Billabong Brand Wetsuits and Gear - Billabong was founded in 1973 by Gordon and Rena Merchant. Those early days the pair designing boardshorts at home, cutting them out on the kitchen table and then carting the finished product around to the local surf shop to sell. Today Billabong is one of the leading innovators in wetsuits and boardshorts in the industry. PleasureSports.com