Beach Haven Cotton Sweater Hoodie

Today we are introducing our very first cotton sweater, a classic you won’t find elsewhere. And as with most all our “ideas”, there’s a story that inspired it. This one’s just a bit more personal than most.

In my very first summer in Beach Haven, I shacked up in one of the most storied rooming houses in town, The Pillars on Chatsworth Avenue. In a very large first floor space converted to a barracks style sleeping quarters, 8 mattresses lay scattered on the floor. One was mine.

All my roomies were lifeguards, just graduated from high school. I was 14, already 6’ 180lbs looking like 18 and working on a fishing boat at Morrison’s Marina.

It was a rough go with these b-guards. Each morning I’d sneak out as early as possible to avoid the continuation of the prior night’s harassment by these seriously fueled up, overserved hooligans. One morning, from a pile of salt-water-soaked T’s and sweats, I grabbed one of their “lifeguard” cotton sweaters and headed out the door for the 15min. bike ride to the marina.

This did not go well for me.

Even though I snuck the wayward sweater back into the barracks that very same day, the damage was done and I became their late-night punching bag. Later that week, I escaped to the safety of the v-berth on the F/V Bee-Dee.

Overtime, I licked my wounds and forgot all about the hazing I had taken. But I never forgot about that sweater. Something about it stuck with me for many years.

Maybe it was the “borrowing” of something so prized by the b-guards. They knew something about that sweater that I didn’t and they appreciated it in ways I simply could not. Surely the sweater in question didn’t start out with holes in it, or with that briny look and smell. All those characteristics were earned by endless hours pacing the shoreline and up on the guard stand. There were no shortcuts to getting that sweater to look, feel, smell, and perform the way it did.  

And here we are, not attempting to recreate that sweater but instead bringing to life the feeling and that sense of place, for those of us who remember when. As well as for all those who have never stepped foot on a sandy, salt-sprayed beach or heard the roar of the surf. This sweater is for you. 100% cotton, sizes Small to 2XL.

Details: 

• 100%, combed Egyptian long-staple cotton
• Double Jersey stitch knit, superior shape retention and durability 
• Garment dyed, sea-salt wash finish 
• Each sweater weight approximately 2.2 lbs.
• Fully fashioned Kangaroo pocket
• Roomie but tailored hood
• Limited edition, only 50 units per color 
• In production now...shipping July 17
• Built in Portugal