Two Australian surfers started rip Curl in 1969, at Bells Beach. They first designed surfboards, but then soon moved into wetsuits designs. They were wetsuit ‘designed by surfers for surfers’. At the time, there was a great demand for wetsuits. In 1970 they designed a new and improved wetsuit for diving, it had under arm gussets for better movement. Some of the key design requirements that Rip Curl look to have in their designs are warmth, make sure the rider/wearer isn’t to cold, flexibility, so the rider can move quickly and unrestricted, making the wetsuit more lighter and more flexible. Tougher stitching, so the suit is more durable and worth the money, and extra strong wearing area’s such as the knees. These key design areas are what put rip curls at the top of the market. Neoprene is one fabric that helps Rip Curl achieve their key design requirements, it is a material that is quite light, and very flexible and allows riders to move every which way. Neoprene is a rubbery fabric that has material on top for comfort. It is made up of tiny bubbles formed by nitrogen gas, heat can not pass through its cells, so the heat returns to your body, water cant pass through it also. Neoprene is a bye product of the petroleum industry. The thicker it is the warmer it will be. RD-4 is the latest in neoprene technology. IT is made up of rubber with an inner and out lining, but has a layer of titanium powder in it, so it retains all the heat from your body. The titanium is the reflective barrier in the suit. Materials such as these make it easier for Rip Curl to meet their key design requirements and better. To make the suits more durable Rip Curl add double linings or patches where the wetsuit absorbs most f the wear and tare. For instants, Rip Curl adds pads in the knees for extra durability. They also add double linings in the arms and legs but only use a single lini...
