It was 1965 when a young John Kirsch Senior noticed that something was missing along his sales routes to local shops in Southern California. He was an innovator, an outdoor enthusiast, and tennis racquet salesman; the perfect qualifications to solve the problem he kept seeing. After talking to players and shop owners alike, it became evident that comfortable, stretchy shorts would enhance the player’s mobility and game but there was nothing like it on the market.

In short: stretch fabric. As he delivered racquets on his typical route, he would show shop owners his invention. From the back of his young family’s station wagon, he built a brand that would lead to national recognition and would push outdoor recreation apparel into the future.

Kirsch may have been keen to the industry’s needs because he himself was an active outdoorsman, committing to spending time with his family mountain biking, hiking, gardening, skiing, and fishing. “We did grow up on a ranch in Oregon [before moving to Northern Nevada],” says Kathleen, Kirsch’s oldest child and Aventura’s Design Director and Head Merchandiser. “We were all connected to the earth…we were always outside.”

His adventurous spirit propelled him through risks in business. When snow sports required clothing that would repel water, Sportif became one of the first manufacturers of Gore-Tex clothing. Sportif established itself as a premier manufacturer for companies like Eddie Bauer, L.L. Bean, and others.

Unfortunately, in 1991 John Kirsch Sr.’s ​​twin-engine Beechcraft plane crashed into the snow-covered San Bernardino Mountains. At the drop of a hat, though, his children picked up the reins of the company in an effort to honor their father’s dream.