Born From the Expertise of Amphibious Rash Guards: Peartex, Ocean Pacific's Popular Summer Fabric

Ocean Pacific was a driving force behind the surf culture boom of the '80s. Today, its high-performance fabric, Peartex, is making waves as the go-to choice for streetwear. In Japan's hot and humid climate, there's no shortage of sweat-wicking, quick-drying materials. So, what makes Peartex stand out from the crowd? We sat down with Hirotake Tanaka from Ocean Pacific to uncover the secret.

Ocean Pacific first emerged in 1970s California as a surf gear brand before pivoting to apparel later that decade. By the '80s, the surf culture boom had hit Japan, captivating young people with colorful, West Coast-inspired T-shirt prints and ocean-themed styles. After its official Japan launch in 1982, the brand quickly soared in popularity as an authentic voice in surf culture.

"The surf boom of the '80s was really driven by menswear. Back then, items with bold logos and graphics were incredibly popular."

By the 2000s, surf culture had mellowed out, shifting from a passing trend to an established lifestyle.

"Starting in 2000, we began developing products specifically for the Japanese market. Around 2005, we started positioning them as 'California Lifestyle Wear.' It was around this time that the market also started gravitating towards more basic designs and color palettes over loud, flashy ones."

Applying Surf Gear Tech to Casual Wear

As trends evolved, the brand identified a new market opportunity: performance fabrics.

"Ocean Pacific originally started as a rash guard brand. We've always made a lot of beachwear, and we were an early adopter of what's now known as UV-protective clothing. We decided to take the technology and expertise we'd developed for the ocean and apply it to apparel for everyday city life."

Beachwear, it turned out, was packed with features and expertise applicable to the sweltering city streets: shape retention for outdoor use, moisture-wicking and quick-drying properties, the signature stretch of a rash guard, and UV protection from the sun.

"For instance, swimwear and rash guards require specialized sewing techniques; they're not something just any company can produce. We believe our accumulated expertise in this area is our greatest strength."

In their search for the perfect performance fabric, "Peartex" was born in 2022.

"You wouldn't walk around the city in a rash guard, but we wondered if we could create something with similar functionality that was suitable for everyday wear. That was the idea behind this fabric. Since the end of the pandemic, performance fabrics have become much more common, especially in sportswear.

With the recent prolonged heatwaves, the market is flooded with similar materials that promise to keep you cool with moisture-wicking, quick-drying, and UV-protective features. Polyester is a popular choice, but it often has that tell-tale synthetic sheen.

To get around that, we use a special twisted polyester yarn and a unique knitting process that carefully considers the yarn's front and back. This allows us to create a fabric that feels just like cotton, despite being 100% polyester."

A pear-like texture alleviates the discomfort of stickiness

Since cotton is highly absorbent, it not only clings to your body when you sweat but also hinders air circulation inside your clothes, which can cause your body temperature to rise. In contrast, polyester doesn't retain moisture within its fibers, allowing it to dry quickly and promote heat dissipation.

"Another key feature that eases the discomfort of the heat is its texture. The 'pear' in Peartex is a nod to the fruit, and the fabric's surface has a slightly coarse texture, much like a pear's skin. This subtly textured, pear-like surface ensures the fabric doesn't cling, even when you sweat, which cuts down on that sticky feeling."

Another hallmark of Peartex is its light weight. Everyone knows from experience that heavy clothes feel hotter than light ones.

"Lightweight means the material is thin. But thin fabrics come with their own set of challenges. When we first launched, we sometimes heard that the fabric seemed flimsy or looked like a cheap material.

Lighter colors were also prone to being see-through, so we went through numerous improvements to make even our white fabrics as opaque as possible. Thanks to these efforts, you can truly feel how light it is, even in items like our oversized T-shirts."

The brand also draws on its expertise in rash guards, which are a cornerstone of its identity as a surf brand.

"We use a chlorine-resistant finish, which, as the name suggests, makes the fabric durable against chlorine. Normally, when fabrics get wet in pools or the ocean, the colors tend to fade. However, this finish prevents color loss, even in water.

While this is common for items like rash guards, you'll rarely find it in everyday apparel."

Thanks to this finish, Peartex fabric is designed with street style in mind but is also perfect for the beach, making it a true 'land-and-sea' amphibious garment.

"When we first launched, our products were mostly found in the swimwear section, but lately, they've been making their way into casual wear departments as well. In fact, the recent trend shows that they're even outselling cotton T-shirts.

And while I mentioned that 'the surf boom was largely driven by men,' the growing variety of our designs in recent years has led to an overwhelming surge in sales for our women's items. As a result, we are expanding our women's lineup year after year."

The lineup—including T-shirts, parkas, blouses, and dresses—is centered around versatile, basic colors that are easy to mix and match. Women also love that you can toss them in the washing machine, hang them to dry without worrying about wrinkles, and have them dry in no time.

"We often hear from customers who say things like, 'It's so helpful because it's versatile enough for many occasions,' and 'The smooth fabric feels great to wear.' The fabric also has UV protection, maintaining a UPF of 50+. We're currently experimenting with adding a cool-touch finish to make our garments even more cool and comfortable for the future."

You're sweating buckets every day, and the discomfort level just keeps rising. You're changing clothes more often, which means more laundry, but it's not uncommon to find yourself with nothing to wear because nothing is dry. Peartex brilliantly solves these common woes of Japan's harsh summers, making it arguably the ideal fabric for the season.