DaKine

DaKine is a sporting goods manufacturer established in 1979 in Haiku on the Pacific island of Maui in the U.S. state of Hawaii.

The name DaKine is a term used in Hawaii Creole English ( emerged from "the child " ), meaning as much as the word "thing " in German ( so everything and anything) in a wider sense also "the best".

History

Due to the rapid development in sports such as surfing and windsurfing in the 1970s, the required equipment were always special. Rob Kaplan therefore began in 1979 on the island of Maui in the town of Haiku to produce the first lines in order to meet the special requirements of the sports meet. Kaplan developed in 1980 improved, more padded straps for the new generation of wave boards, followed by trapezoids, wetsuits, and other specialty products. Especially important for its success was the development of the adjustable foot straps for surfboards in the years 1981-1984. The company expanded in 1986 by the opening of a representation on the North American mainland. The product range was expanded in 1989 to articles for the snowboard market. In 1999, finally having been added skateboards.

In Germany DaKine became known in addition to the surf products by backpacks. With the kitesurfing new products such as the first series of "Kite fusion " trapezoids 2001 which were supplemented in 2005 by a combination of pants and trapezoidal emerged.

DaKine was acquired in 2008 from Billabong for $ 100 million (approx. EUR 70 million ) and in turn sold to the American investment fund Altamont Capital Partners in 2013 due to financial difficulties of the parent company for just $ 70 million (about 48.6 million euros ).