Natural Boardshorts
THE DIFFERENCE
FAQs
How do I wash them?
Most of the time, you don't need to. Just air them out between wears.
If they need a refresh, rinse them in the shower with fresh water and hang dry.
When it's time for a proper wash: cold gentle cycle + wool-safe detergent.
Avoid bleach and fabric softeners.
Can I swim in them?
Yes. They're built for in and around the water, and they dry fast.
After saltwater or chlorine, just rinse them with fresh water (shower is perfect) and hang dry.
They're not designed for surfing (yet). Surf-specific boardshorts are on the way.
Are they sustainable?
Yes. The main fabric is 100% natural merino wool - no synthetics, no microplastics.
The waistband elastic and buckle are synthetic for durability and function, but the part touching your skin is natural fibre, so there's less plastic on your body and less plastic coming off your shorts in the wash.
What if I'm between sizes?
Most of the time, stick with your regular waist size. The elastic waistband and adjustable buckle give you plenty of flex.
If you want a cleaner, more fitted look, go the smaller size.
If you want a bit more room through the legs, go the bigger size.
Will they stretch out?
They're a 100% merino plain weave (no elastane), so they're not designed to stretch like boardshorts.
After a few wears, the fabric will soften and relax slightly (that's normal with natural fibres) but it won't stretch out the way synthetic shorts do.
Why are MARINE|O shorts made in China?
OPTIM™ merino — the technically advanced fabric at the heart of our shorts — is only produced in China. After spending a year searching, I couldn't find anything comparable anywhere else in the world.
So we didn't choose China for cost. That's an outdated assumption — if we were chasing low production costs, Pakistan or India would have been the obvious choice. We chose China for the fabric and the manufacturing expertise required to work with it.
Our shorts are made in a small family-run factory specialising in performance fabrics. The wool itself is Australian superfine merino. We chose the best material on the planet over geography — because cutting corners on materials isn't something we're prepared to do.