Our Story

There isn't much of one.

A rip is the thing every Australian kid is taught to respect. Swim between the flags. Don't panic. Don't swim against it. Raise an arm and wait for someone in a yellow cap to come and get you.

We named a pair of swim shorts after it.

The bit where we explain our vision

We don't have one. We wanted a pair of shorts that print all the way around — no blank back panel, no sad little logo above the knee — and that make someone spit their beer the first time you walk past.

That's it. That's the business plan. We showed it to an accountant and she went quiet for a while.

The bit where we list our values

Three, and we'll be quick, because nobody in history has bought swim shorts because of a values page.

The print goes all the way around. Most “all-over print” shorts print the front, leave the back plain, and quietly hope you don't turn around. Ours is drawn as one continuous piece and sliced to four panels so it meets at the seams. It's harder, it costs more, and it is the entire product.

It has to work as a swim short. Opaque wet, white mesh liner, real drawcord, dry by the time you reach the car. The print is the joke. The garment is not part of the joke.

Australian sizing. 30 to 38, measured the way you'd expect. You're not converting anything in your head at the checkout.

The bit with a photo of the founder on a beach at golden hour

We couldn't afford the photographer.

The bit where we tell you we're a family

We're not. You're a customer and we're a shop.

But hello@cheekyrip.com goes to a person who reads it and answers within a business day, which is more than most families manage.

Swim between the flags. The shorts are on their own.