley.
During those early years of shapers being forced out of backyards and into factories (they weren’t the only ones!) Santosha set itself apart from other surfboard manufacturers of the era with two outstanding features, Mick’s uncompromising approach to quality control, and his first employees creative and distinctive airbrush artwork, cue Rob Allen’s involvement in this iconic WA brand.
Innovative directions
In the late 70s and early 80s, most surfboard factories focused primarily on the names of shapers and the names of team riders.
While quality, aesthetics and branding were considered, they weren’t really top priorities for most early surfboard companies. However, Mick’s focus on producing world-class products first charted a unique course for Santosha Surfboards.
With quality at the forefront, and word-of-mouth creating organic growth, Mick’s vision for driving Santosha further was the addition of a well-respected shaper, and a world-class local surfer, offsetting a modest advertising budget at the time.
Col Ladhams the shaper, already had 12 years of craftsmanship and manufacturing experience when he joined Santosha. Mitch Thorson the surfer, was taking on world champions on tour and winning while riding Santosha’s. Ads like this introduced Santosha’s ‘Thrusters’ to the WA surf community.
As such, Santosha was established with the early focus of Mick and Rob in staying the course with their impeccable quality control, then adding in the other key elements to drive the brand forward when the opportunity presented.
Licensed surfboard manufacturing – a first in Western Australia.
Over the years, Santosha’s world-class production attracted the likes of Mark Richards, Geoff McCoy and Jim Banks to have their labels shaped & wholesaled under Mick’s guidance, for the growing West Australian market, and client base.
This licencing & royalties structure was a first for the WA surfboard industry, which led to not only the elevation of the Santosha brand but more formalities around how the business was to be structured.
With internationally recognised surfboard brands under Santosha’s oversight, the opportunity for vertical retail stores was realised with the opening of stores in Scarborough and Cottesloe. A second production facility opened in Dunsborough, Southwest WA to accommodate the short-lived but huge demand in production needs for windsurfers and sailboards.
Santosha & Rusty (Preisendorfer)
In the mid-1980s Mitch Thorson was a regular in Hawaii. He returned once with a surfboard shaped by Rusty Preisendorpher. At the time, Rustys’ boards were under the feet of world champions. Rusty boards had international exposure and demand, yet they weren’t available in Australia.
Thanks to Mitch’s contacts, Mick gave Rusty a call and invited him to hang out, shape and surf with the Santosha crew, here in the West.
Rusty hadn’t been to West Oz before, and discussions were had for a collab. He arrived in Perth, got on well with Mick and the crew, and shaped about a dozen Rusty x Santosha models.
Not long after Rusty’s West Oz stretch, with mutual respect for shared interests and craftmanship, Mick was invited to shape in Hawaii.
Rusty’s network provided Mick with accommodation at the Jerry Lopez house and shaping opportunities in the factories of industry legends including Pat Rawson and Bill Barnfield. With the new working and personal relationships forged between Mick & Rusty, Rusty Surfboards was licenced to Mick and joined in with the Santosha Surfboard production. The end of the 80s saw both Santosha and Rusty Surfboards (Australia) simultaneously existing alongside each other in what was a halcyon time in West Oz surfboard production.
Surf products boom, and consolidation
At a similar time in the late 80s, the apparel side of the surf industry had grown exponentially, with Australian brands leading the charge.
At a USA tradeshow, Rusty showcased a 12-piece apparel collection with the (now-famous) R-dot logo, along with his world-renowned surfboards. The strong market response to that first range was the catalyst for R-dot apparel going into soft goods. ++
Expansion plans were implemented not only for Rusty USA but for its newly appointed Australian licensee here in WA.
The opportunity of expanding into Rusty clothing was significant, and that led to a consolidation of Santosha’s position in the marketplace at that time
Santosha’s Dunsborough factory and its three Perth retail stores were wound back in favour of a larger, more streamlined operation in Collingwood St, Osborne Park.
It evolved that Santosha was overshadowed by a more resource-dependent global brand, that is still to this day operated from right here in WA.
The last of the Santosha Surfboards from the era were manufactured in Osborne Park in the early 1990s.
A new dawn for Santosha ✨
There’s a poetic irony in how Santosha surfboards retreated into the shadows of the 1990s, fading in its presence as a globally exposed and respected core West Australian Surfboard brand.
With the idea of returning Santosha to the marketplace as a brand that is as relevant today as it was in the 70s and 80s, we have reached out to those who were pioneers in the West Oz surf industry in building Santosha, and in sourcing original designs from the deep talent pool that was the Santosha ecosystem back in the day.
We at Santosha today have great memories and connections to the brand from the era. The project to relaunch Santosha had been driven by a small group of people who are passionate about Santosha the brand, surfing, surf culture and lifestyle, and the West Oz Surf Industry, having been active participants and contributors since the 1990s.
We intend to honour the pioneering work of the Santosha team before us, and the multitude of OG Santosha owners, who like us, have a sentimental connection to an iconic and endemic West Oz Surf brand from the dawn of the modern era of surfing.
We’ll team up with the right WA surfboard factories to reissue some wall-hangers and compliment those West Oz made boards with a tight collection of surfboards manufactured by The Surfboard Agency. Santosha clothing capsules will also be available for people who appreciate original, authentic Australian surf culture.
We’d love to have you follow Santosha’s revival by joining our mailing list.