Shirt & Art Info                                              Customer Reviews

The original birth and subsequent re-invention of Magic Island is due in part to a few critical factors. Hard work and a good degree of luck have both played a significant role in the early days of our company and today. However, we believe the most critical aspect is the result of the high quality artwork that goes into each product.

As the story goes, the founder of Magic Island continually recognized the work of one artist in particular on Maui in the early 70's. Everywhere on the island the artist's work could be seen in varying locations. After finally finding out that the artist who was creating such beautiful works of art was doing so on the island of Maui, a spark of creativity was ignited. The founder of Magic Island believed that through art, the lifestyle of surfing, living in the tropics and living your own personal dream could be frozen in artwork to share with others. Before that, surf clothing had developed from surf shops and surfboard companies that inevitably created t-shirts from their logos. In contrast, the original idea behind Magic Island T-shirts was to create a visual image of the act of surfing itself that could be worn as a symbol of togetherness within the surfing family.

After asking around for a few months, the creators of Magic Island discovered the artisan who was creating the exceptional works of art. Richard Fields, originally from California, was an avid kneeboarder and exceptionally creative artist. Having been on the island for a few years prior to the Magic Island group, his creative talent had already long since been influenced by the magical atmosphere of Maui. His special love of Maui, and its beauty is apparent in every piece of art that he creates.

After being introduced it was quickly apparent that the artist, Richard Fields, was exceptionally like-minded in his approach and philosophy of lifestyle in the islands. The founders of Magic Island discussed with Richard how absolutely creative it would be to turn his creations of art capturing the surfing lifestyle into t-shirts.

Soon there after, Magic Island was born and one of the first and most unique surf clothing lines was launched. With the awe inspiring pieces that were created by Richard Fields, the company was able to succeed in capturing the lifestyle and vibration of true aloha. Over the next period of years, Richard would draw hundreds of pieces of art that were turned into products for Magic Island T-shirts.

As the company had more success, more artists were employed to meet the creative aspirations of those involved with Magic Island. During the original tenure of business operations in the 1970's, Magic Island T-shirts employed the artistic services of Christian Lassen and later Rick Sharp, among others. With new artists came new creative visions and the growth and development of Magic Island T-shirts.

Today, the rebirth of Magic Island T-shirts as Magic Island Designs is a direct response to the high quality level of artwork that was created by master artist Richard Fields. The artwork is more pertinent today in restoring the original vibration of surfing and its pure aloha spirit. We at Magic Island Designs have been fortunate enough to have this retro artwork be a part of our life and are excited to bring it to your homes and lives once again.

All of the artwork that is currently being used in products at Magic Island Designs was created by Richard Fields. We are stoked to have the ability to share his inspirations of surf and the tropics through the rebirth of Magic Island Designs. Please let us know which upcoming prints you like best as we unlock the collection of amazing retro surf art from the 70's.

 

  

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