Frank Gromling

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Fits like a glove

Founded by twin brothers, Bill and Bob Meistrell, Body Glove International rose from humble beginnings to become an industry leader in water sports manufacturing, including surf gear and apparel. Celebrating their sixtieth year in business in 2013, this iconic American business success helped create the Southern California surf culture of the 1950s and 1960s. Through extensive interviews with the Meistrell family, including Bill and Bob themselves, this history of the company tells the story from the inside, revealing details never before shared with the general public. FITS LIKE A GLOVE is the Meistrells' story. So who do you think was responsible for the Beach Boys', Jan and Dean's, Sea Hunt's and the beach party movies' focus on the sunny shores of Southern California? We think you'd be surprised. Beginning in the 1960s, surfing and scuba diving became America's favourite water sports. Behind the scenes were twin brothers, Bill and Bob Meistrell, transplanted Missourians who found themselves at the centre of this phenomenon. They had fallen in love with the Pacific Ocean and they became instrumental in creating the Southern California surfing and diving lifestyle enjoyed by millions around the world. FITS LIKE A GLOVE is a personal and revealing look into the lives, motivations, dreams and accomplishments of these twin brothers who lived their mantra - “Love what you do, do what you love.” As a result, the company they created, Body Glove International, continues to adhere to its founders' ideals of being honest, fair, creative and passionate. Through personal interviews with legendary surfers and divers, classic photographs and the Meistrells' personal stories, the reader gains a vivid picture of the challenges the brothers faced during their lifetime. It includes their encounters with the likes of Lloyd Bridges, Gary Cooper and Raquel Welch. But FITS LIKE A GLOVE is more than just their story - it is the history of the sport of surfing and diving as seen by these two remarkable brothers.