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Private company

Body Glove

Logo: bodyglove.com3

American brand of watersports clothing

Body Glove is an American brand of watersports apparel and accessories that was founded in 1953 by twin brothers Bill and Bob Meistrell. The brothers are often credited with inventing the first practical wetsuit in the early 1950s in the back of their Redondo Beach, California, surf shop, Dive N' Surf. From those wetsuits, Body Glove branched out into other product categories.2 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

1953Founded1

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Body Glove store
Photo: Dgohtravel, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons5

Body Glove is an American brand of watersports apparel and accessories that was founded in 1953 by twin brothers Bill and Bob Meistrell. The brothers are often credited with inventing the first practical wetsuit in the early 1950s in the back of their Redondo Beach, California, surf shop, Dive N' Surf. From those wetsuits, Body Glove branched out into other product categories. They now make wetsuits, swimsuits, clothing, shoes, life vests, sunglasses, wakeboards, paddle boards, towables, backpacks, phone cases and snorkeling equipment.2

The story

Body Glove was started by Bill and Bob Meistrell in Redondo Beach, CA. They borrowed $1800 from their mother and each bought one third of the local sports shop called Dive N' Surf. Because the water was cold in the winter, they needed to find a way to stay in the water longer. In 1953, Bill Meistrell went to Bedford, Virginia, where he found the insulation used in the back of refrigerators, neoprene, and the first practical wetsuit was born.

In 2016 Marquee Brands acquired a 75% ownership stake in Body Glove, with the Meistrell family retaining 25% of the company.

From Wikipedia’s article on Body Glove, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4

Products and brands

  • clothing

Listed on Wikidata.1

Timeline

  1. 1953Founded Founded1

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

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    Company websiteBody Glove logo
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