O'Neill (brand)
 | This article includes a list of references, related reading, or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. (June 2017) |
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| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Founded | San Francisco, California 1952 |
| Founder | Jack O'Neill |
| Headquarters | |
Key people | Benoît Nasr, Brand and Licensing Peter Truijen, Europe Daniel Neukomm, USA Pat O'Neill, Wetsuits |
| Products | Apparel, Snowwear, Swimwear, Surfwear, Lifestyle |
| Owner | privately held |
| Website | http://www.oneill.com |
O'Neill is originally a Californian surf wear and surfboard brand started in 1952 by Jack O'Neill. It moved down the coast from San Francisco to Santa Cruz by the end of the decade. Jack is credited to have invented the wetsuit, his son Pat the leash on the surfboard. The company logo symbolizes a breaking surf wave. "O'NEILL" and the "Wave logo" are trademarks registered worldwide.
In May 2007 the ownership of the brand was sold to a privately held company headquartered in Luxembourg. The company produces wetsuits, performance water and snow sports inspired apparel for young adults, and lifestyle apparel. The products are distributed to 86 countries worldwide, some by licensed distributors. In the United States, the O'Neill clothing license is held by the La Jolla Group. The O'Neill wetsuit business continues to be owned by the O'Neill family and is based in Santa Cruz, CA.
In 1996 O'Neill set up the O'Neill Sea Odyssey, a free, ocean-based program to educate young people about the marine environment. Over 100,000 children have participated in this program. [1] O'Neill is involved in various other causes to help support the environment, such as through O'Neill Blue [2] brand and marketing efforts to help promote O'Neill's mission to protect our oceans for generations to come, and minimize the impact on our planet.
O'Neill operates from headquarters in Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and has satellite offices in The Netherlands, the USA, Canada, Australia, Chile, Korea, etc.
O'Neill sponsors young promising as well as high-profile surfers, boarders and skiers, as part of their ambassador program.[citation needed]
Company Founder Jack O'Neill died on 2 June 2017, aged 94. [3]
References
- ^ "O'Neill Sea Odyssey That Turns Ocean into Classroom Celebrates 100,000th Student". 20 June 2018.
- ^ O'Neill Blue
- ^ "Jack O'Neill, surf wetsuit pioneer, dies aged 94". BBC News. 3 June 2017.
