Martial Crum, design director for Surf Line, is the embodiment of all the company stands for. A respected surfer, snowboarder and skateboarder, he found an alternate calling in design.

The Hawai'i Kai resident (he attended Kaiser High School) began his design career in 1976 while he was a team rider for Quiksilver. He contributed by making suggestions regarding design improvements, as well as designing T-shirts and fabrics. He became a freelance artist for Quiksilver in 1986 and began working full time for them in 1990.

"Then they turned public, and I bailed," he said, with characteristic disdain for the corporate life.

As a professional skateboarder, he went on to design for Acme-Channel 1 Skateboards, where he gained valuable production experience.

With the rise of snowboarding, Crum took his riding skills to the slopes, and wanted to apply his design experience to the sport. He landed a job with the German company Nitro Snowboards. "That's where I learned the technical aspects of fabric," Crum said.

"Then Quiksilver made me an offer I couldn't refuse, and I rejoined them to develop their Silver Edition, a technical waterman line," he said.

By coincidence, he ran into his longtime friend, Dale Hope, author of "Aloha Shirt: Spirit of the Islands," who is now spearheading the Kahala line for Tori Richard. Hope was working for Patagonia at the time, on the Pataloha line.

"Hey, Martial, we need a board shorts designer," Hope told Crum. It was a perfect fit, with a company whose philosophy was in keeping with Crum's, so he stayed with them for four years.

When Surf Line decided to go retro and re-create their garments from the '60s and '70s, they were looking for the right designer to take them in that direction. Pua Rochlen had always kept in contact with Crum and talked him into returning to Surf Line.

Crum's relationship with the Rochlen family dates back to the '70s. "Dave Rochlen gave me shorts in those days — in kind of a guerrilla-marketing way," Crum said with a laugh. "I always admired him, and he introduced me to key people." He even did some modeling for Surf Line in the '70s.

"What's old is new again," Crum said. That goes for his career as well.

Reach Paula Rath at paularath@aol.com.