“It’s nice to be wearing a pair of boardshorts that your dad goes, ‘Hey, I used to have a pair like that.’ It opens up a dialogue.” —Dylan Trumbull
RIIN www.riin.myshopify.com Photoshoot Location: 1290 South Lyon Santa Ana, CA 92705
Dylan Trumbull FOUNDER AND OWNER OF RIIN
Q: What inspires your designs? DT: When I started the company, the whole thing about RiiN was bridging the gap between vintage and contemporary. A lot of the inspiration is from looking at old yearbooks, old photos, and old surf videos. Q: What sets RiiN apart? DT: The fact that there is that optimal length. You see a lot of board shorts at the knee level and that is just not something that I enjoy. Another thing is, a lot of people are interested in that retro feel. It’s nice to be wearing a pair of boardshorts that your dad goes, ‘Hey, I used to have a pair like that.’ It opens up a dialogue. Q: What materials do you enjoy working with best? DT: I am still exploring different materials, and seeing what people like wearing the best. But I really love working with recycled sail material. It might not be functional anymore for a sail boat due to a rip, but
instead of going to a landfill, it can be enjoyed for more years! Q: You started RiiN as a way to recover from ependymoma brain tumor surgery. Tell us a bit about that journey. DT: I think a lot of it was the recovery aspect for me. I had to relearn everything. So, for me it was very challenging and it was something that I had to really work on. In the back of my head, I was thinking, ‘It’s tough now, but it will get better, so I need to keep working at it.’ Q: What has surprised you the most about maintaining your own brand? DT: The biggest thing was jumping into an industry that I knew nothing about, so I had to learn a lot. On top of that, I was coming off of surgery and I had to relearn a lot of everyday tasks that people take for granted. So, I think a lot of my surprise was a little bit of both. Q: What is the highest compliment you can receive from one of your customers? DT: I love getting emails or pictures from customers saying, ‘I took these board shorts to a trip’ or ‘They’re my new favorite board short.’ It’s so nice to see and hear those stories. So, always email me!
WRITTEN BY: ELAINE MORGAN CUTTING | PHOTOGRAPHED BY: ADAM GENTRY
Q: Why are you passionate about surf wear? Dylan Trumbull: I’ve always been interested in all activities that incorporated water. I could never find that optimal board short length. I would get a pair of shorts and I would have my mom hem them. There’s people out there that want that optimal short vintage style. I wanted to make them so other people didn’t have to do what I had to do.