Who knew?
Probably surfers who golfed.
We’re thinking that the folks behind the Rhoback clothing brand were “gnarly” dudes who rode waves in the morning, picked up clubs for a round of eighteen in the afternoon, then followed the links with a few cold ones on the “nineteenth hole.” They may not have set out to create what they did, but they started out wishing they had a shirt that could transition from a beach to a golf course to a bar.
Needs must. When they couldn’t find a shirt that suited them, they made it themselves.
Aside from how the shirts are manufactured, two superficial details – signatures, really – set the shirt made under the Rhoback name apart from the others, and both are a nod to the brand’s namesake, the Rhodesian Ridgeback. Each shirt has a small stripe or “ridge” on the upper back, a wink at the brand’s inspiration. It’s small, but noticeable, and RR owners totally “get it.” The other is the logo which is the outline of a Rhodesian Ridgeback. Actually, there’s a third, the brand name. Rho-back? Think about it.
As the company puts it, dogs are better than horses and golf carts, and Rhoback prides itself on performance-ready golf shirts and quarter-zips. Not for nothing did the brand draw inspiration from the African breed of dog that is super active, and moves with the utmost flexibility.
We don’t *think* the company would mind our sharing their mission statement from 2016 (which included this photo):
“Dogs bring out the best in us, always up, always ready for anything, always craving activity. What a great way to live life. Our Rhodesian Ridgeback, Bunker, is all that and more.
“Ridgebacks are a breed of their own. Not only do they embody unbelievable beauty and prowess, they are always up for the next adventure. They can join you on the water or keep up on a hike. They’re the perfect running companion; they can run for days. And when you just want to hang, they are always down to cuddle up on the couch.
“Ridgebacks don’t seem to make sense. How can they be that perfect combination of fast and strong, smart and playful? Then you hear the origins of the breed and it all makes sense. Ridgebacks were bred with one purpose in mind – to track and hunt lions. At about 100 pounds, it usually takes four Ridgebacks to keep a lion at bay.
“So what does a guy do when he’s thinking about getting his first dog? His first real responsibility? Consider a Ridgeback. A dog that will challenge him and always push him to that next adventure.
And the next time you’re making a decision, ask yourself, “What would a Ridgeback do?” And the answer is fight the lion. The answer is always fight the lion.”
There is a backstory, and while it’s tempting to assume that the brand name and logo came from “Bunker,” the Rhodesian Ridgeback owned by company co-founders, Matt and Kristina Loftus, inspiration may also have come from an additional direction.
As the story goes, a group of college buddies friends (including Matt Loftus) got together at a sporting event in Virginia years ago, and a photo of the bright-orange pants worn by one of them became the object of a practical joke that ended up on Instagram. The photo attracted over 10,000 followers in a nano-second, and that attracted the attention of a famous lifestyle brand. The friends got to thinking about the shirt they wished existed, and long story short, the pals tossed around the notion of forming a clothing company of their own.
The let the idea percolate for a year. Later, the friends were in Zimbabwe doing service work, and one of them who’d been staying with a family who owned Ridgebacks was moved to resurrect the idea.
The Rhoback brand was born, no doubt inspired by actual Ridgebacks, including “Bunker.”
