Company founder Dave Rochlen^[1] was a beach lifeguard and surfer, originally in Santa Monica, California, then in Hawaii.^[2] After reading a Life magazine article showing Russians looking comfortable attending the beach in bathrobes, Rochlen bought some brightly colored floral fabric and asked his wife Keanuenue to make a short, baggy pair of pajamas with a sewn-up fly and cut-off at the knee.^[2] They produced the first pair of Jams on December 25, 1964.^[2]

Rochlen quit his job as a systems analyst and started his new company Surf Line Hawaii, Ltd. to make and sell his new product; its name, Jams, was a shortening of pajamas.^[2][3] Rochlen explained the name as "I thought of it. It's part of the word 'pajamas,' of course, and it was what I wanted – short, quick, jargon, hip, young, one-syllable."^{[citation needed]}

Soon after his first commercial pairs of Jams were worn at Mākaha, Hawaii, Life magazine ran a two-page spread on Rochlen and a group of his surfing friends in the June 1965 issue. After the article, the Jams line was sold in Bloomingdales, Macy's, and Lord & Taylor. By 1991, Surf Line Hawaii's annual sales totaled about US$7 million.^[2] Its garments were all cut, sewn and manufactured in a Honolulu factory.^[3]

The Jams look was baggy and bohemian, with wild prints and clashing pinks and greens. It was a clear departure from the more subtle color combinations and detailing of existing boardshorts.^[3]

• Jams World company website
• A Brief History of Jams World
• Dave Rochlen Invents Jams/Baggies Archived 2006-09-03 at the Wayback Machine
• Walker's Jams World Collection – A large private collection of Jams World items