1984–1991: Origins

In the early 1980s, Jimmy Ganzer was a surfer and artist living in Malibu Beach, CA.

I slid into third base headfirst, got up, dusted myself off. And I went, “F***, why didn’t some surfer ever come up with an idea where the pants don’t fall off like this?” Inside of the waistband on these baseball pants was a woven nylon belting. That belting did not move. And I went “Wow, what if I used that belting and Velcro on the side over here?” And I stood there on third base for about that long. And I went, “That’s a good idea.”^[1]

The shorts he created became known as E-Z-In, E-Z-Out shorts, and the idea quickly took off, finding a natural home not only amongst surfers but in the skateboard community during the boom of the 1980s, as the lack of a belt buckle or button prevented discomfort while paddling out on a surfboard, bending to grab the board beneath your feet or when falling from a skateboard onto a hard surface.

During the 1980s, the brand grew, eventually sponsoring famous skateboarders such as Steve Caballero and Christian Hosoi. Jimmy Ganzer and agent Sepp Donahower^[2] sold the brand to Ocean Pacific in 1987, and then Ocean Pacific later sold it to a chain of multiple owners^[3] ending up with Aéropostale during skateboarding's downturn at the start of the 1990s. Aéropostale kept the brand going as an upscale surf-orientated brand, but ceased all activity in 2009.

2011–present day: Revival

In late 2011, Blake Harrington, a fellow Californian surfer, joined forces with Jimmy Ganzer and reacquired the rights to the brand from Aéropostale. Together they restarted production of the original E-Z-In shorts, choosing styles and designs that would bring the idea up to date for modern skaters and surfers worldwide.

Today the company continues to sponsor a team of skateboarders across all disciplines (including Steve Caballero, who rejoined as soon as the company restarted production), and produces an array of T-shirts, tank tops, hoodies and hats to go along with their signature velcro closure shorts.