Mambo Graphics Pty Ltd

BiographyThe Mambo label, established in 1984 by Dare Jennings and Andrew Rich, combined vibrant and humorous graphics with surf culture, art and music influences. The surfwear brand, which evolved out of the business Phantom Textile Printers, quickly won a cult following within surfing communities throughout Australia, Italy, Japan and America, and its product range grew to include clothing, accessories and watches.

Artists such as Reg Mombassa, Gerry Wedd, Jim Mitchell, Paul Worsted and Robert Moore have designed fabrics and screen prints for the Mambo range. Perhaps the most recognisable Mambo designer, Reg Mombassa (aka Chris O'Doherty), who formed part of the Australian band Mental as Anything, has worked on Mambo graphics for t-shits, Loud shirts and posters since 1986. When Mambo branched out with a women's range, Mambo Goddess, they began looking for women artists, such as Marcelle Lunam, to create designs.

Mambo established signature stores in Australia, the United Kingdom and Europe, and wholesales to retailers throughout Australia and internationally. In 2000, the company was acquired by the Sydney-based clothing manufacturer, Gazal Corporation, which for ten years had produced Mambo clothing under licence. Mambo anticipated that the change of ownership would allow the company to grow more quickly, initially targeting the European market.

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