FOUNDERS - HOW IT BEGAN

The Story So Far
Shock & Oar, the Australian Nautical and Leisure Wear Brand, was started in 2008 by West Australian couple Brendon and Deirdre Westerhout. Their dream was to create a stylish, nautically-inspired clothing brand infused with a unique Australian flavour.
Taking inspiration from their careers on the water aboard everything from fishing trawlers to luxury mega-yachts, the two began their business online in November 2008 with a modest range of high quality polo shirts, t-shirts, cargo shorts and jeans.

Confident in their brand and passionate about their products, the pair was soon supplying Shock & Oar merchandise to leisurewear retailer Tee 2 Sea in the sea-side city of Mandurah, Western Australia. The brand quickly grew in popularity among tourists and locals alike, with boaters and rowers especially fond of the unique brand position.

In mid 2009 Shock & Oar opened its flagship Store in the heart of Fremantle, Western Australia. A perfect synergy, the store captures the nautical style and culture of the nearby port and picturesque sailing waters (still renowned for the successful 1983 America’s Cup challenging team ‘Australia II’ and 1987 Cup defense).

With bold colours, timeless styling and the highest quality, Shock & Oar was proving to be the perfect choice from boat to boardwalk. Within 6 months The Shock & Oar Store had reached customers in six of the seven continents, with national and overseas visitors keen to take home a piece of Australian nautical style. We look forward to greeting our first customer from Antarctica!

The name
Shock & Oar came about when company founder Captain Brendon Westerhout and his Engineer colleague were given the nick-name ‘Shock & Awe’ following their building of the mega yacht Aussie Rules for golfer Greg Norman in 2003. They turned the phrase into ‘Shock & Oar’ to cleverly reflect their nautical skills in driving and engineering big boats.

The logo
The angled oar with a shock wave running across the blade face embodies the origin of ship steerage and propulsion. The Oar has been used since ancient times for transport, in sport and for recreation. Throughout history and even today it remains part of everyday life on the water – from the canals in Venice to the waterways of Southeast Asia and along the River Thames in England. In its simplest form the Oar is timeless, effective, and unchallenged…