Urbnsurf inked a deal this week to work with Australian surf brand Mambo. The collab means the Mambo Surf Deluxe capsule collection will light up the wave pool’s on-site surf shop with vibrant party shirts, tees and towels. And, of course, there’s art.

Ben Brown and Le Grizz are dousing the surf park in color by adding original artwork via two shipping container murals located in Urbnsurf’s Lawns and Court areas. 

By choosing an iconic brand that ruled the day-go eighties era, Urbnsurf charts a path for future surf park and brand partnerships – all while staying true to surf culture’s roots.

“We’re stoked to welcome such a celebrated Aussie icon like Mambo to the Urbnsurf family,” said Urbnsurf Founder Andrew Ross. “(It’s) a brand that has played such a huge role in shaping both surfing culture, and broader mainstream street art, and music culture here in Australia.”

Created in 1984 by Australians Dare Jennings and business partner, Andrew Rich launched Mambo to counter the blow-dried Lightning Bolt era of surfwear by incorporating a big, bright look.

Encyclopedia of Surfing curator Matt Warshaw described the mid-80s to mid-90s era as wild and creative, if somewhat abrasive.

“Fashion-wise, the sport had gone bright. Very bright. Tight-fitting neon-on-neon was the dominant trend, but there was also an outbreak of squiggly multicolor “ethnic prints,” and some vestigial New Wave designs. Op tried a genital-hugging Lycra-and-neoprene boardshort. Then there was the counterintuitive “urban-surf look,” identified by Gotcha CEO Michael Tomson as “post-nuclear-torn-and-destroyed.”

Urbnsurf opened to the public last month as Australia’s first surf-specific wave pool. The Melbourne surf park offers several wave settings and sessions near the city’s airport in Tullamarine.

More about the Mambo brand history at this link